Kentucky coach Joker Phillips is 11-14 entering his third season as coach of the Wildcats. Phillips and the Wildcats finished 5-7 last year and opens the season against Louisville on Sunday at Papa John¿s Stadium in Louisville.
Joker Phillips is no longer considered a rookie. The learning curve has straightened itself out.
Phillips is entering his third season as football coach at the University of Kentucky and the upcoming season could make or break his career as head coach of the Wildcats.
That’s just the way it is in today’s society and Phillips is no different than any other college coach facing the same scenario this season.
Past trend
Despite the pressure to win, the trend of make or break after two seasons is nothing new at the school, considering it took Rich Brooks three-plus seasons to bring the program from probation to a perennial contenter in the Southeastern Conference.
Following two seasons, Brooks had compiled a 6-17 record and was 9-25 after three years on the sidelines. The Brooks breakthrough didn’t occur until midway through the 2006 season when the Wildcats won four of their last five games that began a string of five consecutive bowl appearances, which came to an end last year.
Going into his third season at the helm, Phillips is 11-14 and 0-1 in the postseason.
The two-year victory mark by Phillips is better than Brooks, Guy Morriss (9-14) and Bill Curry (7-15), but sightly below Hal Mumme, who went 12-11 in his first two years in Lexington. Mumme’s career took off on the fast lane with two bowl appearances in the first three seasons, but ended up in smoke following his fourth and final season.
Thirst for firsts
Despite the negativity surrounding last year’s 5-7 campaign and the 27-10 setback to Pittsburgh in the BBVA¿Bowl in 2011, there were some bright spots in the first two seasons with Phillips at the helm.
Although Kentucky missed out on a postseason appearance for the first time in five years last year, Phillips did end a 26-game losing streak to Tennessee. The previous season, Phillips also became the first Kentucky coach to beat South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.
Phillips has been able to continue the string of firsts that Brooks began, but his tenure could be in jeopardy if another losing season ensues after last year’s 5-7 finish.
Schedule a task
Kentucky’s schedule features seven home games, but the list of opponents includes South Carolina, Mississippi State, Georgia and Vanderbilt, making the journey to the postseason a difficult task, at least on paper. The non-conference visitors list consists of Kent State, Western Kentucky and Samford. Road trips are made up of visits to Florida, Arkansas, Missouri and the traditional regular-season finale at Tennessee on Thanksgiving weekend.
Going into the team’s season-opener on Sept. 2 at Louisville, five teams on Kentucky’s schedule — Georgia, South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida and Louisville — were ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 released last weekend.
Three more of those opponents — Tennessee, Missouri and Mississippi State — each received a vote in the poll.
Many consider Phillips to be on the proverbial hot seat, but aren’t giving up hope on regaining bowl eligibility.
Even though three trips to the Music City Bowl began to sound like a broken record during team’s five-year postseason run, a return to Nashville or any other bowl appearance would be a hit with Big Blue Nation.
Phillips is entering his third season as football coach at the University of Kentucky and the upcoming season could make or break his career as head coach of the Wildcats.
That’s just the way it is in today’s society and Phillips is no different than any other college coach facing the same scenario this season.
Past trend
Despite the pressure to win, the trend of make or break after two seasons is nothing new at the school, considering it took Rich Brooks three-plus seasons to bring the program from probation to a perennial contenter in the Southeastern Conference.
Following two seasons, Brooks had compiled a 6-17 record and was 9-25 after three years on the sidelines. The Brooks breakthrough didn’t occur until midway through the 2006 season when the Wildcats won four of their last five games that began a string of five consecutive bowl appearances, which came to an end last year.
Going into his third season at the helm, Phillips is 11-14 and 0-1 in the postseason.
The two-year victory mark by Phillips is better than Brooks, Guy Morriss (9-14) and Bill Curry (7-15), but sightly below Hal Mumme, who went 12-11 in his first two years in Lexington. Mumme’s career took off on the fast lane with two bowl appearances in the first three seasons, but ended up in smoke following his fourth and final season.
Thirst for firsts
Despite the negativity surrounding last year’s 5-7 campaign and the 27-10 setback to Pittsburgh in the BBVA¿Bowl in 2011, there were some bright spots in the first two seasons with Phillips at the helm.
Although Kentucky missed out on a postseason appearance for the first time in five years last year, Phillips did end a 26-game losing streak to Tennessee. The previous season, Phillips also became the first Kentucky coach to beat South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier.
Phillips has been able to continue the string of firsts that Brooks began, but his tenure could be in jeopardy if another losing season ensues after last year’s 5-7 finish.
Schedule a task
Kentucky’s schedule features seven home games, but the list of opponents includes South Carolina, Mississippi State, Georgia and Vanderbilt, making the journey to the postseason a difficult task, at least on paper. The non-conference visitors list consists of Kent State, Western Kentucky and Samford. Road trips are made up of visits to Florida, Arkansas, Missouri and the traditional regular-season finale at Tennessee on Thanksgiving weekend.
Going into the team’s season-opener on Sept. 2 at Louisville, five teams on Kentucky’s schedule — Georgia, South Carolina, Arkansas, Florida and Louisville — were ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 released last weekend.
Three more of those opponents — Tennessee, Missouri and Mississippi State — each received a vote in the poll.
Many consider Phillips to be on the proverbial hot seat, but aren’t giving up hope on regaining bowl eligibility.
Even though three trips to the Music City Bowl began to sound like a broken record during team’s five-year postseason run, a return to Nashville or any other bowl appearance would be a hit with Big Blue Nation.
