Posted on Mon, Aug. 04, 2008

Kentucky wide receiver Dicky Lyons Jr. was in the training room on the day of the 2008 NFL draft when a teammate came in angry. Several Wildcats players who had been widely predicted as early picks weren't selected until the final few rounds, and they weren't happy.

Former quarterback Andre' Woodson, once considered a sure first-round pick, fell to the sixth round. Lyons' fellow receivers, Keenan Burton and Steve Johnson, went in the fourth and seventh rounds, respectively. Star running back Rafael Little wasn't drafted at all. The only explanation, Lyons said, was the long-running lack of respect for his school.

"It could be because Kentucky is still perceived as not that great a school," Lyons said. "Those are things that we need to change, so guys with talent can actually get what they deserve."

After years of bottom feeding in the SEC, Kentucky has done a lot to shed its cellar-dweller stigma the past two seasons, both of which ended with eight wins and a bowl victory.

In 2007, the Wildcats knocked off in-state rival Louisville for the first time in four years. It was also their first win over a top-10 team in 30 years. Four weeks later, Kentucky's triple-overtime win over eventual national champion LSU gave the program its first win over a top-ranked team since 1964.

But national respect came with more than a few reservations, and when the Wildcats closed out the regular season by losing four of their final five games, that early success seemed a distant memory. Consecutive winning seasons were good for Kentucky but hardly anything special by the standards of its rivals.

"I think we have accomplished some things at Kentucky that I think are fairly significant in Kentucky football history," head coach Rich Brooks said. "But in the grand scheme of things, in the SEC, it probably hasn't been that dramatic."

So when the Wildcats open their 2008 schedule against Louisville, the goal won't simply be to exceed expectations by Kentucky standards. Lyons and his teammates have tasted the top, and they want more.

"You're going up against these teams that have earned that respect, year after year, for decades," Lyons said. "We're just now getting to the point where we're making progress. But two eight-win seasons in the SEC is not the top. And you've got to get to the top to get the respect. Right now, we're on our way."

That process will be made a bit more difficult, however, after the departures of Woodson and company.

Kentucky will spend the preseason looking to restock the receiving corps behind Lyons, while trying to find a replacement at quarterback - likely between junior Chris Pulley and sophomore Mike Hartline.

"I thought both of them performed pretty well in the spring game," Brooks said of his two potential starting quarterbacks. "Neither of them at this point has shown the efficiency in the passing game that Andre' did. They both have strong arms. They both can throw the ball well. But I think the vertical game needs to improve by both of them, and we need to work more on that."

The running game will be anchored by a combination of Tony Dixon, Moncell Allen, Alfonso Smith and Derrick Locke, who surprised everyone last season while filling in for an injured Little. After going to Kentucky on a track and field scholarship, Locke rushed for 521 yards and five touchdowns in 2007.

With a lack of experience on the offensive side of the ball, Brooks said he expects the defense to carry the load.

Last year, Kentucky gave up more than 190 yards per game rushing, the third worst mark in the conference. But with returning senior Myron Pryor and juniors Jeremy Jarmon and Corey Peters on the line, those numbers figure to improve.

Add to that a healthy Marcus McClinton, who has six career interceptions, in the secondary, and Brooks sees the makings of a unit that could be one of the SEC's best.

"I believe we have people lining up on 11 positions on defense that can start at a lot of schools in our league, and I'm talking about a lot of the big-name schools," Brooks said. "So I think that this now has a chance to be clearly the best defensive team that I've had."

And that might be the biggest difference for Kentucky. The Wildcats may not be national championship contenders just yet, but the past two years have got them closer to that goal.

"I think that we've closed the gap on the talent level, which is the biggest significant difference in Kentucky football now versus four or five years ago," Brooks said.