ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Chris Low

The offense and defense swapped roles last season at Kentucky.

It was the defense that carried the offense for much of the year. That's after Andre Woodson & Co. specialized in outscoring everybody in 2006 and 2007.

	Mark Zerof/US PRESSWIRE
	Kentucky increased its total offense and scoring offense numbers in each of Joker Phillips' first three years as offensive coordinator.

If the Wildcats are going to make it back to a bowl game for the fourth consecutive year in 2009, they will need more production out of their offense and more big plays.

They were especially weak on third down a year ago.

The guy responsible for returning Kentucky to its high-scoring ways is Joker Phillips, who was promoted to head coach of the offense this offseason.

Phillips had already been named the Wildcats' head coach in waiting and will move into the top job when Rich Brooks decides to retire.

Phillips has been Kentucky's offensive coordinator since 2005, and the Wildcats increased their total offense and scoring offense numbers in each of his first three years in that position. The 2007 offense set a school record for most points scored in a season (475) while piling up the second most offensive yards in Kentucky history.

That's the stratosphere Phillips would like to get back to.

With the Wildcats' first scrimmage of the spring set for Saturday, Phillips took some time to answer some of the key questions facing this offense:

What are your thoughts on quarterback Mike Hartline coming off what was an up-and-down season a year ago?

Joker Phillips: I thought he did an unbelievable job of managing the offense. The guy understands what it takes to win in this league, and that's a tribute to coach [Randy] Sanders. Where we've got to get better is the throw game, and that means we've got to be more efficient both throwing and catching it. Mike has taken that challenge to heart this spring.

Brooks has said that Randall Cobb's long-term future is at receiver if Hartline settles in at quarterback. How do you envision Cobb's role in this offense playing out next season?

JP: Randall's still going to be at quarterback some. He's one of those guys that you have to get the ball in his hands 'X' amount of times if you want to be successful. Whether that's at wide receiver or at running back running the jet sweep, putting him at quarterback in the Wildcat formation or letting him return kicks, he's a guy that has to have the ball in his hands in some capacity. And a lot of times, the easiest way to get him the ball is to put him at quarterback.

How different was last season for you after putting up so many big numbers the previous two seasons?

JP: We had to play to our strengths. It was a foreign way for us to win, but that's the way we were going to win last year. We had to run the football and not put our defense in crazy situations, because we were really good on defense. That was the strength of our football team, and they will be good again next year. It's up to us to help them more and not put as much pressure on them.

How much have the receivers grown up after so many young guys were forced into action a year ago?

JP: We played six true freshmen at receiver last year counting Randall Cobb and had guys like E.J. Adams playing who came over from defense and had never played the position at this level before. It was a tough year, but I feel good about their progress and the way they've prepared. It's really going to be important that Gene McCaskill continues to come on. He made some big plays for us last year in the bowl game. Eric Adeyemi has come a long way, and Kyrus Lanxter showed what he could do in the bowl game. But all those guys have to continue to mature football-wise and physically, too. They got pushed around too much last year.

Your running back corps has been depleted, especially with Derrick Locke recovering from a serious knee injury. Who do you lean on back there?

JP: Alfonso Smith is going to have to carry the load for us. He's played a lot of football around here, but hasn't had the opportunity to be the guy. Now that he is, we'll see how he responds to that. Every time we've called on him, he's delivered. I wouldn't expect this to be any different. He just has to do it over the course of an entire season. We hope to get Derrick back for the fall, and you really don't know about Moncell Allen. He's got some academic work to do, and you don't want to spend a lot of time on guys you're not sure will be here. We're real excited about all three of our freshmen coming in (Dakotah Tyler of Indianapolis, Ind., Donald Russell of West Palm Beach, Fla., and Jonathan George of Lincoln, Ala.), and some of those guys are going to have to help right away.

How do you feel about your offensive line?

JP: I think those guys will be the strength of our football team. We've been really down at that position for a long time and just getting by. But we've put a lot of emphasis on recruiting offensive linemen the last few years and have been able to get some guys who project to be big-time players. We've been able to build some depth. This is really the second class that we've been able to redshirt. Before, we had to play them. We'd bring them in, and they'd have to play. They wouldn't get a chance to get in the weight room for a year and get stronger. They would have to play and get beaten up and couldn't get in the weight room or go through the spring because they were recovering from surgery. We have great competition at all the positions up front, and it's never been that way since we've been here.

Who are some of the younger guys to watch in the offensive line?

JP: Stuart Hines, Jake Lanefski and Billy Joe Murphy are all sophomores who played last season, but they're also the first guys we've been able to redshirt around here in the offensive line. So this will be their third year in the program. We were able to redshirt another class this past year, and all four of those guys -- Matt Smith, Dave Ulinski, Sean Stackhouse and Trevino Woods -- are much more equipped to play now. It's the most depth we've ever had in the offensive line.

How comforting is it knowing that you've been a part
of history at Kentucky with the three straight bowl wins?

JP: I'm never comfortable with where I am. That's when everything starts crumbling down on you. It's made it easier for us to go to work, but I try not to get comfortable in anything I do. I don't want our players getting comfortable, either. That's the thing we stressed after our first bowl game. We don't want to get fat and happy around here. The reason we've gotten to three straight is that the players and coaches haven't gotten fat and happy. What we're striving for is to win the SEC championship. Two years ago, we were in the hunt. We want to stay in that hunt a little longer every year until we win it.