By LARRY VAUGHT

With everyone trying to analyze what Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline has not done well, I thought perhaps it would be interesting to get an educated opinion on what Hartline might be doing well.

No, I didn’t ask Rich Brooks or Joker Phillips. Instead, I turned to former UK quarterback Dusty Bonner, a player I thought always got the maximum production out of his ability.

Again, Bonner was not asked to compare Hartline to backup Will Fidler or freshman Morgan Newton. I just wanted to know what he liked when he watched Hartline play.

“I think he has done what he has been asked to do for the most part. I think first and foremost that people for replacing him need to remember he just played Alabama and Florida. Give him a break. Those might be the best two defenses in the country and they make every quarterback not play well,” Bonner said. “He made mistakes against Alabama, but he did not look horrible. He had a lot of good plays, too.

“He is second-year guy that did not start his whole first year. There is a huge building process. He didn’t play all year last season. I think obviously he understands what goes on in the offense. The comments this summer about him being a leader goes a long way with the team and something people outside a team might not understand. I don’t want to knock anyone, but he is a  relatively young quarterback not throwing to fifth- and fourth-year seniors. He does not have Dicky Lyons, Keenan Burton, Jacob Tamme and Steve Johnson. He doesn’t have that. Yes, he has Randall Cobb, who is a great receiver . And that is not knock on the other guys. But until you have a threat —Cobb and Derrick Locke are threats — but who else have opposing coaches talked about. They do not talk about the tight end or other receivers. They are not legitimate threats yet. They are young guys learning on the move. Andre Woodson had four receivers that were threats. If you had to cover any of them one-on-one good there was a good chance of you losing that battle.”

Bonner says young receivers, or even junior college transfer Chris Matthews, need time to mature and learn the nuances of the offense just like a quarterback does.

“And when you only have a receiving threat on one side of the field, it makes it easy for the defense. If I am playing Kentucky, my scheme would be to double Cobb, play everybody else one on one and then put all the other guys in the box and blitz Hartline. That would be my strategy every game against Kentucky until another receiving threat emerges,” Bonner said.

“When I was playing, I could throw 7-yard pass to Quentin McCord and then he runs 90 yards for a touchdown. I had James Whalen. He is like Randall Cobb, but I also had McCord. I don’t think Hartline has that,” Bonner said.

“You drop back and nobody is open and you hold ball and get sacked or you drop back and try to make a play and get picked off or something bad happens. I am not saying he is guilt free, but Hartline is not the blame all for UK’s offense.

“I personally think if Hartline cleaned up a couple of mistakes, I think he becomes pretty hard to criticize. Has he gone out and thrown for 500 yards? No. But he is not asked to do that. If you take away some mistakes that are no-nos and can’t do them, where do you criticize him for on the rest of his play? Every quarterback is going to throw interceptions. If you throw five touchdowns and two interceptions, nobody thinks of the two interceptions. But he is not in an offense where he can throw five touchdown passes.

“I feel Hartline has been in a tough spot. Last year he was replaced by Randall Cobb and that is tough on the psyche of anybody. This year he came back as the guy and, not being critical, but it is obvious he does not have enough weapons around him to make him good unless he plays out of this world. Not many quarterbacks can do that consistently, especially against Alabama and Florida.”

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