By LARRY VAUGHT

Randall Cobb can’t hide his enthusiasm about the Kentucky offense.

“I feel great about the offense. I can’t wait to just go up to Louisville and play (on Sept. 4 to open the season) so we can display everything we have been doing this offseason,” said Cobb.

“I think we will be a lot better. I think we will be compared to the 2007 team just because we have the ability to have playmakers like that. But I think we are a different style team. We have more running backs and are deeper at running back than receiver but we have receivers that can stretch the field to make plays, too.”

Comparing this offense to the one in 2007 that featured quarterback Andre Woodson, receivers Keenan Burton and Steve Johnson, tight end Jacob Tamme and running back Rafael Little could be a bit optimistic even for Cobb, Kentucky’s best all-around offensive performer and one of the Southeastern Conference’s best players.

However, he’s so optimistic because he believes in senior quarterback Mike Hartline — and always has.

He says Hartline, who won the job over Morgan Newton and Ryan Mossakowski, will be better because “he has guys around him” to make plays this year.

“He has always been the guy he has been, he just hasn’t had anybody in the past to throw the ball to consistently and hasn’t had the time with the offense to throw the ball,” Cobb said. “I think right now he is just really comfortable giving the receivers a chance. A lot of times he used to check the ball down to running backs because he didn’t trust the receivers. I think he has grown to trust us a lot over the off-season. I think he is ready for us to make plays.”

Cobb, a full-time receiver, has also played quarterback and will likely be used again in certain situations. That’s why he appreciates the need for a quarterback to have consistent playmakers around him.

“It is rough playing quarterback when there are not enough playmakers. I can remember back to my freshman year. We didn’t have any experience,” Cobb said. “We didn’t know what was going on. When I played quarterback, we ran the ball. That was pretty obvious because we didn’t have the ability to throw it.”

But what about the other receivers this year?

“I feel great. We have done so much work as far as the catches we made. We had a lot of people that got a lot of catches this summer, so our hands are good. We worked a lot on our technique and routes and doing all the little things to make plays for our quarterback,” Cobb said.

Cobb says the biggest difference in the offense might be the depth at the skilled positions, something UK has lacked the last two years.

“We have the depth now. Our offensive line is tremendous. Coach (Mike) Summers has done a great job with them so far. The way they pick up protections and blitzes is going to help us out a lot and that gives the quarterback time to make the throws to us. And we have depth at each position finally,” he said.

That could allow both Cobb and running back Derrick Locke, who are also two of the nation’s best kick returners, to play fewer plays and take fewer hits.

“I think our bodies won’t be wore down as much as they have been in the past,” Cobb said. “We have a lot of guys that can get on the field and make plays. We won’t feel like we have to be in the game the whole time.

“We both know we can take a break and have guys pick up where we left off and there not be any slack. That will keep us a lot fresher and make us a lot better when you get to the middle of the season and start feeling like you are wore down.”