Kentucky’s Couch Not Meant For Sitting

For three months, freshman Tim Couch has been throwing footballs to his receivers at Kentucky. Slowly, he’s been getting used to how much faster his new teammates can run.

“It took my a couple of days to get used to their speed,” Couch said. “But now I feel like I’ve adjusted to it.”

If Couch adjusts to football in college the way he did in high school, then the Wildcats might find themselves back in the winning business. Landing the best recruit in the country has a way of making everyone feel good about the upcoming season. And Kentucky fans are feeling great about Couch.

But coach Bill Curry makes it perfectly clear he already has a starting quarterback in Billy Jack Haskins, and is in no rush to put Couch into the lineup.

“People say, ‘How are you going to handle this situation?”’ Curry said. “We’ll keep our word and our word is as follows: Billy Jack will be our starting quarterback. “There will be no quarterback controversy. We know we have a quarterback who has proven he can win games in the Southeastern Conference.”

With pressure on Curry to win more, the Couch option, even with freshman Ryan Keller in the quarterback mix, might be used earlier than expected. In six years, Curry is 22-45 and hasn’t had a winning season - his best mark being 6-6 in 1993. The Wildcats were 4-7 last season after a 1-10 campaign in ‘94.

And Couch didn’t stay in his home state to sit, especially after turning down offers to play at Auburn, Florida and Tennessee.

For his part, Couch is confident he’ll start at some point, but just wants to be prepared when he does.

“I don’t want to rush it,” said the 6-foot-5, 230-pounder. “When I feel like I’m ready, I want to get the chance. I feel like I can be a starter this season.

“After I get through two-a-days, and begin learning the offense, I feel I’ll be ready to play.

Couch knows he’s being looked at as Kentucky’s football savior, but he’s not worried about the expectations of others.

“I really don’t think about it too much,” he said. “I’ll just go out and try to do my best.”