PAGE 6    THE CATS'  PAUSE,  JANUARY 1, 1977
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We Really Want This One
Question - The Wildcat football team returned Saturday from the Christmas holidays and began practice for this week's Peach Bowl. Did everyone return and is everyone healthy?
Coach Curci- Everyone is back with the exception of Steve Slates. He won't be playing in the Peach Bowl because of an operation about five or six days ago. He had to undergo an emergency appendectomy operation and, of course, he won't be in uniform. He plans to meet the team down in Atlanta and be there for the game, however. Steve will be replaced by Larry Petkovsek, a 6-5, 245-pound sophomore offensive tackle who will move over to Slates' guard position.
Question - How have the practices gone thus far this week?
Coach Curci- I thought we had good workouts today (Monday). The only thing that concerns us right now is the weather in Atlanta this Friday afternoon. We hope its a dry day. It will probably be cold but we told our players they would just have to adjust to the cold and I think that won't be any problem. I just hope there is no rain nor snow. It can be pretty rough down there when it rains.
Question - Isn't the Atlanta area known for its high annual rainfall?
Coach Curci- I don't think so but I understand it has rained on New Year's Eve the last couple or three years. But it will change this time. We game them (the Peach Bowl) a sell-out crowd so we're going to bring them some good weather too.
Question - What's been the practive schedule this week for the Kentucky football team?
Coach Curci- We've had two workouts a day each Monday and Tuesday and we'll have one more early Wednesday before we leave for Atlanta. After that, we'll have one more workout in Atlanta on Thursday. We're not going to work the team to death. We're going to go with what got us here and there's no sense in going so hard after the long season.
Question - What's the most important thing to work on for a bowl game like this, after the regular season has ended more than a month ago?
Coach Curci- It's vital for the team to be in good condition. If you get tired out there in a game, then your mind stops functioning and you don't react like you should. In our situation, we worked hard for eight days, then gave the players Christmas off and asked them to keep in good condition while they were home.
Question - Did the players report back in good physical condition?
Coach Curci- For the most part, they did. They didn't work as hard as we wanted them too but I guess it was as much as could be expected. I think these kids will put on a good show, they want to go down there and win this thing.
Question - Can Kentucky's fans expect anything new, any new wrinkles in the offense or any new faces?
Coach Curci- No, we're not going to change anything. The things we did well during the year got us here and that's what we will rely on. Our practice schemes have been the same. We're trying to get two teams ready to play.
Question - After several wins this past season, you emphasized what each one meant to the Kentucky program, like the wins over Penn State, LSU, Florida and Tennessee. What would a win over North Carolina in the Peach Bowl mean to the program?
Coach Curci- We really want to win this one. Up to this point, we've covered so many hurdles, now it's important to put the cream on the top. It would definitely help recruiting. I just want our players to go down there and fight with the enthusiasm they did here at Commonwealth Stadium all year long.
Question - How has Kentucky's recruiting progressed thus far? Are you satisfied with the present sign-ings?
Coach Curci- It's really hard to tell. We've signed eleven. The next fourteen will be extremely important because it now comes down to the national letter of intent signing deadline which is in February. Until we've signed the players to the national letter, you really don't know how you have done.
Question - Who were the walk-ons you gave scholarships at the end of the season?
Coach Curci- The NCAA stipulates you must name those on scholarship by the first of December so we gave some available scholarships to four boys just before the Tennessee game. They had worked hard and deserved the scholarships. They are Mike O'Donnell, torn Fausel, Chris Jacobs and Mark Meenach.
Question - It's going to be a little strange for the players to have 37,000 Kentucky fans rooting for them in a game away from Commonwealth Stadium, isn't it?
Coach Curci- I think it's going to be like a home game for us. We're just preparing for a game like we always do but when the team arrives in Atlanta and the thousands of Kentucky fans are
Kentucky's Bowl Seasons
1947Won 8, Lost 3.
COACH: Paul Bryant HON. CAPT.: Bill Moseley Sept. 20 Mississippi, Oxford Sept. 27 Cincinnati, Lexington Oct.   4 Xavier (Ohio), Cincinnati Oct. 11 Georgia, Lexington Oct. 18 Vanderbilt, Nashville Oct. 25 Mich. State. E. Lansing Nov.   1 Alabama, Lexington Nov.   8 W. Virginia, Morgantown Nov. 15 Evansville, Lexington Nov. 22 Tennessee, Lexington
GREAT LAKES BOWL (Cleveland, Ohio) Dec.   6 Villanova
7 20 20 26 14
7
14 0
7' 0 0 6
0 13 15 6 36 0
6 13
24 14
1949Won 9, Lost 3.
COACH: Paul Bryant CAPT.: Harry Ulinski ALT. CAPT.: Dick Holway Sept. 17 Miss. Southern, Lex. Sept. 24 La. State, Baton Rouge Oct.    1 Mississippi, Oxford Oct.   8 Georgia, Lexington Oct. 15 The Citadel, Lexington Oct. 22 Sou. Methodist, Dallas Oct. 29 Cincinnati, Lexington Nov.   5 Xavier (Ohio), Cincinnati Nov. 12 Florida, Tarnpa Nov. 19 Tennessee, Lexington Nov. 25 Miami (Fla.), Miami
ORANGE BOWL (Miami, Fla.) Ian.    2 Santa Clara
71	7
19	0
47	0
25	0
44	0
7	20
14	7
21	7
35	0
0	6
21	6
13	21
1950Won 11, Lost i.
COACH: Paul Bryant
CO-CAPS.: Bob Gain, Wilbur Jamerson
Sept. 16 North Texas State, Lex. Sept. 23 La. State, Lexington Sept. 30 Mississippi, Lexington Oct.   7 Dayton, Lexington Oct. 14 Cincinnati, Lexington Oct. 21 Villanova, Philadelphia Oct. 28 Georgia Tech, Atlanta Nov.   4 Florida, Lexington Nov. 11 Miss. State, St. College Nov. 18 North Dakota, Lexington Nov. 25 Tennessee, Knoxville
SEC CHAMPIONS
SUGAR BOWL (New Orleans, La.)
Jan.    1 Oklahoma
25	0
14	0
27	0
40	0
41	7
34	7
28	14
40	6
48	21
83	0
0	7
13	7
1951Won 8, Lost 4.
COACH: Paul Bryant CO-CAPTS.: Vito Parilli, Doug Moseli Sept. 15 Tennessee Tech.. Lexington Sept. 22 Texas, Austin Sept. 29 Mississippi. Oxford Oct.   6 Georgia Tech, Lexington Oct. 13 Miss. State, Lexington Oct. 20 Villanova, Lexington Oct. 27 Florida, Gainesville Nov.   3 Miami (Fla.), Lexington Nov. 10 Tulane, New Orleans Nov. 17 George Wash., Lexington Nov. 24 Tennessee, Lexington COTTON BOWL (Dallas, Tex.) Jan.    1 Texas Christian
72	13
6	7
17	21
7	13
27	0
35	13
14	6
32	0
37	0
47	13
0	28
20	7
jammed together at the Marriot, it's going to be something else. Certainly the players will get caught up in all the excitement but I don't think this will affect us because they know this is the one. It'll be something else to have that many Kentuckians in the stands rooting for us, especially in Atlanta. After a while, it will seem like we're right at home.
Question - Earlier, out on the practice field, you warned the team the game would be close and possibly be decided in the final two minutes. Is that your true feelings?
Coach Curci- It's going to be a very close game, one in which a mistake here or there can decide it. It most likely will go down to the final minutes and the team in the best condition will probably win, that's why we are so concerned about conditioning.
Question - There has been a lot of talk about teams which practiced through Christmas for the bowl games as against those which didn't. Why did you choose not to practice during Christmas?
Coach Curci- We had worked hard and we felt we just wouldn't accomplish anything extra by practicing during Christmas. They had worked eight hard days and we wanted to give them the rest.
Question - What are the travel arrangements for the team to the Peach Bowl?
Coach Curci- We'll all be loading up here Wednesday morning just after practice and head to Atlanta. The team will be traveling in five chartered buses. We wanted to take everybody, all the players, the wives and families and we thought it would be too much of a financial burden to ask the University to fly everyone to Atlanta. Anyway, I think I'm gonna kinda enjoy the bus ride. It will only be a couple or three hours longer. We won't be stopping anywhere because we are taking box lunches for everyone. We s. mid arrive in Atlanta about 5:30 p.m. All together there will be 194 in the official party. The only ones stopping will be the Kentucky State Police for gas, but they can catch up with us. We will return by bus Saturday.
Question - Is it true the Kentucky caravan is being given a special escort by state police in Tennessee?
Coach Curci- Yes, I understand they are going to give us an escort to the Georgia line and then the Georgia patrol will escort us on in to Atlanta. The Tennessee people have been real nice.