UK football delighted by ‘Double-D’

Offense did not always come easy for the UK football team in 2011. The Cats 15.8 points per game ranked 117th out of 120 Football Bowl Subdivision teams last season. Their 124.2 rushing yards a game ranked 90th and their 135.6 passing yards a game ranked 114th in the nation. Head coach Joker Phillips and his offense certainly left room for improvement.

That improvement may come in the form of two young, highly-regarded wide receivers known simply as “Double-D.” Their mothers may know them as Demarco Robinson and Daryl Collins.

Quarterback Maxwell Smith warned that opposing defenses may know their name once the new season begins.

“Daryl and Demarco, the two D’s, just remember the two D’s,” Smith said when asked who on the offense was most liable for a breakout season in 2012.

Robinson is a sophomore-to-be from Ellenwood, Ga. He had a quiet 2011 season as a true freshman, catching just five passes (most of them bubble screens) for a total of 17 yards. He also carried the ball five times for three yards (yes, he averaged fewer than a yard a carry). But with a year of experience under his belt, it’s Robinson’s potential upside that excites his teammates and coaches.

“We have got to get the ball to Demarco Robinson, he’s a guy that can help us,” Phillips said following Saturday’s intrasquad scrimmage. “He did a good job in the punt/kick game, does a good job with the hitches that we’ve been really good at in the past, turning those five yard hitches into 15 or 20 yard gains. He’s got a chance to be a player for us.”

The same can be said for Collins, who was forced to redshirt his freshman season after suffering a knee injury last August. Collins, a native of Gadsden, Al. and a former University of Alabama commit, was named one of 12 “Super Seniors” in Alabama high school football before arriving in Lexington.

Phillips said following Saturday’s scrimmage that Collins will line up predominantly as a slot receiver as he tries to catch up to his teammates after missing last season with the knee injury.

“When he knows what to do, he looks like a big-time SEC player,” Phillips said.

But if “Double-D” is going to reach its full potential in UK’s offense, it will require some mentoring from the coaching staff and fellow receivers, like senior-to-be La’Rod King.

“You have to prepare for everything, really get their confidence up,” King said. “They are good guys, they know what to do, just in terms of reading the signals and knowing where to line up, just the little details. They know the big picture it’s just about the little details.”

Both Robinson and Collins will have the opportunity to display their abilities in UK’s annual Blue/White scrimmage, scheduled for Saturday, April 21 at Commonwealth Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.