Warhawks, Wall highlight weekend

October 23, 5:49 PMLexington Sports ExaminerAdam Revelette

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ULM's Warhawks sail into Lexington on Saturday (ulmathletics.com)

I suppose you're wondering why there's not a picture of John Wall's mug on the top of this article, and why I'd ever talk about Kentucky football before UK basketball. Well, it's simple really: the Warhawks of Louisiana-Monroe are more important than the John Wall eligibility story. At least for this weekend. So, if you really want the news on Wall and not your Wildcats of the gridiron, go ahead and scroll down a couple paragraphs.

Now, back to the real story of this weekend. After a huge win at Auburn last weekend, Kentucky posts up at home for the next three weeks, hosting ULM, Mississippi State, and Eastern Kentucky. Although the schedule looks much easier on paper than the SEC obstacle course the Cats have been on the past few weeks, UK must not take any opponents lightly, especially ULM, and here's why:

• Aside from the awesome nickname, ULM has a pretty impressive record. The Warhawks enter Saturday's contest at 4-2, and are 3-0 in Sun Belt conference play.
• ULM will not be fazed by a big opposing crowd: they have already traveled to Texas and Arizona State so far this season, with over 101,000 in attendance for the Texas game.
• The 'hawks have a knack for disrupting things: their 2006 trip to Lexington went down to the last play, with UK narrowly escaping, 42-40. In '07, ULM knocked off Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Locke's knee in question (ESPN.com)

What to watch for on Saturday:

• Locke not a lock- UK star tailback Derrick Locke has been upgraded to probabale for tomorrow, with a mild MCL strain. Rich Brooks isn't crazy about giving Locke an abundance of touches Saturday, so look for the Cats to come out firing and try to build an early lead.
• UK quarterback play: it's expected that Morgan Newton and Will Fidler will shoulder most of the load behind center for the blue-and-white tomorrow, with flashes of Randall Cobb in between. Hopefully Newton or Fidler (or both) can get a rhythm going with a struggling receiving corps, which would keep opposing defenses from stacking up against an impressive Kentucky running game.
• Defense may win championships, but it's been helping win ballgames of late. With Trevard Lindley still banged up, cornerback Paul Warford will be expected to step up once again. Last week, Warford recorded six pass breakups. Linebacking corps Micah Johnson (14 tackles), Sam Maxwell (10) and Danny Trevathan (10) were also solid at Auburn; Johnson was named the SEC's defensive player of the week.

Wall in action during Big Blue Madness (AP)

Alright, time for your story on John Wall. Everybody's favorite freshman was a hot topic on ESPN's bottom line Thursday as questions of his eligibility arose. This story is not a suprise to UK officials, since they have been investigating the matter for months, before Wall even signed his letter of commitment. The NCAA and the SEC were also previously aware of the matter, and have taken the proper steps to determine Wall's eligibility for the upcoming season.

Wall's former AAU coach, Brian Clifton, was once a registered agent. Prep athletes are not permitted to accept money or gifts from these agents, and because of this, the relationship between Wall and Clifton has come into question. If Clifton, for example, footed the bill for hotel rooms or meals, it would have violated Wall's status as an amateur. This is only an issue because of Clifton's questionable status as an agent. John Calipari is not involved in any of these investigations. If the NCAA determines that Clifton paid for too many of Wall's expenses, our diaper dandy might have to pay him back. In the event that Wall is found 'guilty' in these investigations, NCAA rules state that he would have to sit out 10 percent of Kentucky's contests this season, which equates to no more than four games. It's a strong possibility, however, that Clifton's expenses are not deemed to be substantial enough to warrant such a penalty, thus resulting in no punishment at all. For more details on this story, check out ESPN.