[jetpilot]

Nobody can say how this game would have turned out if Kash Daniel had been healthy and he had played, so why try? The loss of a key player just prior to a big game magnifies the impact of the loss because a team does not have much time to make adjustments. Maybe Kash would not have made any difference but it is clear that he was a difference maker in the first game.

Injuries are part of the game and they provide great challenges to coaches and the players who do play. The first game was a toss-up with Kash playing, so a Pikeville win would not have been an upset even if he had played. This game went from a toss-up to Pikeville being a solid favorite when Kash was dropped from Paintsville's lineup. Acknowledging that fact does not cheapen Pikeville's win in any way but denying that it might have made a difference seems petty.

I agree with most of your post but don't think anyone's being petty. Pikeville is a different team from the first game. Defense really came along, a great QB who Paintsville hadn't seen, etc. Nobody's saying it wouldn't have made a difference if Kash played. Only saying that the way Pikeville totally dominated the game on both sides of the ball that they still would have won. Nothing petty about it. And not only some Pikeville people saying it but plenty of Paintsville people saying it as well. I hope Kash heals quickly and I think he can help UK's defense as a freshman.:Thumbs: