By Chris Duncan
The Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The goal posts at Commonwealth Stadium never did get torn down, but that doesn't mean Kentucky's season didn't surpass all expectations.

The Wildcats, coming off back-to-back 2-9 seasons and stinging NCAA sanctions, finished 7-5 with victories over then-No. 17 Louisville and Southeastern Conference foes Mississippi State and Arkansas.

Coach Guy Morriss said the Wildcats could've - and should've - been even better. Narrow losses to Florida, South Carolina and LSU will gnaw at him throughout the offseason.

"We made a big improvement, but looking back, we probably could've won maybe three more," he said. "I understand that ifs and buts are candy and nuts, but we could've easily had nine or 10. It bugs me that we didn't find a way to close those games out.

"Somebody needed to make a play, and we just didn't do it."

The Wildcats would have almost certainly made their first bowl appearance since 1999, but NCAA sanctions handed down in January included a one-year postseason ban.

Morriss said the team's 20 departing seniors will get commemorative rings for this season anyway. They'll also be invited to Kentucky's next bowl game by athletics director Mitch Barnhart.

Morriss, who signed a two-year extension to a four-year contract this season, said he doesn't plan to leave Lexington anytime soon. He said his focus is squarely on elevating Kentucky into the SEC's top tier - alongside traditional powers Florida, Georgia and Tennessee.

"We've got to find a way to beat one of the 'Big 3.' That's kind of our challenge," he said. "Anybody and everybody connected to this program has got to elevate their game. We've got to coach better, managers have got to manage better, secretaries have got to be better secretaries, trainers got to train better. Our whole program has to be better."

Improving on this season won't be easy in 2003.

Kentucky loses 10 starters, including SEC leading rusher Artose Pinner and receiver Aaron Boone, who led the Cats with 41 catches for 706 yards and a team-high 10 touchdowns.

Morriss said he'll scour the junior college ranks for a suitable replacement for Pinner, who set a school record with eight 100-yard rushing games this season.

If he can't find one, freshman Arliss Beach and redshirt freshman Alexis Bwenge will duel for the starting tailback position in the spring. The duo combined to rush for only 192 yards behind the durable Pinner this season.

"You can flip a coin between Alexis and Arliss right now," Morriss said. "It may be a situation where it may have to be by committee."

Morriss said another possibility at running back is sophomore quarterback Shane Boyd, who has played sparingly the past two seasons as Jared Lorenzen's understudy. The 6-foot-2, 239-pound Boyd is versatile enough to play wide receiver, tight end or even somewhere on the defensive side, Morriss said.

He hasn't shared his ideas with Boyd yet.

"How receptive he will be, I'm not sure. But he needs to be playing," Morriss said. "The guy is a great athlete. It's just a matter of whether he's comfortable with it. He could do it."

For now, Boyd is still the top backup to Lorenzen, who threw for 2,267 yards and 24 touchdowns this season, both improvements from 2001. But Lorenzen's weight - still around 300 pounds - remains a concern for Morriss.

"There comes a point in his career and his life where he's got to take it upon himself to get it off," Morriss said. "You can hound him to death, but it's like raising a kid - the more you harp at him, the more he says to himself, 'I'm going to prove to you I'm going to be a good quarterback at 300 pounds.'

"Right, wrong or indifferent, that's kind of his mentality."

Still, Morriss is glad to have him.

"He's starting to earn the respect of his teammates because his work ethic has changed," Morriss said. "The kids around him see it and respect it. That's the most important thing."

On defense, Kentucky will lose five of its top six tacklers from 2002.

The biggest gap will open in the linebacking corps, where starters Morris Lane and Ronnie Riley depart. The unit's experience level dramatically drops from there and Morriss said he can't afford to sign a linebacker this offseason because of the NCAA's 18-scholarship limit on the program.

Morriss is more encouraged by the apparent return of junior defensive end Dewayne Robertson, who led Kentucky with five sacks this season.

The 6-3, 311-pound Robertson asked Morriss this week if he could adjust his weightlifting schedule to get academic counseling. Morriss took that to mean he won't leave early and enter the NFL draft.

"Maybe I'm interpreting it wrong, but if he's coming out, he's not going to worry about classes at this point," Morriss said. "I'm trying to be positive here. We need him back."

Kentucky opens next season by hosting Louisville on Aug. 30. The following week, the Wildcats are scheduled to play Florida Atlantic - coached by former Kentucky player and Louisville coach Howard Schnellenberger.

On Sept. 13, the Wildcats play at Alabama for the first time since 1996. Kentucky has never beaten the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa.

The home schedule features games with Florida (Sept. 27), SEC West Division champion Arkansas (Nov. 1) and Tennessee (Nov. 29).