After a weekend of looking back, lamenting 9/11 tragedies, tributes and tears, time to look forward again.

In Kentucky this week, Governor’s Cup football. Annual Hatfields and McCoys bash for bragging rights and home front supremacy.

A sign of the times and/or season prospects perhaps, but traditional grand show of enthusiasm across the state seems muted by a bad mood, a case of transcendent grumps.

Maybe a Kentucky autumn evening come Saturday, will change all that.

Lone blemish on the drama coming to this one, Louisville arrives red-faced off a loss to FIWho? Sun Belt upstart Florida International University.

Gov Cup items to consider.

1. For the combatants, Game Three is … well, Perfect. Never mind what Tom Jurich says. Rival fans have had two extra weeks to chew on each other and coaches got time to tune up the product.

2. Kentucky has won the last four (2007-10) and is favored by seven-to-10 points to make it five.

3. No surprise, the Cardinals and Wildcats are dealing with early season Yips and offensive wobbles.

4. Louisville shows up angry, frustrated, with home crowd boos ringing in their ears last Friday, and hearing Little Brother buzz too.

5. Kentucky arrives grouchy also, having heard moans and boos and seen no-shows at its home opener. More than 15,000 empty seats at Commonwealth.

6. Two good pal coaches put smiles and goodwill in their back pockets this week. Each needs a win for long term reasons.

7. With an SEC Murderer’s Row just ahead and his receivers still dropping passes, fans second guessing in increasing numbers, Joker Phillips knows the honeymoon is over.

8. Charlie Strong needs a win because one stop left between his Cardinals and trips to North Carolina and Cincinnati is another mid-major upstart at home, Marshall. If typically fickle UofL fans don’t show in big numbers, his honeymoon is over also.

9. Featured: Two quarterbacks still looking for a groove. Morgan Newton may have found his by calling his own number. Will Stein, looking over his shoulder for Teddy Bridgewater, desperately needs running back help and more time to throw.

10. Reasons Newton will find his groove first: Josh Clemons, and an offensive line finding its rhythm.

11. Off Broadway players to watch Saturday: For Louisville, receiver Devante Parker; For Kentucky, DeMarco Robinson.

12. This is Kentucky’s last chance to fine-tune a coughing engine for the Grand Prix to come before Big Blue Madness – Florida, LSU and South Carolina.

13. Danny Trevathan is become Mike Singletary II. In the game’s wonderful chaos, he finds the football. Fans at Kentucky and beyond are seeing the maturation of one of the finest players in a blue uniform dating to Dr. Jim Kovach (1978). Travathan comes off a 13-tackles and pass interception performance.

14. Ryan Tydlacka is FPM. Kentucky’s Field Position Man has punted 10 times in two games, half-the-field average, 47.8 yards per kick.

15. Reasons Louisville quarterback Will Stein will spend Saturday night running for his life: Cards’ running game has been slow to show and inconsistent at best. Yet, Stein passed for 346 yards last week.

16. Numbers for Joker Phillips team to chew on: 39-49-45. That would be number of points UK’s first three SEC foes scored last week. No. 16 ranked Florida, No. 3 LSU, and No. 11 South Carolina, all winners.

17. Governor’s Cup may be Kentucky’s single Commonwealth Stadium sell-out this side of Thanksgiving. Tennessee visits November 26.

18. Must Win for Kentucky? You bet. SEC powers on the schedule have already written in a win over the Wildcats in ink.

19. Must Win for Louisville. Otherwise, a stadium half full for Marshall next week will be extend fan grumps and be a minus for recruiting.

20. Must Win for both? Countdown for John Calipari and Rick Pitino trotting out top 10 ranked basketball teams, draws nearer.

21. Watch for taunting and celebration. Which team maintains self discipline with the new take-points-off-the-board possibility rule in place.

22. Governor’s Cup most valuable player. Who will take home the Howard Schnellenberger Award on the coach’s last season before retirement.

23. For fans with no tickets nor enthusiasm for tailgating, tune in ESPNU. I hope the network assigns Pam Ward and Dan Hawkins. Analyzing a football game, Ward is first rate, and Hawkins knows the value of letting crowd noise suffice.

24. Finally, he who commands line of scrimmage, sustains a pass rush, wins. With all due respect to the old quarterback, Wally Oyler, Kentucky 28, Louisville 7.

WORTH REPEATING

In context of how college athletes get themselves in trouble with texts and tweets, former LSU coach Dale Brown asked John Wooden once why he carried no cell phone, didn’t use fax or a computer.

“He said, ‘Dale, I’m trying not to be a hypocrite. I’ve taught my players their whole lives, (to) always practice simplicity with constant repetition. The reason I don’t have those–I want simplicity in my life. I’m so happy doing what I want to do. If anybody really needs to talk to me, my name is in the phone book.’ ” – The Sporting News

Amen.

And so it goes.

Sports In Kentucky appears in community newspapers across Kentucky. You can reach Bob Watkins at Sprtsinky@aol.com