Kentucky quarterback Mike Hartline has been suspended for the BBVA Compass Bowl, ending his Wildcats career, following his arrest Friday morning. Hartline pled not guilty to disorderly conduct and alcohol intoxication. A woman also claims that Hartline hit her.
Sophomore Morgan Newton is now the default choice to start against Pitt, although he will have to beat out redshirt freshman Ryan Mossakowski in practice. Hartline will be with the team as they prepare for the game, but he will not dress for it.
It’s a little ironic that, after all the disciplinary problems Pitt has had this year, they would actually benefit from an incident like this – not that anyone wants to see things like these happen. Hartline was the center of Kentucky’s offense this year, leading the SEC in pass attempts and completions.
Newton played very sparingly this year, but he completed 75 of 135 passes for 706 yards and six touchdowns in 2009. If he does end up starting the game, Kentucky will rely very heavily upon him.
Thanks to Pitt Script.