LEXINGTON, Ky. — The wait — and the weight — finally is over for Kentucky quarterback Jared Lorenzen.

        He's back as the starter after enduring the first benching of his young career and a late season resurgence that nearly carried the Wildcats to upsets over two of the Southeastern Conference's top teams.

        If that wasn't enough to have the 6-foot-4, 280-pound junior eager to get back on the field, his coaches have decided to quit reminding him that he looks more like an offensive lineman than a quarterback.

        “It's just not going to be an issue anymore,” said Lorenzen, who already ranks second in school history in total yards and passing offense after just 17 starts over 1 1/2 seasons.

        “I know people are still going to talk about my weight, and I'm sure I'll get asked about it. But as far as the coaches are concerned, they just want me to be in the best shape I can be — and I will be.”

        Lorenzen hopes to drop to about 270 poundsbefore the Wildcats face archrival Louisville in their season opener on Sept. 1.

        “I'm not as effective at 290 or 300, and I know that,” he said. “I'm doing a lot of conditioning now so I can be at my best the first time I step on that field.”

        His coaches have encouraged him to shed a few more pounds but have decided to back off their constant prodding to have him focus on making smart decisions and big plays.

        “I think the kid was just tired of hearing us hounding him about it,” head coach Guy Morriss said. “We weren't getting the results we wanted to we just said, "The heck with it. Let's just get him into shape.'

        “As long as he's doing the things that we expect him to do as the leader of this football team — the things you typically ask a quarterback to do — he's our guy. We know he can throw the football.”

        Lorenzen did just that as a freshman, thriving in former coach Hal Mumme's high-octane passing offense. He completed 58 percent of his passes for 3,687 yards and 19 touchdowns, setting six NCAA single-season passing records for freshman.

        Expectations were huge as Lorenzen entered his sophomore season. He beat out redshirt freshman Shane Boyd for the starting job and entered the season-opener against Louisville brimming with confidence.

        A mediocre performance in a 36-10 loss to the Cardinals, however, earned him a spot on the sidelines while Boyd took control of the offense.

        “I look at the tape of that Louisville game now and I say, "Who was that guy,”' he said. “Nothing came easy for me and I looked like I'd never played the game before.

        “It wasn't easy to watch Shane when I wanted to be out there playing. But I wanted to be sure I'd be ready if I got another chance.”

        In fact, Lorenzen appeared to be Boyd's biggest fan, often times the first one to greet Boyd after a big play.

        “Jared could have sulked and pouted and made everybody around him miserable, but it was the exact opposite,” junior wideout Derek Abney said. “He used it as motivation to get better.”

        After four games as a backup, Lorenzen got the opportunity to demonstrate just how much better.

        Kentucky trailed eventual Southeastern Conference champion LSU 22-10 in the third quarter when Lorenzen relieved Boyd and quickly took over the game, leading two 80-yard scoring drives to put the Wildcats on top 24-22.

        The Tigers rallied to win 29-25, but the loss did nothing to temper Lorenzen's confidence.

        Over the team's final five games, Lorenzen averaged 376 passing yards per game and tossed 17 touchdowns to only six interceptions. He also led the Wildcats to a near upset of Tennessee in their final home game.

        “More than anything, he's got a great arm and he's tough,” Abney said. “He's also got an uncanny instinct to know where his receivers are on the field at all times. And with that size, no one person is going to bring him down.

        For Lorenzen, the second half of the season was all about getting back to basics.

        “When it was clicking, it got fun again,” he said. “Once I really started to understand the offense, it got extremely easy for me and I started finding the open guys.”

        Although Morriss was happy with Lorenzen's progress, he was even more impressed with his quarterback's positive attitude during a trying season.

        “He found himself in a tough situation and instead of letting it bring him down, he rose to the occasion,” Morriss said. “When he got back in there, he seized the moment. That's the kind of thing you want to see from a leader.”