Explain to me what Brad White is doing
- Thread starter Wonky
- Start date
We can't seem to ever complete a bomb (or any pass for that matter) to our supposed "speedster" WR's, and Missouri's Punter drops a 40 yard pass on a dime for a fake punt TD. That's UK football.
A simple timeout from the head coach would have prevented that play from ever happening.
He saw it coming. Didn't have the courage to use a timeout. Needed to save them for halftime. Took all 3 of them to the locker.
Yep. They're low percentage plays anyway. Then we compound it by calling the route for one of the worst deep route guys I ever saw.
Weak release, never carving out space, which puts him right on the sideline. Makes the throw have to be literally perfect just to have a chance. He doesn't high point or catch over the shoulder. Doesn't fight for the ball. He gives up on the play too easily and doesn't lay out. He quit on that route about 3/4 through it because he thought it was overthrown. If he ran full speed, or laid out, it was catchable.
It really is incredible to achieve both those things nearly every down but I have to take issue with the title blaming it on White. It's only White's job to coach this specific defensive scheme. This is the Stoops defense. It's not a coincidence that every defensive coordinator Stoops has hired uses the exact defense.
This right here. His defenses are junior high predictable. He sits in base coverage, soft zone for most of the game, and when he does blitz, its not disguised and his corners sit on islands. So what happens the offensive line know exactly where the blitz is coming from, which gives the QB ample time to throw the bomb down the sideline with the one on one coverage, which we have learned our corners are average right now.
Again, that may be Stoops. We also telegraph when we're going to qb sneak on offense.
If you go back and watch it he didnt get fooled or beat, he simply got outmaneuvered for a jump ball. Phillips was there but the ball was underthrown and the receiver stopped and arm barred him holding him off enough until he could go up himself to get it.
It looked bad on Phillips but if you go and try that yourself its a hard play when someone has position and can control you with the arm bar much like a good post player in basketball. Keeping the arm on your back not only keeps you from moving towards the ball to get in position but it keeps you from getting off the ground as well. The WR did a great job of doing this without pushing off, just held Andru in position until he could release the two feet to make the catch. Go back and watch it and see if I'm right. I was mad at him too at first but when I saw it in replay I gave him a break.
They have to do something about the advantage the WR gain on underthrown balls. Everybody says "Just Turn Around and Find the Ball!!" but that's a lot harder to do than you think. The defender usually cant find the ball unless he turns around and if he turns around one step too soon and its not underthrown he's toast, and if he doesnt turn around and runs into the WR who is throwing on the breaks he get a penalty. And the WR is got hands in him the whole time leveraging him. Its a much harder position to play than we give credit for. As long as the DB doesnt push or shove it should never be penalty to run into a stopped WR on an underthrown ball.
Leach and Gabriel said it was an obvious push off on the receiver. Gabriel said the ref was standing right there and he did not know why it wasn't called it was so obvious. Phillips swung his arm out telling the refs he was pushed off. Our corners need to learn how to jam more. Have to be more physical holding the receivers up. If it is a penalty it is a penalty. They won't call them all. We just get beat too much.
I give Hairston a pass on the dropped one though. It was a tough catch and he’s wearing a cast .
UK's defense is currently 5th in the SEC. May not finish there to be fair, but the bellyaching to me always seems derived from philosophical differences ("I don't like that we play five yards off receivers and drop eight into coverage") and not from actual outcomes.
Current: 5th in SEC in yards per play allowed
2022: 5th in SEC
2021: 8th in SEC
2020: 4th in SEC
Doesn't seem much different than previous years. Scoring defense pretty much aligns. UK currently 5th in SEC allowing 26 ppg. Alabama first allowing 19 ppg.
Lastly, the advanced stats that control for competition all rank UK's defense Top 30 nationally. I think a lot of these comments are just knee-jerk reactions to the last two games which have been awful to be fair.
Current: 5th in SEC in yards per play allowed
2022: 5th in SEC
2021: 8th in SEC
2020: 4th in SEC
Doesn't seem much different than previous years. Scoring defense pretty much aligns. UK currently 5th in SEC allowing 26 ppg. Alabama first allowing 19 ppg.
Lastly, the advanced stats that control for competition all rank UK's defense Top 30 nationally. I think a lot of these comments are just knee-jerk reactions to the last two games which have been awful to be fair.
Agree. While at the game, I was unaware he had a cast. He definitely picks that without the cast
We r also the one team I have ever seen send a safety on a blitz from 15 yards deep. Lol. I’m like????? It’s gonna take him 5 seconds to get there??? 5 seconds is all any QB should get.
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Those aren’t blitzes. That is a result of our safeties (especially Childress) having HORRIBLE eye discipline and thinking it’s a running play . Hes been ridiculously bad at that .
Brad White's defenses the past few years have generally been great. This year, it's a different story.
https://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/28
According to the above, we're actually 7th in scoring defense in the SEC. And our stats are padded with 3 cupcake games to start the season, plus Vandy. Not sure how many other cupcakes other SEC teams have played. However, according to SOS for games played thus far, we're 80th, and our remaining schedule is supposedly the 8th toughest.
http://powerrankingsguru.com/college-football/strength-of-schedule.php
I'm curious as to where you're seeing we're a top-30 defense controlled for strength of competition. Not doubting, just genuinely would like to know.
Anyway, I'd like to think we can right the ship, but things aren't looking good, especially with the SEC gauntlet coming up. We just seem discombobulated on the field and completely unable to make the right adjustments. It's kinda baffling, really.
SP+ is paywalled at ESPN+ unfortunately.
FEI is 41st - not top 30 - so my bad there: https://www.bcftoys.com/2023-fei/
But F+ is FEI and SP+ combined. That has UK’s defense ranked 23rd: https://www.bcftoys.com/2023-fplus/
Georgia (Top 10 F+ offense), Mizzou (Top 25) Florida (top 30), and EKU’s (sp+does rank this level) offensive efficiencies help UK’s defensive rating I suspect.
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Thats one of the things thats been lost in all of football nowdays, the jam at the line and physical play form corners. I dont know if coordinators are afraid of getting beat or what but they just wont allow their corners to get up in the face of WR anymore and jam them. If I'm a WR the last thing I want is someone physically restricting me getting off the line and getting into my route. I want space more than anything else.
Go back and watch Lexingtons own Frank Minnifield with the dog pound back in the day, thats what I want more of.
