Hello HOB. Good Monday morning to y’all. We’ve got a programming change today as Kentucky HC Mark Stoops is out of town for his mother’s funeral services. Our thoughts go out to the Stoops family today as they lay her to rest. In his place, the UK coordinators will speak at the press conference, and Vince Marrow will sit in for him on tonight’s radio show. The press conference will begin at Noon ET. Stay tuned for the latest news and notes…
BUSH HAMDAN Q&A:
* Went into the last game with the two-QB plan. They knew it going in. We have to evaluate things today and see what we do moving forward.
* Players have been good with their atttitude, coming back to work on Mondays.
* On not getting the ball in the end zone from inside the opponent’s 5… May need to look at throwing it more down there the way people are packing it in against us. That’s on me. I have to find a way to get it done.
* On Wood at OT… Taking steps forward. Excited about his future. The more snaps he can get, the more he’ll improve.
* On whether Gavin is good enough and prepared enough to win in the SEC… Tough question with the limited reps you get as a backup.
* Biggest thing with BVG is consistency. Have to continue to get better there, especially on third down.
* Thinks people still respect Wimsatt’s throwing ability when he’s in there. Doesn’t see defenses stacking to stop him from running.
* On BVG’s reaction to not playing the 2nd half… Took it the right way. I thought it was important to have that discussion with him before the game. He’ll have the right mindset and come back working hard to beat Tennesseee.
* On getting the ball to other guys besides Key and Brown… BVG needs to get rid of ball quicker. That would help in some situations. Feel good about those other guys in the room. Getting them touches is important.
* On the Tennessee defense… As good as anybody in the conference, top to bottom. They have some game-wreckers.
* On the freshman RBs’ play…. We’re not overwhelmed by the situation. Still working on some of the little things, pass pro, stuff like that.
******
BRAD WHITE Q&A:
* Disappointing performance against the run this past week. Not up to our standards. Has to change this weekend. When we’ve played well, our front seven has been dominant. Obviously, there was nothing dominant about that performance. Banged up a bit, but all teams are, and this is where your true character shows up.
* Asked if there was any consideration to play Rayner again when Jackson went down, White said they’ve been trying to be mindful about when to use his last game remaining (to retain a redshirt year).
* On preparing for Tennessee’s offense… Big focus is on fixing our issues. We’ve got to play better and execute. Our big focus this past week was not letting receivers get behind us (from Florida issues) and in doing that, we got gashed up front. Tennessee capable of the same type of thing. Explosive guys. No. 5 (RB Sampson) is really good.
* We have to try to find a way to give our offense short field, whether it’s by turnovers or keeping them pinned back and punting from deep on their end. Had some of those chances last week, and instead of punting from their 10, they’re punting near their 50. That’s a huge difference.
* On what he’s seen from Noah Matthews and Tyrese Fearbry… Both have to continue to grow and play to their strengths. Consistency is big for both guys. Each have moments where they do well and moments where they’re hurting the defense.
* A mentally tough football team only thinks about the next series. It shouldn’t matter the score or situation. Every time you step across that line, you take it as a challenge. If you’re worried about how you got there, your mind isn’t in the right place. If the offense doesn’t score after we force a turnover, our mindset has to be focused on forcing another one.
* On JQ Hardaway’s play… He’s played well for the most part. Some missed tackles in this last game where he knows he needs to be better. Those misses out on the perimeter can lose you a game if you’re not careful. But most of his play has been winning football.
* On how to keep morale up playing a Top 10 team on the road… Have to stay focused with every opportunity you get to step on the field. It’s kinda like the Ole Miss situation. We had a chance to prove who we are. It’s that way until you can’t go back on the field anymore. There’s no worse feeling than playing bad and not getting another chance to go back out there.
******
KENTUCKY DEPTH CHART:
BUSH HAMDAN Q&A:
* Went into the last game with the two-QB plan. They knew it going in. We have to evaluate things today and see what we do moving forward.
* Players have been good with their atttitude, coming back to work on Mondays.
* On not getting the ball in the end zone from inside the opponent’s 5… May need to look at throwing it more down there the way people are packing it in against us. That’s on me. I have to find a way to get it done.
* On Wood at OT… Taking steps forward. Excited about his future. The more snaps he can get, the more he’ll improve.
* On whether Gavin is good enough and prepared enough to win in the SEC… Tough question with the limited reps you get as a backup.
* Biggest thing with BVG is consistency. Have to continue to get better there, especially on third down.
* Thinks people still respect Wimsatt’s throwing ability when he’s in there. Doesn’t see defenses stacking to stop him from running.
* On BVG’s reaction to not playing the 2nd half… Took it the right way. I thought it was important to have that discussion with him before the game. He’ll have the right mindset and come back working hard to beat Tennesseee.
* On getting the ball to other guys besides Key and Brown… BVG needs to get rid of ball quicker. That would help in some situations. Feel good about those other guys in the room. Getting them touches is important.
* On the Tennessee defense… As good as anybody in the conference, top to bottom. They have some game-wreckers.
* On the freshman RBs’ play…. We’re not overwhelmed by the situation. Still working on some of the little things, pass pro, stuff like that.
******
BRAD WHITE Q&A:
* Disappointing performance against the run this past week. Not up to our standards. Has to change this weekend. When we’ve played well, our front seven has been dominant. Obviously, there was nothing dominant about that performance. Banged up a bit, but all teams are, and this is where your true character shows up.
* Asked if there was any consideration to play Rayner again when Jackson went down, White said they’ve been trying to be mindful about when to use his last game remaining (to retain a redshirt year).
* On preparing for Tennessee’s offense… Big focus is on fixing our issues. We’ve got to play better and execute. Our big focus this past week was not letting receivers get behind us (from Florida issues) and in doing that, we got gashed up front. Tennessee capable of the same type of thing. Explosive guys. No. 5 (RB Sampson) is really good.
* We have to try to find a way to give our offense short field, whether it’s by turnovers or keeping them pinned back and punting from deep on their end. Had some of those chances last week, and instead of punting from their 10, they’re punting near their 50. That’s a huge difference.
* On what he’s seen from Noah Matthews and Tyrese Fearbry… Both have to continue to grow and play to their strengths. Consistency is big for both guys. Each have moments where they do well and moments where they’re hurting the defense.
* A mentally tough football team only thinks about the next series. It shouldn’t matter the score or situation. Every time you step across that line, you take it as a challenge. If you’re worried about how you got there, your mind isn’t in the right place. If the offense doesn’t score after we force a turnover, our mindset has to be focused on forcing another one.
* On JQ Hardaway’s play… He’s played well for the most part. Some missed tackles in this last game where he knows he needs to be better. Those misses out on the perimeter can lose you a game if you’re not careful. But most of his play has been winning football.
* On how to keep morale up playing a Top 10 team on the road… Have to stay focused with every opportunity you get to step on the field. It’s kinda like the Ole Miss situation. We had a chance to prove who we are. It’s that way until you can’t go back on the field anymore. There’s no worse feeling than playing bad and not getting another chance to go back out there.
******
KENTUCKY DEPTH CHART:
