Hello HOB. Happy 21st day of September. (Ba de ya.) We’ll have today’s UK practice report coming up today with DC Brad White, players, and staff from that side of the ball doing interviews at approx 5:30 ET. Stay tuned for the latest news and notes…
BRAD WHITE Q&A:
* On keeping D grounded and motivated… We’ve got a lot of things to fix, and we’re a long way from great. We've had a couple of solid games at this point, but we're just one quarter into it. The season is like a game, four quarters, and we’ve just played one. Want to highlight what they're doing well -- to keep doing it, making more plays -- but focus on some stuff they can do a lot better, too.
* On backups preserving the shutout… Felt the urgency to uphold the standard of what the starters had done. Good reps for them. Liked how they responded in that game with something riding on it.
* DL Kahlil Saunders getting more comfortable moving from inside to outside. Likes playing outside, more comfortable there. The vision is better there. Some guys like having that space. Good at chasing down ball carriers. Good move for him to keep his growth as a player going. Want him to be more violent and strike with his hands.
* Nothing more important than quality experience, and that’s what defense is blessed with at a lot of spots. You're seeing the fruits of having guys like Square and Jones and Smith and Ajian out there. The understanding of what they're trying to do in this scheme is really high. Also allows them to make quick adjustments at halftime if something isn't working early on.
* Lovett doing an admirable job, but not quite where they want him to be, where he wants to be. Embraces hard work, coaching. You can get on him, and he responds to it. "He doesn't take the coaching personal... He takes the medicine." ... "We need to continue to move him along as quickly as we can."
* On NIU QB situation… Offensive philiosophy doesn’t change no matter who is back there. Team is physical, regardless of who's under center. OL plays well together, move people off the ball. RBs do a nice job of setting up blocks and run hard. WRs make the necessary plays in the pass game, willing blockers in run game. (Reading between the lines here, may want to focus run in this game. I don't know if NIU has the personnel to threaten the UK secondary based on these comments.)
* Asked about how well Keidron has done at CB... He played it a couple of years at Ole Miss, so felt comfortable he could pick it up quickly here.
* What needs to improve? Limit explosives, mainly. It’s football, and he knows they will happen from time to time, but wants to cut down on them. Second thing would be turning some balls they get their hands on into turnovers. Third, giving the offense a short field more often.
CB KEIDRON SMITH Q&A:
* On being part of a shutout... Big. Heard it was history. (Funny moment... Couldn't recall who the previous winningest coach was. "The other guy." Ha. Sometimes we don't realize how young these guys really are.
* Goal is to have a shutout every game. Want to keep that momentum going.
* On seeing what freshman Alex Afari is doing... Really impressed by what he's doing and the defense not having a drop-off when he's out there. He's a football player. Can play anywhere you want to put him.
* Freshman are really mature... And they don't have a choice, Smith said. The older guys hold them to a high standard.
* On keeping a level head... Can't let the talk get to you. Have to come out and work every day to get better. "Our job is to get the ball back and put it in No. 7's hands."
* Wants to start faster in all games. Did a better job of that last week, early 3-and-outs.
DB/LB ALEX AFARI Q&A:
* On getting prepared for JJ Weaver's spot... Has focused hard on his practice reps, making sure he can handle more snaps.
* On what he needs to improve on... Finishing plays. Feels like he left a few on the field last week.
* His mindset out of HS was to come in and make an impact right away. He believed in himself. High level of confidence for a freshman.
* On Stoops saying you can call him whatever you want, he's a football player... That's the way he looks at it, too. He just wants to play. "I'm an athlete." But he noted, even when he's at corner or nickel, he has a linebacker mentality.
* Meant a lot to pitch a shutout last week. Did not realize it had been so long since UK had one. Now he wants another.
* Would love the opportunity to rush the passer even more in JJ's "Sam" spot. "I gotta take advantage of it."
OLB KEATEN WADE Q&A:
* His first sack was only a "half sack." He said he was mad that he didn't finish it on his own to get a full sack.
* On the team leaders making the freshmen want to elevate their play... "It's huge... Don't want to let them down." They also help pick up his confidence when he does something well.
* Did he expect to play right away? Knew it was a possibility due to the depth. Tried to be ready for his opportunity.
* Having fun playing with Alex, pushing each other as freshmen to be impact guys.
* Coach White is preaching one day at a time, one game at a time. Just get better. Players are trying to follow that mindset. They're really confident in the game plans they are being given.
* How do you improve? "Get another shutout. Keep it rolling."
* Trap game coming up? The team is aware that they're playing a good team. They're prepared for NIU to come in and give them a challenge. The fact that they were up 14 vs. Vandy helps get the focus stronger. "Don't take any team for granted."
BRAD WHITE Q&A:
* On keeping D grounded and motivated… We’ve got a lot of things to fix, and we’re a long way from great. We've had a couple of solid games at this point, but we're just one quarter into it. The season is like a game, four quarters, and we’ve just played one. Want to highlight what they're doing well -- to keep doing it, making more plays -- but focus on some stuff they can do a lot better, too.
* On backups preserving the shutout… Felt the urgency to uphold the standard of what the starters had done. Good reps for them. Liked how they responded in that game with something riding on it.
* DL Kahlil Saunders getting more comfortable moving from inside to outside. Likes playing outside, more comfortable there. The vision is better there. Some guys like having that space. Good at chasing down ball carriers. Good move for him to keep his growth as a player going. Want him to be more violent and strike with his hands.
* Nothing more important than quality experience, and that’s what defense is blessed with at a lot of spots. You're seeing the fruits of having guys like Square and Jones and Smith and Ajian out there. The understanding of what they're trying to do in this scheme is really high. Also allows them to make quick adjustments at halftime if something isn't working early on.
* Lovett doing an admirable job, but not quite where they want him to be, where he wants to be. Embraces hard work, coaching. You can get on him, and he responds to it. "He doesn't take the coaching personal... He takes the medicine." ... "We need to continue to move him along as quickly as we can."
* On NIU QB situation… Offensive philiosophy doesn’t change no matter who is back there. Team is physical, regardless of who's under center. OL plays well together, move people off the ball. RBs do a nice job of setting up blocks and run hard. WRs make the necessary plays in the pass game, willing blockers in run game. (Reading between the lines here, may want to focus run in this game. I don't know if NIU has the personnel to threaten the UK secondary based on these comments.)
* Asked about how well Keidron has done at CB... He played it a couple of years at Ole Miss, so felt comfortable he could pick it up quickly here.
* What needs to improve? Limit explosives, mainly. It’s football, and he knows they will happen from time to time, but wants to cut down on them. Second thing would be turning some balls they get their hands on into turnovers. Third, giving the offense a short field more often.
CB KEIDRON SMITH Q&A:
* On being part of a shutout... Big. Heard it was history. (Funny moment... Couldn't recall who the previous winningest coach was. "The other guy." Ha. Sometimes we don't realize how young these guys really are.
* Goal is to have a shutout every game. Want to keep that momentum going.
* On seeing what freshman Alex Afari is doing... Really impressed by what he's doing and the defense not having a drop-off when he's out there. He's a football player. Can play anywhere you want to put him.
* Freshman are really mature... And they don't have a choice, Smith said. The older guys hold them to a high standard.
* On keeping a level head... Can't let the talk get to you. Have to come out and work every day to get better. "Our job is to get the ball back and put it in No. 7's hands."
* Wants to start faster in all games. Did a better job of that last week, early 3-and-outs.
DB/LB ALEX AFARI Q&A:
* On getting prepared for JJ Weaver's spot... Has focused hard on his practice reps, making sure he can handle more snaps.
* On what he needs to improve on... Finishing plays. Feels like he left a few on the field last week.
* His mindset out of HS was to come in and make an impact right away. He believed in himself. High level of confidence for a freshman.
* On Stoops saying you can call him whatever you want, he's a football player... That's the way he looks at it, too. He just wants to play. "I'm an athlete." But he noted, even when he's at corner or nickel, he has a linebacker mentality.
* Meant a lot to pitch a shutout last week. Did not realize it had been so long since UK had one. Now he wants another.
* Would love the opportunity to rush the passer even more in JJ's "Sam" spot. "I gotta take advantage of it."
OLB KEATEN WADE Q&A:
* His first sack was only a "half sack." He said he was mad that he didn't finish it on his own to get a full sack.
* On the team leaders making the freshmen want to elevate their play... "It's huge... Don't want to let them down." They also help pick up his confidence when he does something well.
* Did he expect to play right away? Knew it was a possibility due to the depth. Tried to be ready for his opportunity.
* Having fun playing with Alex, pushing each other as freshmen to be impact guys.
* Coach White is preaching one day at a time, one game at a time. Just get better. Players are trying to follow that mindset. They're really confident in the game plans they are being given.
* How do you improve? "Get another shutout. Keep it rolling."
* Trap game coming up? The team is aware that they're playing a good team. They're prepared for NIU to come in and give them a challenge. The fact that they were up 14 vs. Vandy helps get the focus stronger. "Don't take any team for granted."
