Hello HOB. Hope your Wednesday is going well. I’m back over on campus for today’s UK football practice report. We’ll have DC Brad White and select defensive players and coaches talking to us today about prep for the SEC opener against South Carolina. They’re scheduled to wrap up around 5:30 ET. Stay tuned for the latest news and notes…
DC BRAD WHITE Q&A:
* On the delay Saturday, what does a DC do? … “He stresses.” (Laughs) Fortunately, had some other games on to watch and kinda calm down, take your mind off things. The more football you watch, you see some things that you may not have thought to mention to the guys going into a game.
* Does the long drive and 3rd and long conversion bother him more than the other good drives make him feel good? You think about them all, but it's frustrating, shoulda stopped it. No excuses, but guys were amped up and didn’t really execute until they settled in. Got that 3rd down RZ turnover to spark the guys. They needed to feel that stress, though. Good for them to experience it with an SEC team coming in here this week. Hopefully, we'll be dialed in and ready to go.
* Hope that guys went into this week with more focus on attacking the bad stuff from film than feeling good about the shutout. Bottom line: we have to win this week. It's been a good week, and they're ready to go play a more "normal" game.
* On the SC offense… First of all, really well-coached. OC is a friend. Experienced play-caller, does a good job of setting up stuff. Talented QB who had some first-game jitters, but he could come out and light it up. He's got all the tools: arm strength, legs. Sanders a proven commodity in backfield. Some playmakers on the perimeter. Good tight ends. Thinks they'll be balanced run/pass.
* On the DL… Strained and played hard. Physical vs. run game. That’s where it all started. Some people may think Deone didn't make enough plays, but he did his thing, commanded a lot of attention, and other guys were able to clean up and make plays.
* Nice to get those two tipped-ball interceptions. They talk a lot about getting their paws up on those.
* On JQ Hardaway at CB… Did well. Supreme confidence in him to go out and make plays. D-Jack and JQ really combined for a nice play on that INT. D-Jack really read that perfectly, just how we practiced it.
* On offenses not showing as much in first game against NC opponent... White doesn't really subscribe to that. Won't guess on what other teams are thinking, can only say that they approached SoMiss full-bore.
* On safeties… Got all four in there, mixed and matched and played with some different combos, but had some stuff they really need to clean up. They can play better than that. Did some things they haven’t shown in practice. "We got that addressed and handled."
* On a running QB… Forces you to play with a little different mentality. If you play any single-high defense, they outnumber you. Some guys have to play a gap-plus. Gotta be ready for that challenge.
* On Alex Afari playing closer to the LOS... Played some snaps at ILB and OLB. Played well at both. Played fast and physical. You can see the confidence from a guy who has started or played significantly for three years. A confidence and sturdiness about him.
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DC BRAD WHITE Q&A:
* On the delay Saturday, what does a DC do? … “He stresses.” (Laughs) Fortunately, had some other games on to watch and kinda calm down, take your mind off things. The more football you watch, you see some things that you may not have thought to mention to the guys going into a game.
* Does the long drive and 3rd and long conversion bother him more than the other good drives make him feel good? You think about them all, but it's frustrating, shoulda stopped it. No excuses, but guys were amped up and didn’t really execute until they settled in. Got that 3rd down RZ turnover to spark the guys. They needed to feel that stress, though. Good for them to experience it with an SEC team coming in here this week. Hopefully, we'll be dialed in and ready to go.
* Hope that guys went into this week with more focus on attacking the bad stuff from film than feeling good about the shutout. Bottom line: we have to win this week. It's been a good week, and they're ready to go play a more "normal" game.
* On the SC offense… First of all, really well-coached. OC is a friend. Experienced play-caller, does a good job of setting up stuff. Talented QB who had some first-game jitters, but he could come out and light it up. He's got all the tools: arm strength, legs. Sanders a proven commodity in backfield. Some playmakers on the perimeter. Good tight ends. Thinks they'll be balanced run/pass.
* On the DL… Strained and played hard. Physical vs. run game. That’s where it all started. Some people may think Deone didn't make enough plays, but he did his thing, commanded a lot of attention, and other guys were able to clean up and make plays.
* Nice to get those two tipped-ball interceptions. They talk a lot about getting their paws up on those.
* On JQ Hardaway at CB… Did well. Supreme confidence in him to go out and make plays. D-Jack and JQ really combined for a nice play on that INT. D-Jack really read that perfectly, just how we practiced it.
* On offenses not showing as much in first game against NC opponent... White doesn't really subscribe to that. Won't guess on what other teams are thinking, can only say that they approached SoMiss full-bore.
* On safeties… Got all four in there, mixed and matched and played with some different combos, but had some stuff they really need to clean up. They can play better than that. Did some things they haven’t shown in practice. "We got that addressed and handled."
* On a running QB… Forces you to play with a little different mentality. If you play any single-high defense, they outnumber you. Some guys have to play a gap-plus. Gotta be ready for that challenge.
* On Alex Afari playing closer to the LOS... Played some snaps at ILB and OLB. Played well at both. Played fast and physical. You can see the confidence from a guy who has started or played significantly for three years. A confidence and sturdiness about him.
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