Kentucky's defensive line wants to put more pressure on the quarterback this season. (Vicky Graff Photo)
I first met Kentucky defensive line coach Anwar Stewart a little over 25 years ago when he was a defensive lineman/linebacker at Kentucky from 1996-99 under coaches Bill Curry and Hal Mumme.
I think any veteran UK fan remembers the blocked field goal he returned about 70 yards against Alabama to put the game into overtime and then UK won on a touchdown pass from Tim Couch to Craig Yeast.
Stewart has done a terrific job coaching at Kentucky and figures to have a stout unit this year led by star Deone Walker. Kentucky had just 20 quarterback sacks last year, an area that Stewart said on WLAP Sunday Morning Sports Talk that has been mentioned a lot this offseason.
“This summer we had a big emphasis on pass rushing,” Stewart said.
But Stewart is never one to make bold predictions. He would not even guarantee that Walker, a freshman All-American, would start this season. That’s why I took immediate notice when Stewart did make one bold prediction.
“You will see a bigger sack total when it comes to those guys,” Stewart said.
Say what? Stewart predicting a bigger total is way out of the ordinary for him and should give you an idea about the confidence he has going into the season.
“We’ve worked really hard on it,” Stewart said. “It’s not like we haven’t (in the past), but we’ve got to keep working. If you don’t use it, you lose it.
“Those guys need to understand the importance of, when we stop the run and its third down, we’ve got to get off the field. We’ve got to get after the quarterback.”
