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Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White admitted the obvious after the Cats lost at Tennessee Saturday night and I think it was important for him to acknowledge what fans knew was true.
Sure, Kentucky has some significant injuries on defense but a unit that was supposed to be one of the best in the country was shredded at times by Vanderbilt, Florida and Auburn.
“I thought the last couple of weeks were not up to our standard,” White said. “I thought the last couple of weeks, we didn’t swing and fight and compete to our standard. I thought the guys on that field tonight (at Tennessee), no matter what the situation, they freaking scrapped and fought and fought.
“To rise up in the red zone as many times as they did, understanding the (injury) situation, I’m just so proud of those guys.”
White said he preached to his players all week that adversity hits in football and life.
“Just swing back and I do think our guys did that (tonight),” White said.
Kentucky was depleted at linebacker and cornerback but yet held the Vols enough — along with some missed scoring chances by the Vols — to keep UK in the game.
Kentucky has a needed bye week to try and let some players rest and let others try to get healthy enough to play before hosting Murray, going to Texas and then hosting Louisville.
Will the Cats stay into the same fight mentality for the next three games that they showed at Tennessee?
“That’s a great question. It really is. Our standard is our standard,” White said. “We minced no words in our defensive unit room this week about what that standard is and what it looks like when you don’t meet it.
“Wins and losses, especially in this league, they come, they go. You have great wins. You have tough losses. It’s heartbreak, all this and that. But your football character is what carries you through in life because your football character will carry over and bleed into your natural character.
“And if you’re going to quit or you’re going to fall down, or you’re going to blame, or you’re going to point fingers, then that’s going to happen the rest of your life. And so we had to have a good heart-to-heart reality check as a defense.”
Kentucky needed a reality check after the way it played in SEC losses to South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Florida and Auburn. Kentucky was favored in all four games, including three by 10 or more points.
“They got to stand up and they got to respond again, and then they got to do it again and again. We’re guaranteed three (more games). If we want a fourth (in a bowl game), you got to win three, but you can’t win three without one,” White said.
“So we hit this bye week. We’ll try to get as healthy as we can, but then we got to come out with that exact same mentality and swing. And then we got to do it again and again and again.”
2 Responses
What happened to Maxwell Haiston? They said a high ankle and now he’s missed the last 6 games over a high ankle sprang.? Throw some dirt on it kid. Our defense has lost a couple starters each game until there were hardly any starters left. I do know this they have 3 weeks until they play Texas if they could somehow get most of the defense back and some offensive lineman and others then we could have a chance to lose to Texas in a close game. The Louisville game will be a 50/50 game but we lost every other 50/50 game this year so we will probably lose that game too. This year is over. They need to play freshman and backups and start getting them ready for next year. I would play all 3 quarterbacks against Murray State and whoever plays the best gets the nod the rest of the year.
It is a medical issue Terry not related to football. That’s why he spent time in the hospital. He wants to play but doctors will not release him
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