Kahlil Saunders Provides Needed Twitch for UK Defense

Mark Stoops likes the way defensive lineman Darrion Henry-Young continues to improve. (Vicky Graff Photo)

Kentucky’s offense and what it needs to do to be more consistent and dominant got most of the attention after the season-opening 44-14 victory over Ball State.

However, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops did offer some insights on the defensive side during his weekly press conference going into his team’s home game against Eastern Kentucky University Saturday afternoon.

On Darrion Henry-Young being on the depth chart this week…

Mark Stoops: “He’s been consistently getting better and working, and I like that about him. He’s just gone to work and taken the coaching and Anwar [coach Anwar Stewart] does a really good job fundamentally and that D-line group in general has been collectively pretty good for each other and challenging each other and just trying to improve and play hard and I think he’s doing that.”

On Kahlil Saunders’ performance against Ball State…

Mark Stoops: “He’s a big dude and he’s long and he can run. You saw that on one of the plays when he went flat down the sideline. Actually, in camp he did that, chasing down a quarterback, he was running and just tweaked his hamstring. That took him out for a little bit in camp, but this week he ran down the line and he was moving. He gives us some twitch in that length and he’s getting better. Just keep on worrying about himself and fundamentally getting better and good things will happen.”

On the cornerbacks after watching the film…

Mark Stoops: “Things we need to do better. We need to play stronger and fight through the ball. The long one that I was talking about, that they converted down the sideline, we got to play through the ball better, do things we’re taught to do, be more competitive at the top of the route. We got beat in another man [coverage] concept where we were, we were not strong enough at the top of the route. We didn’t finish through it, and anticipate things, and understand down and distance. I thought they did some good things at times. Thought early, Maxwell [Hairston], it felt like a first-time starter, and he’s going to get better and better. Again, those game reps early, were like a lot of guys early in the season, and he’ll improve.

“They did some good things, then played very tough at times as well. I thought Dru [Phillips] really pulled the pin and was physical on some and doing his job. He’s an experienced player, he can play some nickel, can play corner and doing some good things. Alex’s hit, being physical there, was really good to see. And the discipline of really hitting him with the shoulder and not his head, and not targeting the head, was good. So, there were some really good things in there as well. I felt frustrated afterwards, and I’m still … We’ll be very demanding this week.

“To my point, we have to teach better, execute better, be more precise. If we stay with that same intensity, same physicality, good things will happen. There were a lot of discipline things in that game as well. A lot of things that the guys were coached to do and played very well at times. We just need to play good all the time.”