Sept. 19, 2012
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After having to go indoors to the Nutter Field House on Tuesday, the University of Kentucky football team took full advantage of a beautiful weather day in Lexington on Wednesday with a strong practice at the Nutter Training Facility.
Kentucky head coach Joker Phillips said after practice that it was good to get back outside on the practice fields. The head coach said Tuesday’s practice was not as good as he would have liked, but that Wednesday’s practice was much better. The head coach said the team is focused on taking advantage of another opportunity this Saturday against Florida.
“We are in day two of preparation for Florida and it was another opportunity to go out and play,” Phillips said. “A lot of backups were practicing for us yesterday and we got some of those guys (first stringers) back today and it was a lot better today than yesterday. We are excited about having another opportunity to play Saturday.”
Phillips said a majority of backups got reps Tuesday due to several starters being banged up and taking another day of rest. Moving forward, Phillips said the team will have to call on the depth of the team at certain positions so he doesn’t mind getting the underclassmen reps in early week practices.
On the injury front, Phillips said that senior tailback Coshik Williams is doubtful for the game Saturday, while senior cornerback Cartier Rice is day-to-day. Phillips ruled out freshman linebacker Josh Forrest and senior tight end Gabe Correll from playing. Offensive linemen Matt Smith and Darrian Miller are expected to practice tomorrow and play Saturday, according to Phillips.
This will be the first trip to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, mostly known as The Swamp, for most of Kentucky’s players. The Wildcats played the annual game in Lexington last season. Phillips recalled Wednesday his first experience in The Swamp when he was a player, giving the media in attendance a laugh in the process.
“My first memory was as a player,” Phillips said about The Swamp. “We went down and my first memory is George Adams catching the kickoff on the sideline and juking and jiving and stepping out of bounds before they hit him. My memory is kind of jarred because I was called to run a crack-back (block) on Wilber Marshall three times in a row. First one was successful; last two are the reason why I am 5-foot-9.”
Kentucky will practice again Thursday before a walk-through practice Friday.
Former UK Punter Tim Masthay Named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week: Former University of Kentucky punter Tim Masthay, now with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday for his performance in last week’s victory over the Chicago Bears.
Masthay threw the first touchdown pass of his career and punted five times for a 47.6 average in the Packers’ 23-10 win over Chicago. In the second quarter with the Packers leading 3-0, Green Bay faced a fourth-and-26 situation at the Chicago 27-yard line. The Packers lined up for a field goal but executed a fake, ending with Masthay throwing a 27-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tom Crabtree. It was the first touchdown pass by a Green Bay punter since November 19, 1972 when Ron Widby threw a 68-yard touchdown to Dave Davis.
Masthay placed three of his punts inside the 20-yard line and had a net average of 42.0 yards per punt. He helped limit Chicago’s Devin Hester to two returns and eight yards (4.0 average).
In his third season from Kentucky, this is Masthay’s third career Player of the Week Award (Week 8, 2010 and Week 13, 2011). Masthay is the first punter to be named Special Teams Player of the Week in each of his first three NFL seasons
