Cats Eager to Capitalize on TaxSlayer Bowl Opportunity

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The work for Kentucky began long ago.

Fresh off narrowly missing out on a bowl game last season, the Wildcats didn’t want to let that happen for the third year in a row.

“It started with our winter conditioning, the weightlifting,” Mark Stoops said. “It started with our fourth-quarter program, doing more, having more physical practices last spring, harder two-a-days.”

Now UK (7-5) is a day away from playing in the TaxSlayer Bowl, realizing many of its long-standing goals by winning seven of its final 10 games, including an upset of Louisville.

“To see that come to fruition, to see us finish the way we did, to play our best football at the end of the year, against our archrivals on the road, to put us in a position to be in this game says an awful lot,” Stoops said.

But when the Wildcats kick off against Georgia Tech (8-4) at 11 a.m. on Saturday, they won’t have reached their destination. Even with all the big-picture talk about this moment being a breakthrough for the program and laying a foundation for its future, the Cats still view this game as exactly that: another game.

“I think it’s important not just the fact it’s the 13th game, but Coach Stoops harps on it all the time, just because it’s the next game,” senior center Jon Toth said. “I think that’s the mentality that he’s done a great job of instilling in the program, is just to keep your head down and work every day. Like I said, it’s our next game. We’re going to try to win it just ’cause that’s what we’re going to do.”

To that end, UK has been hard at work preparing for the Yellow Jackets the last few weeks. Sure, more young players have gotten reps for their future development and the Cats have enjoyed some free time in Jacksonville, Florida, but the priority has been getting that next win.

“I think it would mean a lot to this program for this eighth win,” quarterback Stephen Johnson said. “It’s been a while, like I said at the beginning, to be at this point. But it really would mean a lot for the seniors, just to build this program up with recruiting, the new guys that came in.”

UK will have to overcome a unique challenge to pull it off.

Georgia Tech is well known for its triple-option attack, and for good reason. The Yellow Jackets are 10th in the country in rushing behind quarterback Justin Thomas, giving the Cats plenty to work on ahead of the game at EverBank Field.

“We have to be extremely disciplined,” Stoops said. “Coach (Paul) Johnson has been around a long time. They can throw a lot at you. That’s probably very easy to them. Different formations, unbalanced, different motions, they have everything under the sun with the triple option and other plays. They put a lot of stress on you.”

The extra time to prepare has been a plus, but it’s no guarantee. UK still has to execute against an offense that makes it difficult to do so.

“Just be consistent in our approach,” linebacker Courtney Love said. “I think we have. We’re trusting in our coaches, their plan, the task that they’ve given us to go out here and be able to stop this team. We’ve just got to be really disciplined and focus on every play and every down.”

On the other side of the ball, Georgia Tech isn’t nearly so unconventional. That doesn’t make things any easier.

“I think we have a very clear understanding of who they are,” Stoops said. “They have a very clear identity. They’re fundamentally sound. They base out of a 4-3. They’re very disciplined. They really don’t try to trick you. They have some changeups obviously, like everybody does, but they play very smart, very sound. I would imagine they’ll continue to do what they’ve done.”

For nearly four weeks, the Cats have been working toward this game. After all that time, they’re itching to play it.

“I feel like we’re prepared,” senior defensive lineman Courtney Miggins said. “It’s been three weeks. Scout team has been giving us a good look. Few missed assignments, but pretty much everybody been on the same page. I think we’re ready to tee it up tomorrow.”