Cats' Defense Must Have Focus, Execution to Slow Down Rebels

Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White knows that he and his unit have a big challenge in front of them this weekend. The Cats visit fifth-ranked Ole Miss, and the Rebels’ offense has been potent, to say the least, through four games.

Ole Miss averages 55 points and 670 yards per game. They lead the nation in both of those categories. White knows that the Cats will need to carry over their solid play from recent games as they face Ole Miss.

“It’s just another challenge, it’s another week. We’re going to have a lot of these throughout the year,” White said. “The goal is focus, execution, all the way through practice, in the meeting rooms, take it out, unwavering effort and take it series by series. We did that against Georgia, I thought we did a nice job carrying that over last week against Ohio. We need to continue to do that. I think the guys understand the challenge. When it’s 670 yards a game, 55 points, 420 in the air, 250 on the ground. They’ve got weapons all over the place, they’ve got a big offensive line, a quarterback that’s playing at a really, really elite level. We know we’ve got to be at our best.”

This will also be Kentucky’s first road game of the year, and it comes with an early kickoff. Those are both things that the Cats must account for in their preparation.

“It’s going to be a tough environment. We were down there two years ago, we understand,” White said. “You get up, it’s 11 o’clock central time, you’ve got to get geared up and ready to rock and roll.”

Ole Miss plays at a very high tempo, which is something that the Cats have not seen yet this season. White knows that it’s hard to replicate just how quickly the Rebels go.

“It’s impossible to simulate it. You just try to do the best you can to try to get as many quality reps in as you can,” White said. “But it’s hard for anybody in the country to simulate what they do and especially at the efficiency they do it at. They’ve got eight seniors, two juniors, guys who have been in the system for a long time. They know how to operate. And to add the pace on top of it is why they are so effective and efficient.”

How can the Cats best combat the Rebels’ attack?

“Obviously, the hope is that not every drive is a long, extended drive. You also don’t want it to be a quick score, either,” White said. “You want to be able to get off the field on a couple of drives as quick as you can. The one thing I tell the defense all the time is, even if they go on a 10-play drive, it may only be two minutes and 30 seconds, so you can do anything for two minutes and 30 seconds full speed. You may need the next series off, but you’ve got to rock and roll. Unless they sub personnel, you better get up, get your eyes to the side, get our call, try to see the formation and roll from there.”

The Cats face a road test against a potent offense in a hostile environment. White hopes that the momentum his unit has built over the last two games can travel to Oxford on Saturday.