Live chat with the offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach took place June 3
J.K. : Hey Coach, I was wondering how Shane Boyd is coming along trying to fill the monster sized shoes of Lorenzen at starting quarterback. Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. I’ll see you at Commmonwealth this fall. Go Cats!!!
Ron Hudson : Shane is showing terrific progress seeing how it is only his second year in the offense. If there’s a problem, it’s his lack of experience in this offense and lack of experience playing QB in the SEC. But we feel the way he’s approaching the actual mechanics of understanding the offense, he’ll be in a position to create and do some things to help us this fall. We’re very pleased where Shane is at this junction.
Bobby : How much of an impact will it be to lose a player like Tommy Cook, not only on the field, but as a leader off of the field?
Ron Hudson : That’s a good question. Tommy’s work ethic is very unique. He brings a very competitive attitude to the field which other players pick up on. Obviously that helped us a great deal. Tommy has experience and that always hurts when you lose a guy like that. But that’s for our younger guys to pick up the slack now.
Diego : coach i saw shane boyd during the spring game, and he look impressive what are you’re expectation for him this year?
Ron Hudson : The expectation for Shane will be one of creating plays on his own because of his athleticism and his ability to identify fronts and coverages that he can take advantage of because he can run and throw. That is something that we would expect Shane to be able to handle. We’re going to work on that for our preparation for Louisville.
jim bob, from marion KY : How many players, specifically skilled players are participating in summer workouts. Is shane progressing and taking charge? Good luck, and keep up the good work.
Ron Hudson : All our players are here this summer. They are lifting, running and throwing the ball three times a week. Shane and Andre Woodson are anxious to get started. With them being in the offense a year now, we feel they’ll have a better understanding of what’s expected this summer.
lee : hello coach : i would like to know ,which jr. college(s) U.K. sends players to for academic development.also, is that a part of an offer in recruiting ? thank-you
Ron Hudson : We don’t have a particular J.C. that we send players to because there are so many that we are associated with that we try to spread it out if and when we send a player. It is not an offer in recruiting in any way. It gives the individual an opportunity to set a foundation academically for transfer. The SEC rules are tougher for a J.C. player than any other conference in the country which sometimes eliminates certain players.
CatOnRockyTop : What one area of the offense do you think will be the most improved this year?
Ron Hudson : We feel the area that will be most improved will be the wide receiver position, even with the loss of Tommy Cook. We have upgraded that position with the experience of the returners Keenan Burton and Glenn Holt and the addition of Scott Mitchell.
Eric : Coach Hudson, with Wide Reciever being the strongest position on the offensive side of the ball this Fall, will you incorperate more packages that utilize that talent (3 and 4 wide out formations)?
Ron Hudson : Yeah, you’ll see more 3 and 4 wide receivers at times depending on the progress of our tight ends. If we feel our TE’s are able to stretch coverage and catch the ball effectively, we’ll be able to keep them in the game, especially with the problem of losing Tommy Cook. But we would like to get to the 3 or 4 wide receiver formation.
Greg Uk grad : When UK fan’s hear the word option, We get nervous. Will we throw the ball more this year?
Ron Hudson : The reason an offense has an option is to force defenses to have to be responsible for every player that can carry the ball because the defense has to be assigment sound for every defense they call. The option puts a lot of pressure on the defense if they know that the offense has it in their attack. Every defensive coordinator gets nervous when he calls a defense because that defense has to be sound against the option. As far as if we will throw more, in this conference one has to be sensitive to maintaining ball control with a balanced offense. We can’t throw it 35-45 times a game. That’s not this offense. We’d like to throw 25 times a game and run 40 times a game approximately. We feel our running backs can be effective and are continuing to get better. Thus we feel more comfortable running the ball.
Georgia Wildcat : What are some of the reasons you feel that this type of offense can be successful in the S.E.C.
Ron Hudson : Five out of the last six years it has won 11 games in the Big 12. It still comes down to having the type of personnel that will fit this offense. That is why we’re working so hard in recruiting. There is not a day that passes that we haven’t worked on getting the kinds of players we are all looking for. This will not happen overnight. It comes down to recruiting and getting the right players in the program.
KnoxvilleCatFan : Injuries aside, how much playing time do you think Andre Woodson will get?
Ron Hudson : It depends on how Shane Boyd and the entire offense is doing. Andre, like any freshman quarterback, has a long way to go in order to make everybody feel like he understands what is supposed to take place. That comes with experience and being a student of the game. Andre will have to show significant improvement this fall so we will feel comfortable putting him into the game. He understands this and that’s why he is down here getting ready.
Scott Reynolds : In the passing game, do you prefer the quarterback to throw more from the pocket or to roll out and throw on the move?
Ron Hudson : Because of Shane Boyd and Andre Woodson’s athleticism, you’ll see the QB’s looking to break the pocket and set up outside the pocket. If defensive coordinators know the QB can create on his own, it forces them to stay in their pass rush lanes, which will help the overall throwing game in terms of protection. Frankie_Edenfield : Everyone knows that Louisville and Tennessee are big rivals…and I personally love to hate the Florida Gators. Is there one team other than UofL or UT that the team really gets up to play?
Ron Hudson : Anytime you go on the road in the SEC, the team gets up to play. This year, Florida and Auburn are on the road as well as Mississippi State and UT. Trust me when I say that our team will get up and be ready to play.
KY_Football_Crazy : Are fans allowed to attend next week’s Passing/Lineman Camp?
Ron Hudson : Yes, everyone’s welcome to attend the camp.
MikeM, Louisville : Hey Coach-good job on getting those Juco’s this year. Do you plan on trying to go w/ a feature rback this year(one that would get most of the reps such as Beach) or do you think the reps will be split pretty evenly among 3-4 players? If its just one guy-who would it likely be?
Ron Hudson : Arliss is our tailback at this point, with Draak Davis being a factor. But until we see the likes of Rafael Little and any other new running backs and how they perform in practice, that will determine who will get the reps in practice. Hopefully we’ll be in position where we’ll have enough depth that they’ll all get reps. Having fresh legs is a real advantage.
ukathletics.com : Thanks to Coach Hudson for taking the time to answer these questions. Next week we will feature defensive coordinator Mike Archer.
Ron Hudson : I realize as a coach and as a fan, sometimes we’re not satisfied where we are offensively. Our players understand this, and that’s why they work so hard. We are looking for better and brighter things in the future. This will not happen overnight. You can rest assured that our players are going to work and stay positive and represent the program in a way that everyone can be proud of. Go Cats!
