Both the offensive and defensive units had positives to take out of the Kentucky football team?s first scrimmage of spring practice Saturday afternoon at Commonwealth Stadium.
There were six offensive series during the one-hour scrimmage, and the offense drove the ball inside the defense?s 25-yard line on five of the six possessions. However, the defense stiffened near the goal line and did not allow any touchdowns, forcing four field goal attempts while stopping the offense once on a goal-line stand.
?The defense did some good things (near the goal line),? Coach Rich Brooks said. ?They gave up some third-down conversions, but you have to credit the offense for doing the job on third down.?
Led by sophomore quarterback Andre? Woodson, the first-team offense had two possessions. The first ended with a 35-yard field goal by senior Taylor Begley. The next drive achieved a first-and-goal situation from the defense?s four-yard line. An incomplete pass and a three-yard run moved the ball to the one, but then the defense turned away a pair of running plays and held on downs at the one.
Woodson showed good patience during the scrimmage. He did a good job completing short passes and finding secondary receivers for gains. He completed 8-of-11 passes for 53 yards, with sophomore tailback Rafael Little catching four balls for 21 yards. Little also gained 38 yards on 10 rushing attempts.
?Andre? did some good things. I like the way he?s throwing the ball,? Brooks said. ?Rafael Little is doing a good job as well.?
The second-team offense, guided by redshirt freshman Joe Joe Brown, had three possessions against the second-team defense. Two of the drives ended in field goal attempts, one of which was successful. Brown hit 5-of-9 passes for 28 yards, finding five different receivers, and added 15 rushing yards on scrambles. Junior tailback Terrell Bankhead gained 30 yards on just four carries, including a 27-yard run that was the longest gain of the day.
Junior quarterbacks David Hamilton and Rocco Maragas split one possession with the third-team offense against the third-team defense. They maneuvered the ball to the nine-yard-line, where Begley capitalized with a 27-yard field goal. Hamilton completed both of his passing attempts for 12 yards and Maragas hit 2-of-4 for 20 yards. Running for both the second and third teams, senior tailback Andrew Hopewell rushed seven times for 39 yards.
All totaled, Begley made three of his four field goal attempts, with his only miss coming after a juggled hold. There also was one session with the punt team. Junior Kris Kessler, a transfer from Central Florida, punted three times for a 38.3-yard average.
The Wildcats return to practice Monday at 9 a.m. at Commonwealth Stadium. The next scrimmage will be Sat. Apr. 16. Spring practice will be completed with the Blue/White Spring Game on Sat. Apr. 23 at 1 p.m.
Scrimmage statistics
Rushing: Hopewell 7-39, Little 10-38, Bankhead 4-30, Brown 3-15, Sprowles 2-5, Hamilton 1-2, Bwenge 1-1, Woodson 2-(-4).
Passing: Woodson 8-11-0, 53 yards; Brown 5-9-0, 28 yards; Maragas 2-4-0, 20 yards; Hamilton 2-2-0, 12 yards.
Receiving: Little 4-21, Drobney 3-25, Logan 2-18, Sears 2-12, Cook 1-10, Lyons 1-9, Tamme 1-8, Murphy 1-6, Davis 1-5, Holt 1-(-1).
Most Devoted Fans Sought for New Kentucky Football Commercials: Die-hard UK football fans will get the chance to audition for a series of commercials which will air state-wide throughout this summer. The spots will highlight the passion UK football fans have for their Wildcats.
UK Athletics and its advertising agent, Cornett Advertising, will hold the auditions on Sat. Apr. 23 at 10 a.m. at Commonwealth Stadium, prior to the Blue/White Spring Game which begins at 1 p.m.
The auditions will be in the form of interviews and will be taped and reviewed by a panel of judges. Fans that most impress the judges with their enthusiasm and dedication to the UK football team will be called back in May to film the actual commercials.
UK Athletics wants fans to demonstrate their exuberance and excitement for their team. Fans interested in auditioning on Apr. 23 should enter Gate 1 at Commonwealth Stadium and should dress as they normally do for a UK football game.
Kentucky Football Calendar (practices held in Commonwealth Stadium or Nutter Field House):
Mon. Apr. 11 – Practice, 9-11 a.m.
Wed. Apr. 13 – Practice, 9-11 a.m.
Fri. Apr. 15 – Practice, 9-11 a.m.
Sat. Apr. 16 – Practice (scrimmage), 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Mon. Apr. 18 – Practice, 9-11 a.m.
Wed. Apr. 20 – Practice, 9-11 a.m.
Fri. Apr. 22 – Practice, 9-11 a.m.
Sat. Apr. 23 – Blue/White Spring Game, 1 p.m., Commonwealth Stadium
