Riding a two-game Southeastern Conference win streak for the first time since 1999, the Kentucky football team looks for its sixth win of the season and its third consecutive victory on Saturday when it plays host to Vanderbilt at 1 p.m. EST in Commonwealth Stadium.
The Wildcats are coming off a 24-20 upset of Georgia last Saturday in Lexington. Trailing 20-17, tailback Tony Dixon ran for a three-yard touchdown with 1:21 remaining and cornerback Trevard Lindley, who was named SEC Freshman of the Week, picked off a Georgia pass with less than a minute left to secure the victory. Vanderbilt is coming off a 25-19 loss at home to Florida last week. The Commodores rallied from an early deficit but ultimately fell short to the No. 4 Gators.
Kentucky and Vanderbilt are meeting for the 79th time in school history and the Wildcats have won four of the last five meetings against the Commodores. The all-time series is tied 37-37-4. UK will have a special event this weekend as the 1976 SEC Champion Peach Bowl team will have a reunion and will be introduced at the game. More details will be released this week.
PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES – NOV. 6
Head Coach Rich Brooks
Injury update?
?An update on the injuries, Durrell White with a left shoulder injury (and) I would say is doubtful for this week. Alfonso Smith got more of a stinger (in his neck). He?ll practice tomorrow with no contact. I think he?ll be fine. Maurice Grinter will undergo an MRI tomorrow for his knee to see what is wrong. To me it?s more of a tendinitis issue than anything. He has not been able to play the last two weeks. Tony Dixon is better today than he was at this point last week. That?s good news. Jason Leger did a few things yesterday and we will try to give him limited reps in practice and see how his shoulder responds. Rafael Little will also have limited reps tomorrow and on Wednesday and we?ll see how his knee responds.?
On Vanderbilt?
?To me, they are one of the best four-win teams in the nation, if you look at some of the games they?ve played and lost and see how close they?ve been to turning the corner these last two years. They have a very exciting quarterback (Chris Nickson) who is a good runner and thrower. Earl Bennett is one of the best receivers in the league if not in the nation. Their defense is very sound and solid. They have a good defensive front. They also do a good job in pass defense, they?re one of the best pass defenses in the league. This is going to be a very difficult game. They come in knowing if they can win their last two they can get bowl-eligible. We obviously need a win (for bowl eligibility), and of significance, to four conference wins. I think that would ensure us finishing higher than Kentucky is used to finishing in the Eastern Division.?
On the dividends of hard work?
?It?s something you preach as a coach all of the time that hard work will pay off. By doing the little things and getting better the hard work will pay off. Sometimes it takes a long time for it to happen. Other times it can kind of sneak up on you. You just never know when it?s going to happen. It could happen on the next play, the next series, next week or it could happen next year, but eventually if you keep doing things and trying to do them right it will pay off.?
On preparing against Vanderbilt ?
?They present a very significant problem for us. One, they spread the field. Nickson has become a very effective thrower. He was very accurate and had a lot of good plays against Florida. He?s also their leading rusher. He is a major factor for them. The only other quarterback we?ve seen like that is (Syvelle) Newton from South Carolina, who would even come close to him as a double-threat in running and throwing. Vanderbilt has a lot of designed runs for him. Their offensive line is big and talented. We?re going to have to make sure we fill the rush lanes and try to get pressure on him. Earl Bennett has 67 catches and is their favorite target, so we have to be wary of him. Defensively they are a very solid, well-coached defensive football team. Their line is very effective, they have talented pass rushers. They are playing really good pass defense. We have to do a really good job of continuing to do what we?ve done the past two weeks in mixing in the run and the pass.?
On the emotions after a big win?
?The only time I?ve ever been disappointed in this group was the LSU game. This is a very focused group and they are very willing to lay it out there and work hard. They are going to get the message that last week was last week, and they could wash away a lot of the good things if they don?t follow through this week. The one great thing about last week is that we had to come from behind in the fourth quarter and we?ve not done that all year.?
On Trevard Lindley ?
?Trevard is one of the quietest individuals I?ve ever coached. On the practice field he never speaks unless he is spoken to. He?s an amazing guy. As you remember I came out of spring practice saying he was our best corner. I said that again after training camp. The guy just goes out there and does his job. He?s given up very few plays over his head. He?s very good in run support, he?s long-armed and has the speed and plays the ball well. He defended a lot of passes, I?m glad he finally got his first interception. I just think he?s going to be a really good football player. He is a very good football player. He?s at the level where he?s already covered a lot of the great receivers in the league and he?s held his own. You always know what you are going to get from him. He?s always going to be consistent. He?s always going to be solid. He?s going to play hard. If he?s quiet or talkative I don?t care, I?m in love with the kid. Coach Brown said it yesterday, and I have to agree. That is probably the best game we?ve had a corner since we?ve been here. That?s a pretty significant thing for being here for four years.?
On the line play?
?During the bye week we went back and tried to get back to the basics. We wanted to be a physical team. That?s been helping our defense play against the run. At Mississippi State we had our best run defense we?ve had all year. We followed that up against a team (Georgia) who I think is a pretty good football team. We went back to basics, and we got Andre? (Woodson) under center more which puts in position to be a better run team.?
On getting solid play from the middle linebacker position?
?It helps a great deal. Obviously if you play a 4-3 defense and your middle linebacker is not making a lot of plays, you have a problem. To have sophomore linebacker Braxton (Kelley) finally get back into pre-knee surgery form is very, very beneficial.?
On the potential program turn-around?
?Other than the guys in the trenches and the guys on the lines, you look at the three touchdowns, and all were scored by a sophomore and a junior – Tony Dixon and Keenan Burton. The field goal was scored by a freshman (Lones Seiber). He made a 48-yarder and drilled it. You look at the interceptions, Roger (Williams) is a junior, Johnny Williams is a sophomore and Trevard Lindley is a redshirt freshman. You look at Myron Pryor causing a fumble ? sophomore, and Braxton Kelley the leading tackler in the game ? sophomore. That part I like. The quarterback (Andre Woodson) is a junior and Jacob Tamme our tight end ? junior. So there are a lot of positives to build on. What we have to do is fill in some holes, but most importantly we need to win a game this week.?
Kentucky Players
#18 Jacob Tamme, TE
On the Vanderbilt game ?
?There?s no looking around how good of a team Vanderbilt is. They?ve lost four games by less than a touchdown. They beat Georgia at Georgia. Their defense has improved a lot since last year and they?re very well coached. They?re a good team and it?s going to take a very good effort from us to win this game. It?s obviously a very important game.?
On Saturday?s 24-20 win over Georgia?
?It was obviously a very big moment for everyone involved. We are so excited and happy about last Saturday. We obviously don?t have a lot of experience in situations like this, with the goal post coming down and all. The fan base got excited about it and that?s fun.
?Seeing how the fans reacted, we know that our hard work is starting to pay off. We can be happy about it but not satisfied. We have to get focused on playing Vanderbilt.?
On the possibility of winning this week?
?This is our opportunity to get to six wins. To me, this game is more important than last weekend because it?s the chance to reach our goal of getting to a bowl game. Also we get to keep making strides in the SEC. We just need to go out there on Saturday and make it happen.?
On the confidence gained in beating Georgia?
?Our team is different this year. There is a certain attitude and will in this team, and I think it showed in the end. Georgia is very good – they have many athletes, especially defensively. There was something about our team that didn?t let it slip away. We were able to drive down and make play after play.?
On the parity of the Southeastern Conference?
?You know Mississippi State went down and won at Alabama, Vanderbilt beat Georgia at Georgia. I think it really shows that anybody can win on any given Saturday. It makes it very exciting and fun.?
#62 Matt McCutchan, Center
On the wins against Mississippi State and Georgia?
?Putting together two good games is always a great feeling. At the beginning of the season one of the goals we set was to get to a bowl game. We are only one game away from eligibility and that?s exciting. During the Georgia game the offensive line was thinking about what we needed to do to make a big play and score. Big games is the reason why I came to Kentucky and why I play football.?
On Vanderbilt?
?They have a strong offense and defense. They are a great team and they just played really well against a tough Florida team. They have great athletes and are well-coached. It is a big game for us as well as them, they only need two more wins to be bowl eligible and we need one more game to become eligible. Vandy has a lot of heart and they?re a hungry team. We need to bring our A-game.?
On the progress of the team?s play and attitude?
?We still have a long way to go. We are still making mistakes. Things will fall where they will if we do our jobs and eliminate those mistakes. Our attitude is that it is time for us to win. We hold our destiny in our own hands. We are hungry to get to a bowl game and hungry to win more than the six games needed for eligibility.?
On offensive lineman Hayden Lane and his emergence in the lineup?
?He has gone from a starter to a guy coming off the bench but he never let that bother him. He never put his head down and took every opportunity to get in the game.?
On moving on from the upset win?
?Whether we have an emotional high or low we have to put it in the back of our mind after 24 hours and look forward to the next week, which is against a tough Vanderbilt team.?
