March 23, 2012

LEXINGTON, Ky. –  The Kentucky football team had its second workout of spring practice Friday morning on the Tim Couch Practice Fields as the Wildcats look ahead to Saturday and the first full-pads practice of the spring.

“Practice today was our second day in shorts,” Coach Joker Phillips said. “We’ve been focusing on effort, technique and fundamentals. Tomorrow, we’ll put the pads on and it’ll be our first full-pad day and again, continue to focus on effort, technique and fundamentals.

“But, we’re also going to find out who’s going to play physical for us. That’s the key. Tomorrow, we have to be running into each other violently. So we’ll find out who’s going to play physical for us.”

Phillips noted that the coaching staff has decided to ease the rate of play installation with the goal of a steadier learning curve.

“We have so many young guys that we’ll be counting on,” Phillips said.  “We slowed down our installation. Usually, we’ll try to install in about five days. We’ll slow it down and go about seven to eight days. So we won’t give them as much on a day-to-day basis.

“It (spring practice) is when you can really slow things down. You’re not getting ready for a game, so you’re just really trying to get guys evaluated. So you can slow things down and start from ground zero and start working up, and I think that’s what coaches like.”

Gainer to Miss Spring: Phillips announced that tailback Brandon Gainer will not participate in spring practice in order to concentrate on his academic progress. 

Gainer, a sophomore-to-be from Miami, Fla., rushed 11 times for 39 yards last season as a freshman.