Following an otherwise strong performance, UK came out of its season opener with a clear area for defensive improvement.This week in practice ahead of a Saturday matchup with Ohio, the Wildcats have gone to work. “Did some good things,” defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot said. “We’re just concentrating on getting better fundamentally. So we have to get some depth, gotta establish some players at all positions for our backups. That’s our emphasis.”Against UT Martin, UK pitched a shutout through the better part of three quarters. Afterward, the Cats allowed nearly 250 yards and two touchdowns in a 59-14 victory. The UK backups, in other words, have some work to do to catch up to the starters.Based on the way the first team played on Saturday, that won’t be easy.UK’s starters handcuffed the Skyhawks to the tune of 164 yards through their first nine drives. Safety A.J. Stamps made plays all over the field, tying for the team lead with eight tackles on top of a one-handed interception that was No. 3 on SportsCenter’s Saturday night Top 10.”I really haven’t seen it on SportsCenter yet, but I saw a couple videos,” Stamps.Incredibly, it wasn’t even his personal top play, according to his coach.”Well the best play that he probably made went unnoticed, but it was on a screen when he defeated a block, then the guy grabbed him from behind, then somebody else tried to block him and he got after it and he tackled him for a loss,” Eliot said. “And they called holding on the play as well.”The blown-up screen and interception, together, show why Stamps is a perfect fit at his safety position. He played cornerback in junior college and has the athleticism to play on the outside, but also the physicality needed to play his current spot.”We like to recruit safeties that could play corner,” Eliot said. “That’s what we saw in A.J. We saw a guy that was athletic enough to be a corner. He was a corner in junior college, but yet we knew he was big enough and strong enough and physical enough to be a safety as well.”It doesn’t much matter to Stamps where he plays.”As long as I’m on the field,” Stamps said.He doesn’t have much to worry about there.
