Weather No Obstacle at Physical Wednesday Practice

Weather forced Kentucky inside for practice on Wednesday.

That didn’t stop the Wildcats from turning in exactly the kind of effort they need ahead of a game against Charlotte on Saturday.

“Practiced in the indoor so had to utilize space, but the kids didn’t let it be a distraction to them,” defensive coordinator D.J. Eliot said. “They went about their business.”

As has been UK’s custom through the latter portion of the season, the Cats are sustaining physicality in their intra-squad work, regardless of the venue.

“We had pads on so we got a chance to tackle,” Eliot said. “That’s important. You always want to play physical when you’re on defense. We had a good upbeat practice and like I said, we had to transition to the indoor because of rain but it didn’t change anything.”

Neither has UK changed its approach after a loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday. Disappointment, of course, is inevitable, but the Cats aren’t deterred.

“I think our guys have responded as good as they can,” Eliot said. “They have a great attitude and they’re working hard. They’ve kept the focus on just the next opponent and getting better.”

The other recipient of the Cats’ focus has continued to be self-improvement.

“We just concentrate on ourselves,” Eliot said. “We look at improving as a team and as a defense. Each player has plenty of things that he can get better at. That’s what our emphasis has been and that’s what the players focus has been. We’re not really focusing on anything else besides getting better and getting ready for our next opponent.”

And come Saturday at 7:30 in Commonwealth Stadium, the Cats will be raring to go.

“This week is going to be a load-unleashing week for everything that we have built up in us and stuff,” junior Jason Hatcher said. “We’re going to try to go out there and put it all on tape with a very dominant game.”