Blitz Bros Save the Day
Things seemed a little out of rhythm for Kentucky from the very beginning.
Eastern Michigan had a 7-0 lead within seconds and even after UK gamely responded to tie it, the Wildcats could never quite find their footing.
Save for UK’s pass rushers anyway. Their footing was just fine.
“I think we played good defense,” Josh Allen said. “We played good, SEC football defense. I feel like we can always get better, but we played good and had a couple sacks. We couldn’t do that without the d-line stopping the run and the DBs covering, so I commend them for helping me out with that.”
The Cats had talented EMU quarterback Brogan Roback and his offensive line on their heels throughout thanks to in large part to edge rushers Allen and Denzil Ware. The duo, known as the Blitz Bros, lived up to their nickname and made life generally unpleasant for talented EMU quarterback Brogan Roback all day as UK survived and moved to 4-1 with a 24-20 victory.
“That’s our job,” Allen said. “We can’t be surprised that we’re back there. That’s what we’re supposed to do, and that’s what we did.”
UK had five sacks as a team, with Allen and Ware combining for 2.5. Allen’s 1.5 sacks lifted his season total to 5.5 and caused Ware to concede the friendly competition the two Blitz Bros had about who would end the season with the most sacks.
“He won,” Ware said. “I’m going to go ahead and wave the white towel. He got it, but I’m going to keep encouraging him. He better have about 15 at the end of the season though.”
The sacks came at opportune times, too. Allen’s half-sack – which he combined with freshman Josh Paschal to get – ended EMU’s first drive after UK scored a touchdown to answer the Eagles’ early score. Later, his sack on third and eight ended an EMU drive immediately after UK pulled ahead 17-14, while Ware’s sack did the same on the first drive of the fourth quarter.
“If you just got your mind to it and you’re ready to play and you got the crowd jacked, the sideline jacked, it’s pretty easy,” Ware said. “It gives you a little energy, gives you an extra burst off the ball. Getting sacks isn’t individual effort. You need everybody around you because getting sacks takes a lot of energy. It’s a hard thing to do. It’s probably easy for Josh but for me, I need everybody.”
Ware had plenty of help, as UK’s defensive front held EMU to just 13 rushing yards on 27 carries and Kendall Randolph and Mike Edwards each had interceptions, Edwards’ sealing the game on a Hail Mary as time expired. Fellow pass rushers made plays as well, with Kengera Daniel and Adrian Middleton each adding sacks.
That just leaves Paschal’s half-sack to get to UK’s total of five, which actually wasn’t even the freshman’s biggest play. That came when he blocked a punt with 12:02 left to set up a 12-yard touchdown run by Benny Snell.
“It felt good knowing that I could contribute to the win,” Paschal said. “I know there’s other stuff I have to work on, but it just felt good to help contribute.”
Though outside linebacker was already one of UK’s strengths due to Ware and Allen, Paschal has forced his way onto the field as a true freshman.
“We really felt like he was a difference maker and a guy that was going to be an impact player, and he’s getting better with every opportunity,” Mark Stoops said. “He’s making some mistakes, but he’s talented. He’s a different kind of guy with his size and his versatility.”
In spite of Paschal’s 6-foot-3, 270-pound frame, Ware and Allen dubbed him “Blitz Baby” during fall camp. So, did he earn a promotion with his game-turning punt block?
“He upgraded to Blitz Cousin,” Ware said before getting serious, but only briefly. “Paschal, he does a lot of good things that people really don’t notice. He’s still the baby out of all of us, so he’s still going to be Blitz Baby.”
The Blitz Bros and Blitz Baby/Cousin helped UK survive a lackluster offensive effort on Saturday, as the Cats managed only 228 yards.
“The offense knows we’ve got their back,” Allen said. “And when we’re not doing good, we know the offense got our backs. I feel like we just need to keep playing.”
The offense will need to return the favor at some point in order for the Cats to have the kind of season they want to have. At least until it’s time to get back to work on Monday, they’re just glad they got out of this one with a victory.
“We’re never going to argue about a win,” Stephen Johnson. “We’ll never be mad about a win, but we definitely know that we’ve got a lot of stuff to fix to where we cannot put ourselves in those situations to where it comes down to a Hail Mary throw.”
UK has now played five games in a row this season in which the outcome was in doubt in the fourth quarter, winning four of them. That shows the Cats are capable of willing themselves to a win, which will be important down the road, but they also need to improve.
“Our team, what I like about them is we did win the football game,” Stoops said. “We found ways to win the football game when we did not play our very best. That’s what I appreciate about them.
“We need to get — they need to get some rest tomorrow, and we need to come back in Monday focused, energized, and ready to play. There’s no excuse for not playing our best at home. So we need to get back to work and improve. But appreciate the fact that we’re 4-1 right now, and that’s better than 3-2.”
