Kentucky Defense Working Hard on Pass Rush
The Kentucky defense had trouble sacking the quarterback in 2020. In fact, the Cats were last in the SEC and 113th (out of 127) nationally in sacks.
Kentucky defenders sacked the quarterback on 15 occasions last season. Over 11 games, that averaged out to 1.36 sacks per game.
Defensive coordinator Brad White is well aware of this fact. And he knows that he needs to put the team in position to get more sacks this season.
As fall practice continues, White is working on the best way for the Cats to get to the quarterback.
“It has that feel from back in (2019) after we lost Josh (Allen) and I think it’s going to have to come from some different angles,” White said. “I’ve got to do a good job of putting guys in position to succeed, create some one-on-one matchups. When we get a one-on-one, we’ve got to win it.”
White knows that it will be a team effort to record more sacks this season.
“I’m not crazy optimistic that we’re going to have 30-some sacks but we’ve got pieces in place to be successful as a pass rush,” White said. “But they’ve got to rush together, when we run a blitz, they’ve got to run the pattern right. And, at the end of the day, the back end coverage has got to get sticky.”
And while it’s the guys up front that get the credit, or the blame, for getting to the quarterback, White knows that it truly takes every player on the defense to get a sack.
“It takes all 11,” White said. “I know the front gets the brunt of that critique. But everybody’s got to do their job, including the coaching staff.”
As for how the Cats are doing in fall camp, White says it’s hard to be sure.
“I think that’s hard to tell in camp,” White said. “You go against the same guys every day. I think it’s hard to gauge. I like what Jordan Wright is doing right now as a rusher. Josh Paschal is having a good camp.”
Senior outside linebacker Jordan Wright likes how the defense is looking so far during camp.
“It’s looking pretty good because everybody’s taking that extra step to be the best pass rusher on the team,” Wright said. “Because last year, we ranked 113th at the end of the season. That’s not representing Kentucky. We know we can rush the passer.”
Wright, who had 3.5 sacks last season, has also seen himself and his teammates giving extra time and effort to become better pass rushers, both individually and as a unit.
“Just seeing everyone out there giving their all,” Wright said. “You see guys working on moves they never even used but you have to do that to get comfortable rushing the passer. Before and after practice, just getting extra work in. Working on little moves, just to get that feeling so when it comes to game time or practice, you can already have that feeling.”
The Cats are working hard to create more sacks this season, both physically and strategically. White and Wright hope that the work they put in know will pay off during the season.
