Kentucky Defense Preparing for 'Biggest Challenge to Date'
Much of the talk leading up to Saturday’s showdown between top-ranked Georgia and No. 11 Kentucky has been about the Bulldogs’ defense. It’s a unit that leads the country in scoring defense (5.5 points per game allowed) and total defense (201.2 yards allowed per contest).
While Georgia’s defense has been very, very good all season long, Kentucky’s defense has also fared quite well. The Cats are 18th in the country in total defense (305.0 ypg), 19th in scoring defense (17.5 ppg).
The Cats don’t mind that all of the talk leading up to the game is about Georgia. But they do hope that they can show the nation on Saturday that, in fact, Kentucky has a very good defense, too.
The task for Kentucky will be to stop a talented Georgia offensive unit. UK defensive coordinator Brad White knows that his team faces a big challenge on Saturday.
“Up front, they are just so physical,” White said of Georgia. “We know that, playing every year. Their front is big, they really try to move you off the line of scrimmage, their backs are big, physical, downhill runners. They’re hard to tackle.”
Georgia uses that physicality to its advantage in the run game, something that White knows his team must address.
“They can stress you at a lot of different levels, but it starts up front,” White said. “It starts with running the ball. They rushed for over five yards a carry last year.”
White believes that having a game plan is essential but also being able to make changes as the game is played is very important.
“Every game’s a little bit different. You can have a picture in your mind of what you think it’s going to look like but everything changes,” White said. “The important piece for our defense, when you get those ebbs and flows, you have to be able to adjust and adapt. And the team, in these games, that adapts to those situations tends to come out on top.”
Turnovers could be crucial in Saturday’s contest. White knows that, as simple as it sounds, it’s just about making the plays.
“When the play presents itself, the guys have to make it,” White said. “At the end of the day, if it’s a tipped ball, an overthrown ball, you have to be able to adjust in the air and make a play. We’ve got to make some game-changing turnovers in big, crucial moments. We’ve got to continue to try to come up with stops.”
White’s unit knows that this is a big game but he also likes how his team is treating the preparation for the contest.
“What I feel with this group is, they understand the magnitude of this game. But they also understand that it is game seven of a 12-game season,” White said. “They’re approaching it, and their approach to the week, has been how we approached the last six weeks. Try not to make the game bigger than it is. If you make it too big, that usually never turns out to be a good thing.”
White calls Saturday’s game the “biggest challenge to date” and he believes that the Cats are up for that challenge.
