Kentucky Defense Preparing for Explosive Tennessee

The Kentucky defense has faced its share of challenges so far this year. The Cats have seen nearly everything, from the Air Raid to teams who like to ground and pound.

This week, the Cats will see something that, while not entirely new, is different than anything UK has seen so far this season. Tennessee will attack the Cats with their fast-paced, no-huddle attack on Saturday night at Kroger Field. UK defensive coordinator Brad White knows his unit must be on their toes at all times.

“It’s as fast of an offense as there is in the country in terms of how quickly they snap the ball,” White said. “Obviously, that puts a ton of stress on the defense. Our guys have to get lined up quick, get the quick communication, get the call, identify the formation.”

White has been impressed with what he has seen from Tennessee on film.

“They’ve got a lot of talent out wide in those skilled receivers. They’re long, they’re fast, they make a lot of big plays,” White said. “They’re running backs do a great job running downhill. Hooker’s doing such a good job in that offense. He’s managing it to perfection. He understands where to go with the football. When it’s his time to run, he makes big plays with his legs. It’s a huge, huge challenge. This might be our biggest of the year from an offensive explosion aspect.”

The Cats will do their best to practice against what they will see on Saturday, but it’s a difficult thing to do.

“You can’t practice, you can try to simulate as much as you, that tempo, but it’s hard to simulate and replicate,” White said. “They do such a nice job of jumping on teams early with that.”

Linebacker DeAndre Square knows that communication will be key for his unit on Saturday.

“It can be pretty difficult at times,” Square said. “We’ve got to communicate but we’ve been practicing really hard on it.”

Square knows that the Tennessee game is a crucial one, especially now, for the Cats.

“Always. It’s another game on the schedule but it’s a very important one,” Square said. “It’s a rivalry game so everybody’s anxious and ready to play the game. The guys are pretty juiced up for this one.”

Defensive end Josh Paschal thinks the Cats will be ready on Saturday.

“We’re ready to play Tennessee,” Paschal said. “We want to win. It’s a rivalry game. It’s a big game. For the seniors, this is our last SEC game at home. And it’s a big one. So, we want to go take care of business. We’re going to go out there hungry and ready to get after it.”

Paschal knows that the Tennessee game is one that the team, and the fans, circle on the schedule every year because of how much it means.

“Yes it does because it’s a rival,” Paschal said. “Every year that we play them, it’s personal. You don’t want to say too much. You want to go out there and speak with your pads and that’s what we’re going to do.”

The Cats’ defense will face the challenge of an explosive offense and a rival on Saturday. And UK is ready to put the last two games behind them and get back on the winning side of the ledger.