Kentucky Wildcat Football: Spring game thoughts
By Paul Jordan
Here are some of my post-blue/white game thoughts.
-The offensive line was not quite where I was hoping it would be. I know that injuries have had an effect on the unit’s ability to practice together, but with all of the experience they have I was kind of hoping for a zero or one-sack day.
-The quarterback play was pleasantly surprising. Newton and Smith were both off on throws, but both guys made some really nice plays. It seemed like Newton locked on to Adams a couple of times, but a little more practice time and their timing will be better. Maybe the biggest surprise of the day was Smith. I expected him to look a little chaotic out there, but he was cool and collected throughout the scrimmage. He’s also deceptively fast and not afraid to take off running.
All of the running backs played very well. Sanders had a big day and Williams did all right when you consider he was running behind the second team O-Line and against the first team defense. The guy I was most impressed with was Jonathan George. He looked tough and has a great combination of strength and speed. I think a lot of people were really excited to get a look at Brandon Gainer, but he was injured and did not participate.
The Receivers were not very good today. There were far too many drops and the entire unit looks like they’ll need plenty of work. Adams has serious potential, but dropped the ball. Roark had a really awful day and can only go up from here. If there was an MVP for the receivers, it might have been E.J. Fields who had a really big catch (in addition to a few drops himself).
The defensive line had a pretty good day, and it’s becoming clear that this will be one of the most complex defenses in the SEC. The guys that really stood out to me, where Donte Rumph, Ridge Wilson, Justin Henderson, and Collins Ukwu. Ukwu in particular looked like a much more confident player than he did this past season.
The defensive player that was most impressive to me was Avery Williamson. He is like a magnet to the football and he looks way to big to only be a sophomore. The most important thing I saw from the linebackers was the tackling. It appears that the staff has made improving tackling a priority and the team (especially the linebackers) did a much better job of wrapping up than they have done in years past.
The defensive backs looked pretty good today with a few exceptions. I don’t know how good Randall Burden is going to be for UK, but he has the swagger of an All-American. Hopefully he can keep from giving up on plays like the 54-yard E.J. Fields touchdown. I really was impressed by Josh Gibbs more than anyone. He had a couple of really nice plays and returned an interception for a touchdown.
That’s it for now while I get ready to go get my grub on. Once again, happy Easter to everyone!
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