Game Day Links: Kentucky Wildcats vs. Georgia Bulldogs
By Wayne
If the Wildcats can generate some explosive plays then their game will look and flow totally different. If we can find a way to keep them on their toes with something other than a fake FG or punt then Kentucky can get the Dawgs D on their heels. If, if if. The ONLY problem with explosive plays is having explosive playmakers and at this point, we only have 3: QB Jalen Whitlow, RB Jo Jo Kemp and WR Ryan Timmons. We did have Demarco Robinson but he is among the 3 suspended.
"Kentucky’s football coaching staff tracks them as “explosive plays” because they can blow a game open. In offensive coordinator Neal Brown’s world, the explosive play is any pass play longer than 16 yards and any run or screen that goes for 12 yards or better. And UK’s offense just hasn’t had enough of them this season. After the loss at Vanderbilt, in which Brown charted just eight explosive plays, head coach Mark Stoops lamented UK’s inability to make them this season. “We’ve got to find some explosive playmakers and get the ball in the end zone,” he said simply. “That’s it.”"
"It’s not for a lack of calling the big play or trying to get the ball in the right hands to make it, Brown said. The explosive plays make a difference, UK players said."
"“We feed off it a lot,” said wide receiver Ryan Timmons, who has five catches for 20 or more yards and two runs for that distance or better. “That’s what gets this offense started, those big plays. It’s what Coach Brown always talks about: somebody making a big play, so that’s what our offense is built on.” Said quarterback Jalen Whitlow, who has had a hand in a team-best 16 (12 passing, four rushing) of UK’s plays for 20 yards or better: “They win games. They matter a lot.” With two games to go, UK has the same number of 20-plus yard rushing plays (14) as it had all of last season. Long pass plays are better this season than last, with UK connecting on 11 for 30 or more yards after hitting just six for 30-plus yards last season. But Kentucky has struggled with plays of 20 or more yards the past two games, getting just one last week against Vanderbilt and three the week before against Missouri. Fourteen of Kentucky’s 37 total plays for 20 yards or more came in the Cats’ two wins over Miami (Ohio) and Alabama State. Kemp, who has four rushing plays for 20 yards or better, the most of any UK running back, believes they’ll come. He urged patience, even with just two games left in this season. “There are a lot of those plays that we’ve just left out there,” he said. “We’re working hard on the little things and when we get the small things down, then those bigger plays will happen.”"
Associated Press Sports Writer Charles Odum posted some interesting things to watch as these two teams square off and while he doesn’t expect the Bulldogs to come out flat, he doesn’t expect Jalen Whitlow to either.
"Here are five things to watch as Kentucky visits Georgia:"
"ANOTHER MILESTONE FOR MURRAY: Murray, a senior, needs only 108 yards passing to reach 3,000 yards for the fourth straight season. He set the SEC record for career completions in the 43-38 loss at Auburn. He also set SEC career records for yards passing, total offense and touchdown passes this season. REBOUND FOR WHITLOW: Kentucky sophomore quarterback Jalen Whitlow completed only 14 of 28 passes for 120 yards and threw four interceptions against Vanderbilt. Whitlow threw only one interception in his first nine games. FOCUS ON GEORGIA DEFENSE: Georgia has allowed more than 40 points in three games and at least 30 points seven times this season. On a day seniors will be honored, there are only two seniors on Georgia’s two-deep depth chart on defense — starting nose tackle Garrison Smith and backup safety Connor Norman. Auburn had 323 yards rushing, the high mark allowed by the Bulldogs this season. It will be important for Georgia to contain the Kentucky running game led by running back Raymond Sanders and Jojo Kemp and put pressure on Whitlow. TIME FOR A PICK: Linebacker Josh Forrest has the Kentucky defense’s only interception, putting pressure on the secondary to end its drought. Stoops said it would help the defense if the offense could take a lead, putting pressure on Georgia’s offense to put the ball in the air. “The lead helps,” Stoops said. “It’s no mystery we’re struggling to score points. … Most teams know that with the way we’re struggling to put the ball in the end zone it would be careless to throw the ball up and put it in a bad situation. You have an opportunity to get lots of interceptions when your team is scoring a bunch of points and the other team is playing from behind. We know that hasn’t been the situation this year.” TACKLE FOR TACKLE: Georgia and Kentucky have the SEC’s top three leaders in tackles. Georgia linebacker Ramik Wilson holds the lead with 110, followed by teammate Amarlo Herrera (91) and Kentucky senior middle linebacker Avery Williamson (88)."
And finally…a little ESPN video preview of this long awaited SEC East match-up.