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Kentucky Wildcats: Notes From Saturday’s Football Practice

By Ethan Conger

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Saturday morning, the Kentucky Wildcats held an open practice and scrimmage to show fans just what they’ve accomplished in the long offseason.

“I like the direction we’re headed. If we go out and compete like that and continue to fundamentally get better, we’ll have a chance.” Mark Stoops said after Saturday morning’s practice.

The practice was open to the public, and due to the cancellation of the Wildcats’ annual spring game, more than enough fans turned out to see where Kentucky had developed. It was also a chance for Kentucky Wildcats’ fans to see the offense that Shannon Dawson, the new offensive coordinator, had brought to the table.

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The team, however, seemed as if the season ended yesterday. They came out fired up and competing tooth and nail in the early morning scrimmage,making some pretty impressive plays while doing so.

Blake Bone, a receiver who caught 14 passes for 194 yards in this past season for the Wildcats, showed massive improvement. He actually matched his last season total in the touchdown column, snagging 2 passes for touchdowns.

Running back Jojo Kemp is another guy who has shown significant improvement this spring. Kemp was only really consistently successful out of the wildcat package, a formation that other than South Carolina (sorry, Gamecock fans), pretty much the entire SEC can defend. This morning, Kemp showed off his versatility, opening the eyes of fans and coaches. If he keeps playing his cards right, Jojo should be a big part of Kentucky’s offense this fall.

Perhaps the most watched storyline of the offseason is next season’s quarterback race. At this point in the offseason, the position is really all up to who wants it the most. As spring practices begin to grow in intensity, so should the competition at not only the quarterback position, but every position. “That’s what makes a good football team, a good team [for that matter], you should see our basketball team.” Stoops jokingly said about the team’s position competitions.

Patrick Towles and Drew Barker participating in accuracy drills during Kentucky’s open practice Saturday morning. Photo taken by Ethan Conger

The defense, although still consisting of some experienced players, lost two stars in Bud Dupree and Za’Darius Smith. Although replacing them is a near impossible job, moving forward with the defense is a must. A.J. Stamps and Blake McClain are probably the more noticeable returnees among the bunch, and they will help to keep the backfield well defended with experienced talent. Denzil Ware and Jason Hatcher played the outside backer positions and C.J. Johnson and Farrington Huguenin played the two end spots Saturday morning. Defense was pretty lackluster throughout the early morning scrimmage, either that or the offense was ridiculously on point.

It was an overall good practice and I could see obvious improvements. There is still a long way to go until the Wildcats are competing big time in the SEC but hey, the season is still far away, right?

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