By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops won’t change his team’s routine going into his fifth Blue-White game set for 7:30 p.m. Friday night at Commonwealth Stadium.
“I believe we’re gonna do it a lot like last year, just put the ones and some replacements on one side and the twos and threes on the other,” Stoops said.
Mark Stoops and the Wildcats conclude spring workouts with the annual Blue-White Game set for Friday night at Commonwealth Stadium (Keith Taylor Photo)
Instead of unleashing the team’s entire playbook, Stoops and his staff plan to keep things simple during the annual scrimmage that gives the coaches a chance to gauge the team’s progress going into fall camp. The offensive and defensive teams will get a bulk of the load, while special teams will likely run simulated plays.
“It’ll simulate special teams but it won’t be,” Stoops said. “It’ll be like the offense just punting it so we can work the operation of the game. We’ll just keep the offensive team in there. Punter, snapper, punt the ball, fair catch it and go from there. It’ll be very basic.”
While evaluating talent and overall team progress is atop the agenda, avoiding injuries also is a priority for the players and the coaching staff. Kentucky is coming off a 7-6 campaign and a 33-18 loss to Georgia Tech in the TaxSlayer Bowl.
“Nobody get hurt and let’s go on down the road and get ready for our first game,” Kentucky offensive coordinator Eddie Gran said. “Spring games, I love them and they’re great. I can’t wait to see all the fans. Love the support. But at the end of the day, the meat and the potatoes are done. It’s going to be very basic.”
Gran, in his second season as Kentucky’s offensive coordinator, wants the offense to focus on the fundamentals from top to bottom.
“Let’s lineup and be 100 percent on assignment,” he said. “With the plays I’m gonna call, if we don’t get lined up and there’s a (missed assignment) we’re going to have some serious issues. Everyone should be perfect. We should have 100 percent. The effort should be 100 percent. Our technique should be 100 percent.”
Read More at Keith’s Blog: Out of the Blue
Aside from a few bumps in the road, including a poor performance in last Saturday’s scrimmage, Gran has mostly been pleased with Kentucky’s offense during spring drills.
“We’re getting some good movement with our guards in there, and that’s really where it starts,” Gran said. “I think we’ve run the ball really consistent, and we’ve just gotten better. After a year being in this offense we’re now making calls faster. Not so many mental errors, and that’s what I was really looking for this spring.”
While Kentucky’s offense has a familiar face calling the shots, the defense has a new boss in Matt House, in his first season as the team’s defensive coordinator. House replaced D.J. Eliot, who left following four seasons to take a similar post at Colorado.
Like Gran, House likes the way Kentucky’s defense has progressed during spring workouts.
“The great thing about spring is the competition, and it goes back and forth, go back and forth,” House said. “That’s when you grow as a program. You grow as a program when it is back and forth and competition. Whether it’s in your position group or within your football team. That’s what brings out the best in all of us.”
Five things to watch for Friday night:
— Who will be Kentucky’s backup quarterback? Stephen Johnson is clearly the team’s starter, but who will be the backup with Drew Barker still recovering from back surgery? Gunnar Hoak appears to have the lock on that spot and will likely receive his share of snaps in the pocket.
— Who will replace Stanley “Boom” Williams? Sophomore sensation Benny Snell will be Kentucky’s featured back, while Sihiem King will likely serve as a backup to Snell.
— The special teams will be led by former Eastern Kentucky coach Dean Hood. Although special teams won’t be showcased in full form, it will be interesting to see how much input Hood has on both sides of the ball.
— What will Kentucky’s defense look like under House? Although it’s his first tour of duty calling the defensive plays for the Wildcats, House has experience. He has served as a defensive coordinator at Pittsburgh and Florida International.
— The secondary took a hit, while the offensive line lost veteran center Jon Toth during the off-season. Those are two valuable positions to watch during the spring-ending scrimmage.
Next game: Blue vs. White, 7:30 p.m., Friday, Commonwealth Stadium. TV/Radio: SEC Network, 98.1 FM WBUL.
Keith Taylor is a senior sports writer for KyForward, where he primarily covers University of Kentucky sports. Reach him at keith.taylor@kyforward.com or @keithtaylor21 on Twitter
