Spring game will answer questions
April 25, 2014
By Matt Overing
Unanswered questions could be resolved on Saturday.
The Cats have no quarterback. The offense is leaderless, and the defense lost its two-time leading tackler in Avery Williamson.
UK will have four months and four days until its first game of the 2014 season after the spring game. If a leader doesn’t emerge Saturday, the Cats will need that time to find an identity.
The quarterback battle is one that has raged since Mike Hartline last played for UK in 2010. It’s a three-man race this season: freshmen Drew Barker and Reese Phillips, and sophomore Patrick Towles.
Head coach Mark Stoops said Towles has made the most of spring practice.
“I thought Patrick really did a nice job,” Stoops said. “I thought he did a very good job through his redshirt year. He really improved. He’s done a nice job throughout spring.”
Barker may be the fan favorite in the spring game, and Phillips is a well-kept secret. No one knows how either freshman will perform in a game atmosphere.
Offensive coordinator Neal Brown wants to replicate game experience for his players in the spring game. He and Stoops have both said that the game will have more of an impact on their quarterback selection than a normal scrimmage would.
Unfortunately for UK coaches and fans, the Air Raid offense may be a bit grounded in the spring game.
Wide receivers have been limited in practice. Sophomore Jeff Badet broke his fibula. A shoulder injury has kept sophomore Ryan Timmons in a red no-contact jersey during practice, and senior Javess Blue has missed the entire spring after his shoulder surgery.
We may see some trickery on Saturday to keep the crowd involved.
“Tell (fans) we’re going to throw it,” Brown said. “We need people here. … Big recruiting day Saturday. Fans need to show up.”
The defense has its own challenge in finding a vocal leader to replace Williamson. Senior defensive end Bud Dupree has taken that role so far.
“Bud is a freak, man, everybody knows that,” junior defensive tackle Melvin Lewis said.
Aside from a bulked-up Bud, junior college transfer A.J. Stamps has been the name on every coach’s lips this spring.
“A.J. Stamps coming in … every practice he grows,” said Craig Naivar, UK’s new special teams and safeties coach. “He’s not had many bad moments. … He’s a fun young man to coach and be around. He’s going to help us.”
Chances are we will not see every question answered on Saturday. We will, however, see players taking steps to earn their coaches’ trust.
