Volunteer’s rushing attack will test UK’s toughness
Running back Jojo Kemp runs past defensive back Justin Coleman during the first half of the University of Kentucky vs. University of Tennessee football game at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday, November 30, 2013. Tennessee defeated Kentucky 27-14.Photo by Michael Reaves
November 14, 2014
By Annie Dunbar
The question of the week leading up to UK’s matchup with Tennessee has shifted from whether the Cats will break through to snag a sixth win and become bowl eligible to whether the team has enough grit and heart to finish out the season.
After the Cats’ humiliating loss to Georgia last week on Senior Day, head coach Mark Stoops began calling out players and said he was going to hold individuals accountable. Stoops, who has been disappointed with the effort level he’s seen out of some of his players in recent games, didn’t know what the mental makeup of his team was on Monday during his press conference.
Before the matchup with Georgia, Stoops expressed his frustration with the team but didn’t get the result he wanted.
“I do have to find myself sitting back and saying, ‘Okay, let’s reevaluate,’” Stoops said. “You guys know the approach I took last week, obviously it didn’t work, so that’s my problem as a head coach, and you can’t continue to do the same thing over and over again and get the same results, that’s for sure.”
Stoops didn’t have the answer but believes his team isn’t to the point where he can push them through the wall.
“That’s always the million – dollar question, how to get to your team, get to your players,” Stoops said. “I’ve always felt very comfortable dealing with half of the team; now the whole team, it’s a little different. We’ve been inconsistent that way, it’s been the offense playing well and the defense playing well and trading off.”
Tennessee, who is 4-5, has a dynamic quarterback in sophomore Joshua Dobbs, who will create problems for UK’s defensive front seven. Dobbs recently took over the starting slot but also started against UK last season. He’s thrown for 493 yards and rushed for 241 in just two games, against Alabama and South Carolina.
“You’ve heard me talk about it over and over again, anytime the quarterback is involved in run game you’ve got problems,” Stoops said. “It’s a numbers thing and he can run it and he can throw it and they’re talented outside so they put up big numbers and created explosive plays.”
Stoops also touched on the offensive creativity that the Volunteers bring.
“Since they’ve gone to Dobbs as quarterback, they’re putting a lot of pressure on you with the creativity of their run game and he’s thrown it extremely well,” Stoops said. “They have talented wide receivers, as we know. So they’re just doing a nice job, Butch (Jones) and his staff always offensively have been so creative.”
On the other side of the ball, Stoops believes that senior linebacker A.J. Johnson will challenge his offense.
“They’re a good, tough football team and they just really play hard and it all starts with A.J. (Johnson), their linebacker in the middle, is a war daddy,” Stoops said. “He’s been around a long time and he’s a very good football player.”
One of the main things Stoops is looking for out of his team against the Volunteers is something he hasn’t seen since September.
“I would like to play with the same mentality we did at the Florida game, just like to see our guys compete at that level across the board,” Stoops said. “We could all live with the results if we play the very best we can. So that’s what we’re striving to do.”
