On Tuesday afternoon, offensive coordinator Eddie Gran met with media after UK’s 10th practice to share how the team responded to Saturday’s disappointing scrimmage.

According to Gran, the offense has responded in a positive way.

“I liked the way we came out the last two days, we were able to push the ball down the field and make some plays today, I thought we got a little bit better,” Gran said. “We have a lot of work to do but we definitely got better form Saturday.”

One of the players who impressed Gran recently was sophomore wideout Lynn Bowden. Bowden made a big play in Tuesday’s practice during team drills, and Gran is wanting to see players like Bowden and others make those plays on a consistent basis.

“You got to do it every single day, day in and day out, and you got to learn how to play with that speed that he has because that is his weapon,” Gran said.

Other notes

Star running back Benny Snell did not participate in Saturday’s scrimmage due to a calf injury, but he does not think the calf will affect him in any more scrimmages or practices. 

“It’s great, I don’t even know why [Mark] Stoops said something,” Snell said. “I’m 100 now.” 

With Snell being out, UK’s freshman running backs Chris Rodriguez and Kavosiey Smoke got a chance to show coaches what they can offer to the team. Gran was happy with both of the freshmen rushers’ performance.

“They’ve got really good vision and they bring a lot of power, got really good hands,” Gran said. “I was pleased with those guys.”

While Snell was sitting out, Snell got a chance to observe the freshmen running backs himself and he enjoyed seeing what Rodriguez could do. 

“Rodriguez looked great, he reminded me of myself my freshman year,” Snell said. “He’s pulling guys, getting first downs. He made a few freshman mistakes fumbling the ball but did a great job, I was proud of how the running backs did.”

Even though both running backs impressed in the scrimmage, Gran is unsure yet whether either freshmen will have a role this season.

The evening before Tuesday’s practice, three walk-ons on the roster got awarded scholarships for their efforts and improvements. Junior Zach Johnson and seniors Miles Butler and David Bouvier all shared what it meant for them to earn the scholarship after Tuesday’s practice.

“Honestly it’s a blessing, my family, me, we’ve been working so hard just training my whole life for this one moment right here, it means the world to me and my family,” Johnson said.

“I want to thank Coach Stoops for the opportunity, he’s been gracious to me every since I’ve been here and he’s supported me, given me every opportunity that I could’ve asked for…” Butler said. “His trust in me has been unbelievable ever since I got here, just a little 150-pound kid and for him to come to me and talk to me and trust me really means a lot to me.”

“Another good day of camp, proud to be here, feels weird being on a full scholarship now, such a blessing,” Bouvier said. “I was so happy for Miles [Butler] and Zach [Johnson] especially. They’ve earned it, they’ve worked so hard, they’re the definition of what a true SEC football player should be. Super proud of them.”

It is still a mystery of who will be UK’s starting quarterback on Sept. 1, and according to Gran both quarterbacks have responded well to Saturday’s disappointing scrimmage.

“I thought that they really took– today and yesterday they picked up their game,” Gran said.