September 20, 2024 • 17 mins
Wildcat Whip with Tom Leach, Jeff Piecoro & Dick Gabriel pre Ohio
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Behind Kentucky Football, presented by District seven Social.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Welcome to this week's Wildcat Whip Nick Gabriel with Tom
Leach and Jeff Before let us get down to it
as Kentucky and Ohio, you after that Georgia game, the
biggest question will be and Jeff, I'll start with you,
since you claimed to have played at Kentucky. Although I
did see the team photo at Bill Ransdell's new spot
to hand hand Dedra and your eighty fourteen pictures up there.
(00:29):
Pointed it out to my wife, said, look at number
thirty six there.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
It doesn't even look like him. I'll say, well that
was a while back.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
Actually that's the eighty five team, because the eighty four
they will not let that picture out. Oh it was
just like Bob Gibson scrapped it, yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Or Larry Zager was Larry Zakar, Jim kick Frank Kill?
Speaker 4 (00:53):
This was Frank Harry Camp Jacob, Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
We're number one.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Yeah yeah, so U cab not let that out air
brushing back and says.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
So you can do it now?
Speaker 2 (01:02):
About that anyway, Jeff, how tough will to be for
these guys? And has it been this week for these guys.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
You got to at least.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Try to match that intensity in motion, the focus that
they surely had against Georgia.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
I think the biggest thing it does is shows you
can play with anybody. I think that the South Carolina game,
they just kind of threw their helmets on the field
and said we're Kentucky, we're at home, or we're gonna
kick your butt, and they didn't. You have to bring
it every week. It showed them they can play with
the best. I think this is a you can always say,
get well game, whatever you want to call it.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
It's good.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
It's gonna be a tough game. But if they bring
the same enthusiasm and respect for the other teams they
did last week, I think this team should win.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Tom going back and listening to last week's game as
I did this week, hearing the emotion in your voice
is Zianne Childress. I was a one man wrecking crew
and it really set a tone, didn't it did. I
mean right from the start, and we've seen games like
that before and a lot of times it is the
defense that that does. It's a big game and they're
(02:04):
just flying around making big plays. TFLs or breaking up passes,
whatever it might be. And Zion was the guy who
I thought did that right from the start. Crowd was
into it right from the start, maybe feeding off you
know that what they saw that that fire that Kentucky
played with.
Speaker 5 (02:23):
And you know it was it was so close. It's
you know, you take no joy from playing Georgia close.
You put in a great effort, but you know you
gotta grab that brass ring in that situation.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
They were so close.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
Yeah, they've got to finish one of these games. You know,
they've been closed a ton of times against a lot
of really good teams. They've got to get that breakthrough win.
I think that when you hear from Kirby Smart this week,
especially after not not just after the game, but Monday
and Tuesday, and also from the quarterback, they knfuddled, you know,
the confounded them. They had problems, They got beat up,
(03:02):
and that's exactly what Kentucky want to do. They wanted
to make this a Mike Tyson fight, get inside and
get get gritty with them, and they almost pulled it out.
So I think that's what you have to do with
this high team too. But Obviosily They've got a huge
running back in Tyus. This kid from Northwestern is really
really good. Complain to Kentucky right now, But I think
(03:23):
they make him throw their quarterbacks a short guy, he's
only six feet tall. Listed What does that mean?
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Ask Bryce Yon.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Yeah, so I think you packed the line of scrimmage
and make him throw the football.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Tom.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
When Mark Tube sat down to talk with you, he
said we had the right recipe. Yes, I thought that
was a great way to put it. And I don't
know if you heard him, but as he was leaving
and then he talked about his game plan. As he
was leaving the room where we do our post game stuff,
he just kind of muttered, this.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Would have been so great. I just felt so bad
for him. But I'll ask you both.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
You don't take the more victory, but I think this
came with a large portion or portion of.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Relief for the Big Blue Nation.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, because after that South Carolina game, we were all
saying what are we seeing here and what are we
going to see?
Speaker 3 (04:14):
And now it's a completely different picture, isn't it. Yeah?
Speaker 5 (04:17):
No, I think the feeling is definitely different. They're just
the sense of hope when you play like that and
the defense in particular, gives that kind of effort, it
makes you I think from the defensive standpoint, I said
this week they are who we thought they were to
use the old Dinny Green line. So if they can
play like that, that should keep them in these games.
(04:39):
They've got to get better, you know, week to week offensively.
And you know, you've got a guy, you know, first
time to be the starting quarterback in a sec sec
play and he's played maybe the other than Kentucky the
two best defensive fronts in the league in his second
and third outing, So he will get better from you know,
as they say that which does and kill you makes
(05:00):
you stronger. Yeah, I think hopefully what happened with Brod to.
Speaker 4 (05:04):
Build on that. I think two weeks ago they couldn't
throw the football, you know, they just couldn't. They couldn't
get it off. Last week was a step forward. You know,
they got over one hundred yards.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
This week.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
I think you have to take another step forward because look,
to win, to win at Old Miss, to win at Tennessee,
I mean Tennessee. Look he just put down right now.
It's going to take at least thirty to win they game.
And if you can't throw the ball from more than
a hundred yards, you're not going to score thirty points.
So Ole Miss could be the same way they've got
to get up in the two hundreds in passing. I
think this would be another step forward to that.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
And they have guys that can be big playmakers or
the correct at those receiver positions, at tight ends. I mean,
they're going to keep the tight ends into the block frequently,
but they're not getting many of those big chunk craze
and it's hard to in this league just live off
you know, four or five, six, seven yards. At some
point the other guy's going to hit you for a
tackle for loss or a zero, and you need to
(05:58):
be able to hit some big There was one that
I think a ball uh it was. It would have
been a tough catch for burying, but it couldn't quite
come down with it. That would have been a twenty
plus yard play. You know, there was a play actually
the faithful last you know, the third, third and eight,
that last play before they punted. It's either fairry or brown,
I can't remember which. It's coming wide open. It's across
(06:21):
the field. Yep, Meshu route they're calling it and he
You know, Brock either needed to anticipate it and just
let it go a little sooner, or you know, need
another half second because you know, so, they've got to
find a way to make some of those kind of plays.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Early in the game, I felt like the protection was
there for Brock. He did run the ball well, but
I think the old line.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Took a step forward this past week.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Now, Georgia really started to bring more pressure in the
second half.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
But I thought Rock threw the ball well.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
I think Georgia took the run game away from him,
did they not in the second half.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Yeah, I don't think there's any question about his arm strength.
Twenty five yards in en. I mean, he can make
all those those outs, ins, curls, button hooks, whatever you
want to call him, crossing patterns. The problem is is
getting the time for these receivers to make that double move,
the second move, and that's the only way you can
get the ball down the field, because what you're doing
(07:21):
now five and six yards outs in stops, twelve yard
out twelve yard and that's all they can throw because
they just simply don't have time to take what we
would used to call a five or seven step drop
they just don't. They're getting a little bit better upfront.
These guys are getting more snaps or getting you know,
they understand what they have to do, but they got
(07:42):
to do something to get the ball down the field
because chunk plays are what beats teams in the SEC.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
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Speaker 3 (08:10):
I felt like as.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Well that for a team that was missing what may
turn out to be its best running back, boy did
they get a boost for Wilcox and missing a backup
as well?
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Going back and watching in a.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Second time, Man that kid well you talked about if he.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Runs angry Man he Demi ran well as well.
Speaker 5 (08:30):
He did, and Willcox is a guy that could give
him a few of those chunk plays. Hopefully he's got
that the juice they call it, just that big playability.
Demi's been a neat story though guy who came in
with the the I guess the scouting report on him
or whatever you want to call it. The book on
him was that he's kind of like one of those
NFL third downbacks that he can run it a little bit,
(08:53):
but really good pass catcher, and he has shown he's
in every down back given the opportunity this year.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Runs.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
They both ran hard, I thought last week, and Demmy's
got a few moves in tight space that enabled him
to get some extra yards. They neither one of those guys,
I don't know if they ever went down on first hit.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
Yeah, he reminds me a lot of guys like a
the Check a Kareem Hunt Alvin Kamara for the New
Orleans Saints, where given the opportunity to run the football,
you go, oh wow, he didn't. He can run the football,
you know, because they're used so much on the outside
to get on the corners that you forget, you know
what they made a living in high school and stuff.
(09:34):
I run in between the tackles, and I think that
they can do that. But you really have to tip
your hat to bullwear the running back. So two of
your top three running backs didn't even suit up last week.
And Chip train him and Patterson. Of course, will Cox
was fourth on the depth chart. And when you get
an opportunity, you know, and again I equated back to
(09:54):
when I played. We had George Adams, so George was
going to get most of the carries, and then what
he didn't get, Mark Lug was going to get. And
then all of a sudden in the second game, they said,
you know it's Higgs kicking. Well, he plays giving the
ball and he ran. He ran the same way that
I see in Wilcox, where you know he gets to
the hole and the first guy usually doesn't bring him down.
Higgs had those really thick thighs. They could really run,
(10:16):
you know. But given an opportunity, so now you're thinking, okay,
now we know we're at least three deep, and whenever
Chip comes back, we're four deep at running back, so
you know you've got a posse back there to do it.
Speaker 5 (10:27):
I always think about this when it's preseason prediction time.
I've got the point. I don't even do any more
for publications or whatever, because invariably this happens with opponents
and with your own team, you're following that it plays
out differently than you expected. Once you see him play.
We thought that way, it's Kentucky gonna be able to
(10:48):
have much of a running game, right with the you know,
losing Ray Davis and not having you know, a a
another Ray Davis seemingly in the pipeline. And but boy,
they've got these NFL caliber receivers and tight ends. Well
they're not getting the protection yet that they need to
get the ball to those guys. But they are doing
a good job of creating some creases for the running game,
(11:11):
and the running backs are doing a great job. So
you know, maybe Kentucky and we talked a little bit
about this finding an identity that maybe they are more
of a power running team than we really expected them
to be as this season plays out, and then they
can try to build off that and at some point,
you know, you can hit some play action hope passes
(11:31):
you hope.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Yeah. The other thing too, Tom is run blocking is
much easier too. Like Dylan Ray, he's a big boy,
strong guy. He loves moving forward. He's a ground movie.
You know, he's a guy who's going to move that
defensive alignment, getting up on his toes and back pedaling.
That's not his fortee, that's why when you move him
over to guard, he's in the strut and you can
(11:53):
run the ball because that's what he does. I think
you look at Farmer on the other side, I think
he's a little the same way. He likes to be gone,
going forward and attacking, and that's why it's so much
easier to run the football than to pass.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Blot. Oh yeah, our predecessor, Jeff Ban your predecessor, I
should say, our buddy, a long time offensive lineman in
the National Football League. He always said, it's easier to
move forward than it is backwards.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
You know where you're going.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
You're moving backwards, you're thinking every second and trying to
play somebody off. So yeah, there's a definite art to that,
I'm sure. But they got to learn it, man. I mean,
you can't be one dimension, No, you can't.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
And like I said, they took a step forward in
the passing game Saturday, and I think they will again
this week. And the other thing when I looked, you know,
I'm doing my charts, is they're not huge upfront. They're
like them act. They don't have any three hundred pounders
on that defensive front. I think they got one guy
that's too in the two eighties. The other guy's to
seventy two sixty, so they might be able to get
(12:53):
a little bit more movement as well. Now they're a
little quicker in that second level with linebackers. They're linebackers.
They got one in the middle, it's two thirty five.
The others are, you know, two fifteen to two twenty.
So again, not that a lot more like the vered rainer,
you know, that's their type of lineback speed into the ball. Yeah,
so it's a little different. You try. They try to
play the speed game when they play Syracuse, when they
(13:15):
play Kentucky, they try to get to the gas before
you can get there.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
You guys spoke as we take this, you haven't yet
met with the coordinators, and obviously Tom hasn't done the
pregame yet with Mark Stoops.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
But we've we've heard from players, we've hurt from coaches
all week.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
But when you guys talk to the coordinators this past
week for just prior to the Georgia game, we're not
allowed to tell you.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
And I'm going to ask you about the vibe, the attitude.
And then Tom, we heard your interview with coach Stoops.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
Did you get the feeling that they had that they
were competent in the game plan going for Crying Out
Lauder going into the game with the number one team
in the country, and Mark Stoops was confident it was.
Speaker 5 (13:57):
And you know, you, I think that comes from what
they saw in practice. They at least saw a very
you know, team that was very focused that week. And
they're not going to come out and say, you know,
if it is a week it's not as good, They're
not going to come out and say, you know, well,
I don't know what to expect today. We were awful
this week in practice. But I also remember what coach
(14:19):
Brooks told me. He said, yeah, I've seen good practice,
good weeks of practice, and bad games, and bad weeks
of practice and good games. So it really all comes
down to what you do on Saturday. And those guys
went out and did have a good week of practice.
But then and Brad White talked about this after the game.
They played to the plan if you will. They didn't
try to do more than they were and they'd seen
(14:39):
some of that in the first couple of weeks. They
asked them to just basically do your job, and they
guys went out and did that and it was probably
the same, you know on the offensive side. Just do
what we worked on and trust that that will will
be successful. And hopefully now you build on that by
by having that trust seeing it be successful. I'll be
(15:00):
it coming up a point short that now you continue
to have that mindset as you prepare each week.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
Yeah, I think the coaches were almost if you go
back to the South Carolina game, overly optimistic. And that's
why that the game. I was just in there going, wow,
you know, they were very They said, we're gonna be
able to move the Forward're gonna be able to do this,
We're gonna be able to do this, We're gonna be
able to stop them doing this. We're going to force
this guy to do this. And I'm like, great, and
it just where whatever happened, it didn't happen.
Speaker 5 (15:27):
You know. I'm just looking at some numbers here on
Ohio's defense. We were talking about trying to get the
passing game going. They're giving up two undred and forty
yards a game. They've given up five touchdown passes in
three games. So, uh, maybe there's an opportunity there for
conduct each here on the ground. Yeah, going and get
a little confidence in the passing attack.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Well, I'll leave it with this chip and Jeremy Jerman
talk to me about this as well, and talk about
it on a pregame show a Logan Stenberg. When you
run out of that tunnel and you see those iconic
Georgia helmets, the silver bridgels or to see orange or
that LSU gold and purple, I know it's different from
when you run out and you see the Ohio U
(16:08):
UNI or.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Central Michigan or whatever.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
You're not human if you don't feel differently, But that
that can't be a danger this week.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
Now, I can't look when you're playing those great teams,
and when I did, when you run out, there's Herschel,
there's Bo, there's James Brooks. You know, there's Willie Gaul.
You're like it was a who's who every week? Right,
But the thing after remember you only get twelve weeks.
There's only twelve of these twelve times you get to
run out there. And for the seniors now they're now nine,
you know, so I don't buy that. You know you
(16:40):
can't get up for every game or the coaches to
get them up. Yeah, if the coach has to get
you up on the Siline before the game. You're beat already.
Speaker 5 (16:47):
Not many green teams out there, Yeah, there'll bewhere in
White Machine States, so you know the Green in the SEC.
They'll have to come up with some different, something that
different could put it in their mind.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
Even that for my Trinity Shamrocks. There you go. That's
gonna do it.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
For the Wildcat Whip, Tom Leach and jump acorl Dic Gabriel.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
See you next week, everybody,
Welcome to Behind Kentucky Football, presented by District seven Social.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Welcome to this week's Wildcat Whip Nick Gabriel with Tom
Leach and Jeff Before let us get down to it
as Kentucky and Ohio, you after that Georgia game, the
biggest question will be and Jeff, I'll start with you,
since you claimed to have played at Kentucky. Although I
did see the team photo at Bill Ransdell's new spot
to hand hand Dedra and your eighty fourteen pictures up there.
(00:29):
Pointed it out to my wife, said, look at number
thirty six there.
Speaker 3 (00:34):
It doesn't even look like him. I'll say, well that
was a while back.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
Actually that's the eighty five team, because the eighty four
they will not let that picture out. Oh it was
just like Bob Gibson scrapped it, yes, yes.
Speaker 2 (00:48):
Or Larry Zager was Larry Zakar, Jim kick Frank Kill?
Speaker 4 (00:53):
This was Frank Harry Camp Jacob, Oh my gosh.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
We're number one.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Yeah yeah, so U cab not let that out air
brushing back and says.
Speaker 3 (01:01):
So you can do it now?
Speaker 2 (01:02):
About that anyway, Jeff, how tough will to be for
these guys? And has it been this week for these guys.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
You got to at least.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
Try to match that intensity in motion, the focus that
they surely had against Georgia.
Speaker 4 (01:16):
I think the biggest thing it does is shows you
can play with anybody. I think that the South Carolina game,
they just kind of threw their helmets on the field
and said we're Kentucky, we're at home, or we're gonna
kick your butt, and they didn't. You have to bring
it every week. It showed them they can play with
the best. I think this is a you can always say,
get well game, whatever you want to call it.
Speaker 3 (01:34):
It's good.
Speaker 4 (01:34):
It's gonna be a tough game. But if they bring
the same enthusiasm and respect for the other teams they
did last week, I think this team should win.
Speaker 2 (01:42):
Tom going back and listening to last week's game as
I did this week, hearing the emotion in your voice
is Zianne Childress. I was a one man wrecking crew
and it really set a tone, didn't it did. I
mean right from the start, and we've seen games like
that before and a lot of times it is the
defense that that does. It's a big game and they're
(02:04):
just flying around making big plays. TFLs or breaking up passes,
whatever it might be. And Zion was the guy who
I thought did that right from the start. Crowd was
into it right from the start, maybe feeding off you
know that what they saw that that fire that Kentucky
played with.
Speaker 5 (02:23):
And you know it was it was so close. It's
you know, you take no joy from playing Georgia close.
You put in a great effort, but you know you
gotta grab that brass ring in that situation.
Speaker 3 (02:38):
They were so close.
Speaker 4 (02:39):
Yeah, they've got to finish one of these games. You know,
they've been closed a ton of times against a lot
of really good teams. They've got to get that breakthrough win.
I think that when you hear from Kirby Smart this week,
especially after not not just after the game, but Monday
and Tuesday, and also from the quarterback, they knfuddled, you know,
the confounded them. They had problems, They got beat up,
(03:02):
and that's exactly what Kentucky want to do. They wanted
to make this a Mike Tyson fight, get inside and
get get gritty with them, and they almost pulled it out.
So I think that's what you have to do with
this high team too. But Obviosily They've got a huge
running back in Tyus. This kid from Northwestern is really
really good. Complain to Kentucky right now, But I think
(03:23):
they make him throw their quarterbacks a short guy, he's
only six feet tall. Listed What does that mean?
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Ask Bryce Yon.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Yeah, so I think you packed the line of scrimmage
and make him throw the football.
Speaker 3 (03:34):
Tom.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
When Mark Tube sat down to talk with you, he
said we had the right recipe. Yes, I thought that
was a great way to put it. And I don't
know if you heard him, but as he was leaving
and then he talked about his game plan. As he
was leaving the room where we do our post game stuff,
he just kind of muttered, this.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Would have been so great. I just felt so bad
for him. But I'll ask you both.
Speaker 2 (03:58):
You don't take the more victory, but I think this
came with a large portion or portion of.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
Relief for the Big Blue Nation.
Speaker 2 (04:08):
Yeah, because after that South Carolina game, we were all
saying what are we seeing here and what are we
going to see?
Speaker 3 (04:14):
And now it's a completely different picture, isn't it. Yeah?
Speaker 5 (04:17):
No, I think the feeling is definitely different. They're just
the sense of hope when you play like that and
the defense in particular, gives that kind of effort, it
makes you I think from the defensive standpoint, I said
this week they are who we thought they were to
use the old Dinny Green line. So if they can
play like that, that should keep them in these games.
(04:39):
They've got to get better, you know, week to week offensively.
And you know, you've got a guy, you know, first
time to be the starting quarterback in a sec sec
play and he's played maybe the other than Kentucky the
two best defensive fronts in the league in his second
and third outing, So he will get better from you know,
as they say that which does and kill you makes
(05:00):
you stronger. Yeah, I think hopefully what happened with Brod to.
Speaker 4 (05:04):
Build on that. I think two weeks ago they couldn't
throw the football, you know, they just couldn't. They couldn't
get it off. Last week was a step forward. You know,
they got over one hundred yards.
Speaker 3 (05:15):
This week.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
I think you have to take another step forward because look,
to win, to win at Old Miss, to win at Tennessee,
I mean Tennessee. Look he just put down right now.
It's going to take at least thirty to win they game.
And if you can't throw the ball from more than
a hundred yards, you're not going to score thirty points.
So Ole Miss could be the same way they've got
to get up in the two hundreds in passing. I
think this would be another step forward to that.
Speaker 5 (05:36):
And they have guys that can be big playmakers or
the correct at those receiver positions, at tight ends. I mean,
they're going to keep the tight ends into the block frequently,
but they're not getting many of those big chunk craze
and it's hard to in this league just live off
you know, four or five, six, seven yards. At some
point the other guy's going to hit you for a
tackle for loss or a zero, and you need to
(05:58):
be able to hit some big There was one that
I think a ball uh it was. It would have
been a tough catch for burying, but it couldn't quite
come down with it. That would have been a twenty
plus yard play. You know, there was a play actually
the faithful last you know, the third, third and eight,
that last play before they punted. It's either fairry or brown,
I can't remember which. It's coming wide open. It's across
(06:21):
the field. Yep, Meshu route they're calling it and he
You know, Brock either needed to anticipate it and just
let it go a little sooner, or you know, need
another half second because you know, so, they've got to
find a way to make some of those kind of plays.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
Early in the game, I felt like the protection was
there for Brock. He did run the ball well, but
I think the old line.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Took a step forward this past week.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
Now, Georgia really started to bring more pressure in the
second half.
Speaker 3 (06:53):
But I thought Rock threw the ball well.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
I think Georgia took the run game away from him,
did they not in the second half.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
Yeah, I don't think there's any question about his arm strength.
Twenty five yards in en. I mean, he can make
all those those outs, ins, curls, button hooks, whatever you
want to call him, crossing patterns. The problem is is
getting the time for these receivers to make that double move,
the second move, and that's the only way you can
get the ball down the field, because what you're doing
(07:21):
now five and six yards outs in stops, twelve yard
out twelve yard and that's all they can throw because
they just simply don't have time to take what we
would used to call a five or seven step drop
they just don't. They're getting a little bit better upfront.
These guys are getting more snaps or getting you know,
they understand what they have to do, but they got
(07:42):
to do something to get the ball down the field
because chunk plays are what beats teams in the SEC.
Speaker 1 (07:48):
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Speaker 3 (08:10):
I felt like as.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Well that for a team that was missing what may
turn out to be its best running back, boy did
they get a boost for Wilcox and missing a backup
as well?
Speaker 3 (08:22):
Going back and watching in a.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
Second time, Man that kid well you talked about if he.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Runs angry Man he Demi ran well as well.
Speaker 5 (08:30):
He did, and Willcox is a guy that could give
him a few of those chunk plays. Hopefully he's got
that the juice they call it, just that big playability.
Demi's been a neat story though guy who came in
with the the I guess the scouting report on him
or whatever you want to call it. The book on
him was that he's kind of like one of those
NFL third downbacks that he can run it a little bit,
(08:53):
but really good pass catcher, and he has shown he's
in every down back given the opportunity this year.
Speaker 3 (09:00):
Runs.
Speaker 5 (09:00):
They both ran hard, I thought last week, and Demmy's
got a few moves in tight space that enabled him
to get some extra yards. They neither one of those guys,
I don't know if they ever went down on first hit.
Speaker 4 (09:13):
Yeah, he reminds me a lot of guys like a
the Check a Kareem Hunt Alvin Kamara for the New
Orleans Saints, where given the opportunity to run the football,
you go, oh wow, he didn't. He can run the football,
you know, because they're used so much on the outside
to get on the corners that you forget, you know
what they made a living in high school and stuff.
(09:34):
I run in between the tackles, and I think that
they can do that. But you really have to tip
your hat to bullwear the running back. So two of
your top three running backs didn't even suit up last week.
And Chip train him and Patterson. Of course, will Cox
was fourth on the depth chart. And when you get
an opportunity, you know, and again I equated back to
(09:54):
when I played. We had George Adams, so George was
going to get most of the carries, and then what
he didn't get, Mark Lug was going to get. And
then all of a sudden in the second game, they said,
you know it's Higgs kicking. Well, he plays giving the
ball and he ran. He ran the same way that
I see in Wilcox, where you know he gets to
the hole and the first guy usually doesn't bring him down.
Higgs had those really thick thighs. They could really run,
(10:16):
you know. But given an opportunity, so now you're thinking, okay,
now we know we're at least three deep, and whenever
Chip comes back, we're four deep at running back, so
you know you've got a posse back there to do it.
Speaker 5 (10:27):
I always think about this when it's preseason prediction time.
I've got the point. I don't even do any more
for publications or whatever, because invariably this happens with opponents
and with your own team, you're following that it plays
out differently than you expected. Once you see him play.
We thought that way, it's Kentucky gonna be able to
(10:48):
have much of a running game, right with the you know,
losing Ray Davis and not having you know, a a
another Ray Davis seemingly in the pipeline. And but boy,
they've got these NFL caliber receivers and tight ends. Well
they're not getting the protection yet that they need to
get the ball to those guys. But they are doing
a good job of creating some creases for the running game,
(11:11):
and the running backs are doing a great job. So
you know, maybe Kentucky and we talked a little bit
about this finding an identity that maybe they are more
of a power running team than we really expected them
to be as this season plays out, and then they
can try to build off that and at some point,
you know, you can hit some play action hope passes
(11:31):
you hope.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
Yeah. The other thing too, Tom is run blocking is
much easier too. Like Dylan Ray, he's a big boy,
strong guy. He loves moving forward. He's a ground movie.
You know, he's a guy who's going to move that
defensive alignment, getting up on his toes and back pedaling.
That's not his fortee, that's why when you move him
over to guard, he's in the strut and you can
(11:53):
run the ball because that's what he does. I think
you look at Farmer on the other side, I think
he's a little the same way. He likes to be gone,
going forward and attacking, and that's why it's so much
easier to run the football than to pass.
Speaker 2 (12:04):
Blot. Oh yeah, our predecessor, Jeff Ban your predecessor, I
should say, our buddy, a long time offensive lineman in
the National Football League. He always said, it's easier to
move forward than it is backwards.
Speaker 3 (12:18):
You know where you're going.
Speaker 2 (12:20):
You're moving backwards, you're thinking every second and trying to
play somebody off. So yeah, there's a definite art to that,
I'm sure. But they got to learn it, man. I mean,
you can't be one dimension, No, you can't.
Speaker 4 (12:32):
And like I said, they took a step forward in
the passing game Saturday, and I think they will again
this week. And the other thing when I looked, you know,
I'm doing my charts, is they're not huge upfront. They're
like them act. They don't have any three hundred pounders
on that defensive front. I think they got one guy
that's too in the two eighties. The other guy's to
seventy two sixty, so they might be able to get
(12:53):
a little bit more movement as well. Now they're a
little quicker in that second level with linebackers. They're linebackers.
They got one in the middle, it's two thirty five.
The others are, you know, two fifteen to two twenty.
So again, not that a lot more like the vered rainer,
you know, that's their type of lineback speed into the ball. Yeah,
so it's a little different. You try. They try to
play the speed game when they play Syracuse, when they
(13:15):
play Kentucky, they try to get to the gas before
you can get there.
Speaker 2 (13:19):
You guys spoke as we take this, you haven't yet
met with the coordinators, and obviously Tom hasn't done the
pregame yet with Mark Stoops.
Speaker 3 (13:28):
But we've we've heard from players, we've hurt from coaches
all week.
Speaker 2 (13:31):
But when you guys talk to the coordinators this past
week for just prior to the Georgia game, we're not
allowed to tell you.
Speaker 3 (13:39):
And I'm going to ask you about the vibe, the attitude.
And then Tom, we heard your interview with coach Stoops.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
Did you get the feeling that they had that they
were competent in the game plan going for Crying Out
Lauder going into the game with the number one team
in the country, and Mark Stoops was confident it was.
Speaker 5 (13:57):
And you know, you, I think that comes from what
they saw in practice. They at least saw a very
you know, team that was very focused that week. And
they're not going to come out and say, you know,
if it is a week it's not as good, They're
not going to come out and say, you know, well,
I don't know what to expect today. We were awful
this week in practice. But I also remember what coach
(14:19):
Brooks told me. He said, yeah, I've seen good practice,
good weeks of practice, and bad games, and bad weeks
of practice and good games. So it really all comes
down to what you do on Saturday. And those guys
went out and did have a good week of practice.
But then and Brad White talked about this after the game.
They played to the plan if you will. They didn't
try to do more than they were and they'd seen
(14:39):
some of that in the first couple of weeks. They
asked them to just basically do your job, and they
guys went out and did that and it was probably
the same, you know on the offensive side. Just do
what we worked on and trust that that will will
be successful. And hopefully now you build on that by
by having that trust seeing it be successful. I'll be
(15:00):
it coming up a point short that now you continue
to have that mindset as you prepare each week.
Speaker 4 (15:05):
Yeah, I think the coaches were almost if you go
back to the South Carolina game, overly optimistic. And that's
why that the game. I was just in there going, wow,
you know, they were very They said, we're gonna be
able to move the Forward're gonna be able to do this,
We're gonna be able to do this, We're gonna be
able to stop them doing this. We're going to force
this guy to do this. And I'm like, great, and
it just where whatever happened, it didn't happen.
Speaker 5 (15:27):
You know. I'm just looking at some numbers here on
Ohio's defense. We were talking about trying to get the
passing game going. They're giving up two undred and forty
yards a game. They've given up five touchdown passes in
three games. So, uh, maybe there's an opportunity there for
conduct each here on the ground. Yeah, going and get
a little confidence in the passing attack.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Well, I'll leave it with this chip and Jeremy Jerman
talk to me about this as well, and talk about
it on a pregame show a Logan Stenberg. When you
run out of that tunnel and you see those iconic
Georgia helmets, the silver bridgels or to see orange or
that LSU gold and purple, I know it's different from
when you run out and you see the Ohio U
(16:08):
UNI or.
Speaker 3 (16:09):
Central Michigan or whatever.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
You're not human if you don't feel differently, But that
that can't be a danger this week.
Speaker 4 (16:17):
Now, I can't look when you're playing those great teams,
and when I did, when you run out, there's Herschel,
there's Bo, there's James Brooks. You know, there's Willie Gaul.
You're like it was a who's who every week? Right,
But the thing after remember you only get twelve weeks.
There's only twelve of these twelve times you get to
run out there. And for the seniors now they're now nine,
you know, so I don't buy that. You know you
(16:40):
can't get up for every game or the coaches to
get them up. Yeah, if the coach has to get
you up on the Siline before the game. You're beat already.
Speaker 5 (16:47):
Not many green teams out there, Yeah, there'll bewhere in
White Machine States, so you know the Green in the SEC.
They'll have to come up with some different, something that
different could put it in their mind.
Speaker 3 (16:58):
Even that for my Trinity Shamrocks. There you go. That's
gonna do it.
Speaker 2 (17:01):
For the Wildcat Whip, Tom Leach and jump acorl Dic Gabriel.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
See you next week, everybody,
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