EKU prepared to kidnap Barion Brown to defeat the "Monsters of the Midway"
EKU head coach Walt Wells knows his team will have its hands full when the Colonels visit Lexington this Saturday. The jokes and the flattery can be perceived as a defense mechanism. I prefer to just enjoy an outright entertaining head coach.
Speaking with members of the media via Zoom Tuesday morning, Wells acknowledged the challenges the Colonels are up against when they face Kentucky. Fresh off a 66-13 season-opening loss to Cincinnati, the deck is stacked against the Colonels.
Barion Brown did not stuff the stat sheet with receiving yards (3 catches, 39 yards) but he did return a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown, the second of his career. How will EKU prepare for Brown?
“We’re gonna kidnap Barion when he comes off the bus for the Cat Walk and we’re gonna tie him up until after all the kickoffs are over,” Wells joked.
The key to stopping Barion Brown: don’t let him get started. EKU plans on playing keep-away by kicking the ball to anybody but the explosive Kentucky wide receiver.
The Kentucky Defense Looks like the “Monsters of the Midway”
The ’85 Bears defense holds a special place in football lore. Comparing any group to that unit is the greatest form of praise one can give a defense. That’s exactly what Wells did after he watched tape of the Wildcats’ victory over Ball State.
“Their defense looks like a Mark Stoops defense and they were flying around and getting after it. I’ve heard all the stuff Coach (Stoops) has put out about he’s not happy — third down, this, that and the other — and I get all that. But they look like the Monsters of the Midway over there.”
The Kentucky defense had eight tackles for loss and three sacks in their debut, led by 1.5 sacks from Kahlil Saunders. Not only does Kentucky have an enormous defensive line, Brad White’s defense was flying to the football. Alex Afari provided the highlight of the day when he came in hot to force a fumble that resulted in a scoop and score. It was one of two forced fumbles that resulted in points for the Wildcats.
“One thing you see is their overall speed and their ability to get to the football. When when I judge a defense, it’s how hard they play and how hard they hit. They’re obviously sound. Brad’s gonna be sound, he’s going to have people where they’re supposed to be, he’s going to coach them. Brad’s an intelligent, really good football coach, but they run to the ball and they hit.”
Wells added, “They’re a physical football team. That’s a Mark Stoops football team, that’s a Brad White defense. That’s that’s how they’re breeding it over there and has been for years.”
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard