Gran assesses quarterback competition as Terry Wilson misses second consecutive practice

Terry Wilson did not participate in Tuesday’s Kentucky football practice. Offensive coordinator Eddie Gran revealed the quarterback missed his second straight practice with an unspecified injury that was described by Mark Stoops as “minor.”

“Right now Joey (Gatewood) and Beau (Allen) are getting the majority of the reps,” said Gran.

When healthy, Wilson has been Kentucky’s starter for the last three seasons. That was put into doubt on Monday when the depth chart was released with an “or” next to his name and Joey Gatewood’s. The Auburn transfer took snaps in three series Saturday at Missouri. Even though he did not stuff the stat sheet, Gran liked what he saw from Gatewood in a limited capacity.

“I thought he was good. He looked comfortable,” Gran said. “I liked his eyes in the huddle. He’s got a little bit of the Stevie Johnson deal, you know? He, it just doesn’t faze him. He was excited and I wished — we had a drop ball for the kid. The reads… two reads he could’ve made a little bit different, but he made two reads that were really good. For his first go at it, I was really excited for him and I’m excited about where he’s going right now from yesterday and today.”

Stoops said on Monday he wants his quarterbacks to be more precise on their reads in run-pass option plays. When I asked Gran what he wants to see from the quarterbacks, he had this to say:

“I want to see it first in practice. I want to make sure that we give them, first of all, us as a staff, we give them enough looks to where he’s comfortable making that read and then if it’s not, I’m taking it out. If we’re not making the (right) decisions at the end of Wednesday, game’s over. If I’ve got seven plays to call, I’m calling seven plays, but by God we’re going to do it fast, we’re going to do it well. It’s not going to be sloppy and it’s not going to be something where we can’t make a read. That’s what I’m really concentrating on right now and I’m putting the pressure on those quarterbacks to make sure they make the right reads and the guys on the outside are doing the right things.”

If the Kentucky offense hasn’t mastered each play by the end of tomorrow’s practice, it won’t be a part of the gameplan. If Terry Wilson isn’t practicing Wednesday, it leads me to believe he will not be playing for Kentucky on Saturday against Georgia.

If neither Wilson or Gatewood is ready to roll Saturday afternoon, Gran said he’s confident true freshman Beau Allen could hold his own against one of the best defenses in America.

“It’d be a tough first start, you know what I mean, getting in there against a defense like this, but I do. You know, the one thing about Beau, Beau studies it,” Gran said. “Yeah, is it different out there, especially against a defense like that when things are rolling, but I do have confidence in Beau. I think anybody, any coach or coordinator talking about first guys that start or anybody that’s using a new quarterback, you gotta try to protect them and make sure the stuff that he’s comfortable with, we call.”