Tuesday Practice Notes From the Offense

by:Kindsey Bernhard08/30/16

kindseybernhard

IMG_0279 On Southern Mississippi's Defense  On what stood out to Eddie Gran about Southern Mississippi's defense, their athleticism and front. "The've got a lot of guys that can rush the passer. They're gonna be quick. I think they've got a lot of depth there," Gran said. Both Gran and Drew Barker mentioned Southern Mississippi's free safety (D’nereus Antoine) as one player the offense will have to look out for. "I think he is a really good player. He’s a good tackler and he’s one that we’re gonna have to account for,” Gran said. The Relationship Between the Quarterback and Wide Receivers One word you want to hear when describing the relationship between a quarterback and his wide receivers is consistency. Thankfully, that's the word Gran used. "You got guys now that were throwing and catching a little bit more consistent. I think that was something that we came from the spring that needed to get done," Gran said. Wide Receivers Can't be Selfish Kentucky has never had this great of depth at the wide receiver position. There will be some games where one receiver might have eight catches and other receivers have one or two. On Saturday Gran wants to see how his players react to his these type of games. "I want to see when they don't get the ball, are they running? Are they sprinting? Are they helping out their partner?" Gran said. So far, the team has bought into this unselfish mentality. We Could See Five Running Backs on Saturday  People always forget how deep Kentucky is at the running back position. Kentucky has five talented running backs that we will see this season, maybe even on Saturday. "But right now if they’re fresh and they know what to do, I say ‘Let’s go.’ And in the fourth quarter, let’s hope our legs are fresher than theirs," Gran said. The Biggest Difference in Barker From Last Season  The difference from the Drew Barker that left the stadium against Louisville and the Drew Barker now, "better prepared". "I had a whole off-season. Had a couple games. Had a some playing time. I kind of know what to expect," Barker said. Barker credits both Gran and Darin Henshaw for coming in and helping him better prepare for the upcoming season. There Will Be Nerves on Saturday It's the first home opener for both Drew Barker and Eddie Gran and you would be surprised to learn who the nervous one will be. Surprise, it's not the person playing the in the game. "The nerves and all that, they come. I don't want to coach anymore if I don't get up on Saturday and I got some issues," Gran said. However, our QB1 seems to be cool as a cucumber heading into Saturday. "I'm usually pretty calm. I mean, you know you definitely get some jitters sometimes just because it's more excitement," Barker said.  The Quarterbacks and Offensive Line Took a Trip Together  Something random Barker mentioned to the media was that the offensive line, the quarterbacks and some other members of the offense took a trip to Gatlinburg. Barker did not mention when the trip was taken, but I would assume over the summer. [caption id="attachment_205892" align="alignnone" width="600"]Barker sporting an awesome shirt. Barker sporting an awesome shirt.[/caption]

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

2024-03-28