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Kentucky Shows Improvement
UK hosts in-state foe Louisville on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET
LEXINGTON, Ky. –
University of Kentucky football head coach Joker Phillips walked off
the Nutter Training Center practice fields on Wednesday feeling better
about his team’s preparation for the Louisville game.
“It
was a lot better today,” Phillips said after practice Wednesday. “But
we still have to get even better tomorrow. We have to get sharper on
our assignments, sharper on our alignments and sharper on the
adjustments that we have to make. These guys do a lot on both sides of
the ball and we have to be able to adjust to all of the things we are
going to see.”
Phillips announced Wednesday that injured
offensive lineman Matt Smith and wide receiver Brian Adams returned to
practice. Phillips said both looked good in practice and he hopes to
have them available Saturday.
“Matt Smith did practice
today,” Phillips said. “He practiced with the twos (second team) and he
looked pretty good. I told him I was expecting him to look like a
freshman but he didn’t. He looked like a guy that has played a lot of
ball around here. We are expecting to have him available on Saturday.
“Also
on offense, Brian Adams did practice. He came up gimpy on one play but
went back in and looked pretty sharp. We are hoping to have him back
full speed on Saturday also.”
Phillips said although Smith
might be available to play come Saturday, it is unlikely that he will
get the start due to the solid play this season of backup center Jake
Lanefski.
“I don’t think Matt will start,” Phillips said.
“I don’t think that is fair to Jake Lanefski. Matt will be available
but all this does is add depth to us. Jake has played pretty decent for
a guy who hasn’t played center ever in a game. We are hoping to get
Matt back for our depth purposes for this game.”
Phillips
also said after practice Wednesday that quarterback Morgan Newton
targeting wide receiver La’Rod King more than other receivers isn’t
because that how the UK coaches are drawing it up, but because of
La’Rod’s ability to get open down the field.
“I think it’s
just progression,” Phillips said. “He is just going through his
progression and La’Rod (King) has been open a lot also. He has gotten
behind defenders and we have been trying to throw the deep ball. When
you do that you try to find out who is the tightest defender and that’s
probably the lack of respect for La’Rod. Defenders are a little tighter
on him than they are the other guys and that gives him more
opportunity. That is what Morgan reads have been telling him when we
throw the deep ball.”
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