Kentucky Defense Looks Shore Up Tackling This Week

The Kentucky protection went by one thing final week that they’d not skilled thus far this season – missed tackles.

The Cats noticed South Carolina break some tackles because the Gamecocks beat the Cats 24-14 on Saturday night time at Kroger Subject. The UK protection is aware of that lacking tackles is just not one thing that may proceed.

Defensive coordinator Brad White famous these miscues, and the truth that they’ve been a spotlight, after Wednesday’s follow.

“Missed tackles was an enormous challenge,” White stated. “We’ve acquired to play higher, we’ve acquired to play crisper. We’ve acquired to place a full recreation collectively.”

Lacking tackles is one thing that the Cats might want to clear up instantly as a consequence of this week’s opponent. Mississippi State, which employs the Air Raid offense, could make a protection pay for missed tackles. Actually, it occurred to the Cats final season in Starkville.

“Primary factor that we will’t carry over from final week to this week is missed tackles,” White stated. “And final yr, we missed 21 of them at Mississippi State.”

The Bulldogs could make defenses pay for not bringing the runner/receiver down instantly.

“Final yr, there have been operating backs, once they acquired the ball of their palms, what number of yards after the catch (did they’ve),” White stated. “The yr earlier than, after we performed properly, we had been in a position to pin these down and restrict these YAC yards.”

UK linebacker DeAndre Sq. says lacking tackles is extra psychological than bodily.

“I feel missed tackles is just not a scarcity of method,” Sq. stated. “I feel it’s extra of a psychological factor. You’ve acquired to consider the best factor. However open subject tackling might be the toughest factor to do. Should you’re not centered on what’s proper in entrance of you, that’s the way you miss tackles.”

The final two video games between Kentucky and Mississippi State couldn’t have been extra totally different.

Two seasons in the past in Kroger Subject, the Cats held MSU with out an offensive level in a 24-2 win. UK picked off six Bulldog passes within the recreation on the best way to a win.

Final season in Starkville was a a lot totally different story. MSU quarterback Will Rogers accomplished 36 of his 39 passes for 344 yards and a landing because the Bulldogs topped the Cats 31-17.

White is aware of that this yr’s version of the Bulldogs is even higher than final yr’s.

“Large, enormous problem. This offense, over the past two SEC video games, is averaging over 520 yards per recreation,” White stated. “And it’s not simply by the air. The quarterback is taking part in at an especially elite degree. He understands the offense and he is aware of the place to go. We’ve acquired to play at a very excessive degree to have an opportunity this week.”

So, along with tackling, what can the Cats do to show the sport of their favor this week?

“The yr earlier than (2020), turnovers had been an enormous deal,” White stated. “We have to discover a method to create some.”

If the UK protection can shore up its tackling and create some MSU turnovers, the result could possibly be extra just like the 2020 recreation than the 2021 matchup.