Seven things to watch for in UK's Blue-White spring game
For the first time since Thanksgiving weekend, members of the Big Blue Nation will be heading down both Cooper and Alumni Drives to fill the parking lots of Kroger Field as they get set to see the UK football program in action. Mark Stoops is at the helm for his sixth spring game as a head coach and this one has a lot of interesting parts.
The injury bug has bit UK significantly this spring but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t plenty of interesting storylines that will unfold on Friday evening.
Here, just like in the regular season, we’ll break down what all the fans should be looking out for whether they are in the stands or at home watching the ballgame on the SEC Network.
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- Receiver considering transfer to Kentucky
Who takes the first snap?
Anytime there is a quarterback competition, that is going to be the top talking point no matter what the stature of the program. This spring, sophomores Gunnar Hoak and Terry Wilson have split snaps with the ones. In media sessions, we’ve heard both positive and negative things from Stoops, offensive coordinator Eddie Gran, and quarterbacks coach Darin Hinshaw about each quarterback.
At this point, it’s clear that this will be a battle that lasts deep into fall camp and may not be settled until the Wildcats play a couple games this fall. So don’t expect to make much away from Friday evening.
The real question is who will take the first snap with the ones. In 2013, Stoops and Neal Brown put all three quarterbacks apart of that competition on the field for the first play and it wouldn’t surprise me if something unique like that happens again. If there were odds for prop bets in a spring game, you would get a solid value bet in either Benny Snell or Lynn Bowden taking the first snap from the Wildcat Formation.
Don’t Expect Much From Snell
Benny Snell enters his junior season with 2,424 career rushing yards and has a legit shot to become the program’s all-time leading rusher this fall. He is this offense’s most valuable player and Kentucky will go as he goes this fall.
Snell has nothing more to prove and it’s apparent that the coaches believe that as well as he’s been rested during some scrimmage periods earlier this spring. After a couple of carries early, I would suspect that you will see Snell head to the bench early in the first quarter.
Sihiem King enters his senior season as a proven commodity and you know what you’re going to get from the veteran third down back. This will be a huge opportunity for redshirt sophomore A.J. Rose who figures to get at least 20 touches.
After a disappointing freshman year, Rose needs to perform well this spring and we’ll see if he takes a big jump on Friday. Look for walk-on Zach Johnson to get plenty of reps.
Green Inside Linebackers
One of the biggest things to happen during spring practice was to learn that both Jamin Davis and Jordan Jones have been knocked out and will not be back in action until the fall. These two entered the year as the two favorites to see playing time at Will. That’s a major blow to the front seven.
When the team takes the field on Friday, the only scholarship backer projected to play the Will spot will be true freshman DeAndre Square. The Detroit native was one of the biggest recruiting wins from the class of 2018 as the prospect received interest from LSU, Michigan State, and Missouri. Stoops has spoken highly of Square lately claiming that the newcomer “loves contact”. That’s a good sign.
Don’t be surprised if you see Boogie Watson get some action here, but it’s likely that Square could lead the team in snaps taken in the exhibition.
Defensive Line Depth
It’s no secret that defensive line has been a huge weakness during the Stoops tenure and was a big reason why UK allowed nearly five yards per carry to opponents last season. However, recruiting in this area has improved and UK has legit depth at this unit entering this fall.
Sophomores Quinton Bohanna and Joshua Paschal are the stars of this group as each have all-conference potential. This is a huge time for defensive line coach Derrick LeBlanc and this group to take the next step. The depth appears to be there after years of work on the recruiting trail.
Tymere Dubose had a solid bowl game against Northwestern and the coaching staff has had positive things to say about him. He’ll backup Bohanna at nose. Both Phil Hoskins, Kordell Looney, and Calvin Taylor received playing in multiple games last season. They’ll rotate with Adrian Middleton at defensive tackle. T.J. Carter started all of last season and he figures to be Paschal’s top backup at defensive end.
The pieces are there, now we just need to see some development and Friday will be the first time for this unit to prove it to a very, skeptical fan base.
Rock Solid Offensive Line
There are going to be some significant depth questions for this unit in 2018, but on paper this could go down as one of the best offensive lines in program history. All five projected starters have played in multiple games and have a ton of experience.
The interior trio of Logan Stenberg, Drake Jackson, and Bunchy Stallings could be the best in the SEC. George Asafo-Adjei and Landon Young will man the tackle spots and the two upperclassmen remain the only offensive linemen that haven’t redshirted in the Stoops era.
Depth here appears to be the biggest issue and it will be important to recognize how Luke Fortner does at center, Mason Wolfe does at guard, and E.J. Price and Naasir Watkins do at tackle on Saturday. Offensive line coach John Schlarman is going to need them come Saturdays in the fall.
Can the receivers make an impact?
The passing game has been a struggle for this program for a good bit of time now and UK hasn’t produced an NFL wideout since Randall Cobb and Chris Matthews left school following the 2010 season. In 2018, UK will have some talent back in the fold and it will be important for them to make a jump.
On Friday night, the two you need to keep an eye will be Lynn Bowden and Tavin Richardson. Bowden has all kinds of potential at inside receiver and after a full spring camp to work on fundamentals, his route running should take a big leap.
On the outside, Richardson is back for his redshirt junior season and the South Carolina native is coming off a strong ending to last season. By the end of the year, Richardson became the offense’s top target and was a reliable intermediate option on third downs all season. UK needs him to become more of a vertical threat this fall and Friday will be his first opportunity to showcase what he has improved on this fall.
A wildcard in this spot could be sophomore Isaiah Epps. The Oklahoma native didn’t do much as a true frosh but he has the speed to take the top off of a defense and it appears that he’s already built a rapport with Terry Wilson. He could become the offense’s breakout player in the spring game as well as this fall.
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie
Max Duffy will make his debut to the fans this week as the coaching staff has pulled in an Australian punter for the second season in a row.
The former Australian Rules Football player will have to hold off redshirt sophomore Grant McKinniss but his ability to contribute with rugby style punts should give him the upperhand in this position battle.
Don’t expect to see much from the specialists on Friday night. This is a practice and there will be no live special teams.
