Gunnar Hoak star of UK spring game, Stephen Johnson "greedy" on throws
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Stephen Johnson said he got a little greedy in Kentucky’s spring game on Friday night. The senior quarterback finished the night 8 of 18 passing for 106 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.
“The deal is today he got a little greedy,” quarterbacks coach Darin Hinshaw said. “He was trying to throw the ball too far down the field. He was looking at one receiver, was trying to throw deep shots. When you get caught doing that sometimes, the pocket is going to close down. You’ve gotta get off it and go to your next read. Get a completion and go to the next throw.”
Johnson, who threw for 2,037 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions a season ago, struggled to ever find a rhythm in the game. He seemed to be just a fraction off on several deep throws that would’ve gone for long gains.
“Really not too happy with the way I played,” Johnson said. “I think I got pretty greedy on some of my throws. There were some throws I could’ve easily made but didn’t.”
Case in point on greedy throws was the lone interception Johnson tossed. After going through his reads, Johnson tried to force a throw to a covered Blake Bone. Sophomore redshirt cornerback Kei Beckham intercepted the pass and returned it deep into the Blue team’s territory.
“On that route that was my last read,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t open. I would’ve thrown the ball or just tucked it and ran, but I tried to force something that wasn’t there.”
On the other side, Gunnar Hoak clearly out-shined Johnson. Hoak, who started for the White team but eventually moved over to the Blue team in the second half, finished the night a combined 16 of 24 for 174 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown on the game’s final play.
“Gunnar did what he’s been doing all spring,” Hinshaw said. “It does validate him in a spring game atmosphere. He’s also going against the ones. He was going against the Blue team and led them to some big throws and good decisions. I’m really proud of him. I don’t want him to get a big head. We have a big summer ahead.”
Offensive coordinator Eddie Gran said it was great to see how confident and efficient Hoak was in the pocket.
“He looked really good in the pocket,” Gran said. “I thought he made some really good decisions. I thought Stephen could’ve been more efficient. He didn’t get some help on some things, but I think throughout the whole spring he did a really good job for us.”
While spring games are often the first time fans get to see the team, it’s not always the best indicator of how a player has looked during the spring as a whole. Hinshaw pointed out after the game that Johnson was good at quarterback during the spring.
“He’s really done a great job,” Hinshaw said. “This spring game, the interception was a forced game that he hadn’t made all spring. But again, that’s going to humble him right now at this point and he’s going to get ready for this summer. I’m very proud of him where he’s been and what he’s done as a quarterback this spring.”