Lamar Thomas: 'Schedule sets up well' for young receivers to grow
A look at Kentucky’s week two depth chart again reveals a widespread youth movement, 11 redshirt or true freshman are listed as second string or higher. None more so than in the wide receiving corp.
The group’s leader, Coach Lamar Thomas, said he saw what he expected out of the freshman last Saturday in Hattiesburg: young squirrels out in the world for the first time.
“I looked into their eyes. Obviously, they were bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Just inexperienced,” Thomas said.
The results showed on the stat sheet. Freshmen Clevan Thomas and Isaiah Epps combined for two catches for a total of 11 yards. Neither Josh Ali nor Lynn Bowden hauled in a grab. Clearly, they are still earning the trust of the coaching staff and starting quarterback Stephen Johnson.
Coach Thomas relayed a story about his college debut against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. He said that the one thing he was worried about was falling down.
“There are things that you are thinking about that you don’t think about when you have experience. It was a good experience for them. They all got a couple of plays here and there,” he said.
It was only natural for the youngsters to have a few butterflies, as well as they, experienced a lot of firsts last weekend.
“You get that first hit, first kickoff, and first mistake. Things change. Once you get that first experience, things change”, Coach Thomas observed.
But between the mistakes, nerves, and assorted growing pains is the opportunity to improve, and with the Wildcats heavy favorites over Eastern Kentucky this week there will be chances for Thomas’ squirrels to land a few acorns.
“The schedule sets up well for our freshman to get more playing time and more experience,” Thomas said.
Then again not all lessons come on the field or are taught by the coaching staff.
Highly-touted first year Lynn Bowden posted a series of cryptic tweets over the weekend about his lack of touches.
Head coach Mark Stoops said on Monday that he already talked to Bowden and that the fire is out so to speak.
However, the buck did not stop at Coach Stoops. Kentucky’s star running back, Benny Snell, had some words of wisdom about patience.
Last season, despite universal praise for his performance in camp, Snell had to wait until the third game of the season to show his stuff. The experience is something he reminds Bowden about.
“Lynn is one guy that I have got to get that in his head. He is a great player. A lot of people don’t see that yet. I’ve been talking to him a little bit. If he stays patient, he is going to shine.”
September will not be easy for Kentucky's freshman. They will face Florida for the first time and experience a hostile environment when the Wildcats travel to Columbia to take on South Carolina, yet with the collective wisdom surrounding them, it is a safe bet that they will improve little by little as the campaign continues.
