Stoops: Where Kentucky can improve on defense

During his press conference with local reporters in Lexington on Friday, UK head coach Mark Stoops was asked about his defense and where the Wildcats can improve on that side of the ball.

Defense has been the program's consistent calling card during its eight-year bowl run, but some years it has been better than others.

Last year the Wildcats slowed the run and created havoc, but Stoops said there are areas where they want to get better.

Aside from possibly playing more man defense, Stoops pointed to a few key areas of emphasis.

Third Down Defense

Stoops said at times Kentucky has done a good job of getting off the field and the numbers back that up. But on third down, Kentucky wasn't good enough defensively a year ago.

Kentucky ranked 107th in the country in third down defense last year. Opponents converted 43.24% of third down opportunities. A lot goes into third down defense. First you have to create manageable third down situations. That can include slowing the run on first and second down, sound tackling on the perimeter, and much more. It's also related to pressure getting into the backfield.

There doesn't appear to be any reason why Kentucky can't improve in this area. After all, UK was 21st nationally in third down defense in 2022. But getting off the field is very important, not only for the defense as Stoops says, but to give the offense more possessions.

3 & Outs

Getting off the field on third down is one main way a defense can help an offense, but when it happens after a 3 & out, that's the best case scenario.

Mark Stoops said Kentucky can do better at getting off the field without allowing any first downs. This would allow the offense to put more strain on the defense and test its depth, perhaps capitalizing on some fatigue especially when paired with a faster tempo.

UK has done well at generating 3 & outs some other years, so again, this seems achievable but will come down to execution in game situations.

One of the best ways to force three and outs is to create negative yardage plays. UK did that a year ago but couldn't capitalize enough, which means you can't give up third and longs.

Pressure With Four

Stoops identified the need to create pressure with four down linemen more than they have in the past, which means relying less on blitzing linebackers and secondary defenders.

With Deone Walker up front one would imagine that is doable, but it hurts that the Cats are down three defensive linemen for the season, as Stoops said on Friday.

Having said that, Jamon Dumas-Johnson, JJ Weaver, and D'Eryk Jackson have all shown the ability to get into the backfield and make plays, so don't expect too much to change, and White did a good job of dialing up pressure last year.

Man Defense

Many fans have been calling for Kentucky to play more man defense. Stoops has always bristled at this and insists that what Kentucky does on defense is actually complex and involves more than meets the eye to the casual observer. That's all true, but on Friday he also said that UK needs to be more "sticky" with tight man coverage.

Don't expect it all the time. Stoops said Kentucky tried it some last year and it didn't work out so well. But if the cornerback room is improved, and it should be, it becomes more feasible.