With its 6-1 start to the season, Kentucky has emerged as the surprise of the SEC so far this season. While running back Benny Snell may be the team’s headliner, the Wildcats have relied just as heavily on their defense. Kentucky leads the SEC and ranks second nationally in scoring defense, allowing opponents to score an average of 12.9 points per game. The Wildcats also lead the league in red zone defense, and rank second in both rushing defense and total defense.
Addressing the media Tuesday, Missouri head coach Barry Odom discussed the challenge of trying to score against Kentucky’s defense. Odom said he’s been most struck by the Wildcats’ continuity on that side of the ball.
“They do a great job of being aggressive and almost suffocating in coverage on the way that they play,” Odom said. “Interior defensive line is really solid. ... They’re an older group that looks like they’ve played a bunch of ball together, and it shows up in the way that they play.”
One of the seven senior starters on Kentucky’s defense, outside linebacker Josh Allen, has been particularly disruptive this season. Allen leads the SEC and is tied for No. 10 nationally with 12.5 tackles for loss through seven games. His eight sacks on the year place him in a tie for seventh in the country.
Missouri quarterback Drew Lock said he befriended Allen over the summer. Lock saw similarities in how the two of them approached their respective senior seasons, and he said both have “a chip on our shoulders” because they believe their teams are better than their national perceptions suggest. This week, however, Lock wants Missouri’s offensive line to keep Allen a safe distance away from him at all times.
“He’s really explosive,” Lock said of Allen. “I think our tackles are going to have to do a really good job with him — and I think they can, and I think they will — but he is a very good football player.”
Kentucky’s defense has been strong in nearly every category this season, but it’s been most dominant when opposing offenses enter the red zone. The Wildcats have allowed opponents to score points on 61.7 percent of red zone possessions this season, but only 35.3 percent of those possessions have resulted in touchdowns. Both of those percentages rank third nationally.
Missouri, on the other hand, has struggled at times to find the end zone while in the red zone this season. The Tigers have scored touchdowns on 57.1 percent of their trips inside the 20-yard line so far this year. That ranks 95th nationally. Regardless, Lock said the offense won’t look to do anything different when it gets into the red zone Saturday. He said part of Kentucky’s success this season has resulted from opposing offenses trying to get too creative in that area of the field.
“Sometimes when you do that, you end up messing up,” Lock explained. “It’s a new play, you’ve repped it on air a couple times, and you can go in there and rep it live and a couple things might be off by just a foot, by an inch, and that’s what football is. So we need to go up there, we need to do the right things, do our stuff and execute well and just make the little plays in the red zone. ... I think we just need to go in there and do our stuff and not overthink it.”
Hall back at practice
Missouri wide receiver Emanuel Hall is back with the team after being away for much of last week due to the death of his father. Hall wore a red pullover over his pads Tuesday, and Odom said he practiced in a limited capacity. Hall has also been dealing with a groin injury that rendered him catchless against Georgia and caused him to miss the Tigers’ past three games.
Odom said Hall, still Missouri’s leading receiver despite the fact that he’s caught passes in just three games, looked more healthy Tuesday than he had in weeks past, but he doesn’t yet know if Hall will suit up Saturday. Hall was not listed on the team’s weekly depth chart.
“I think we’re getting close,” Odom said. “After he ran and did some things, he said he felt really good. Want to do a little bit more tomorrow and see where we get tomorrow and Thursday, and see how close we are for this week.”
The good news for Missouri is that, aside from Hall, Odom expects every other Tiger player to be healthy enough to play Saturday. That includes wide receiver Nate Brown, who has also missed the past three games with a groin injury. Brown also wore a red pullover during practice, but Odom said he “did more today than he’s done any Tuesday in a long time,” and expressed optimism he’ll be available Saturday.
Coaches hope new blocking technique will eliminate targeting
Two Missouri players were ejected from the team’s win over Memphis last weekend after being penalized for targeting. Somewhat unusually, both fouls occurred when the Missouri players, cornerback Adam Sparks and tight end Daniel Parker Jr., were blocking. Because his penalty occurred during the second half, Parker will have to miss the first half of the Kentucky game.
Odom described both penalties as “tough to watch.” He said Missouri players are now being taught new ways to block in the open field to avoid future targeting calls. He even called a team spokesperson to the front of the room in order to demonstrate the technique. (You can watch video of the demonstration here.)
Odom said Missouri players have always been taught to aim at a defender’s shoulder, rather than helmet, while blocking, but that has put blockers in a difficult position because, if the defender lowers his helmet by a couple inches at the last moment, helmet-to-helmet contact will ensue. Instead, Odom said players are now being instructed to either “take a charge” — establish position in front of a defensive player but let the defensive player initiate the contact, like a defender drawing a charge in basketball — or use a “butt block” — initiate contact with the backside rather than the helmet. He believes those techniques will allow players to avoid being flagged for targeting in the future.
“Both were exceptional calls by the officiating crew and great teaching lessons for our football team,” Odom said.
Depth chart changes
Typically, once the season begins, Missouri’s depth chart doesn’t vary much week-to-week. Tuesday, however, there were a few notable changes. On offense, Richaud Floyd is now listed as a starting wide receiver, opposite Jalen Knox. Floyd missed the first six games of the season due to a broken bone in his right leg, then caught three passes for 28 yards against Memphis. Floyd replaces Kam Scott, who has started the past three games but had just two catches for 19 yards during that span. Brown, who started the first four games of the season before injuring his groin, is listed behind both Scott and Floyd. Johnathon Johnson is still listed as the starting slot receiver.
On the defensive side, two new players are listed as starters in the secondary. Sophomore cornerback Christian Holmes, who has played regularly the past few weeks, is listed as the starter opposite DeMarkus Acy. Holmes, who returned an interception for a touchdown against Memphis, replaces Adam Sparks on the top line. Another sophomore, Tyree Gillespie, is now listed as the starter at free safety. Gillespie has been on the field for 34 more snaps than previous starter Khalil Oliver the past two weeks, but Oliver had been listed atop the depth chart prior to each of the team’s first seven games.
