The House of Blue

A week of football training camp is in the book and Kentucky wrapped it with a long, full-scale scrimmage inside Commonwealth Stadium on a glorious Saturday. I mean, 75 and breezy on a mid-August day? Rare as John Calipari going a day without tweeting about Orange Leaf.

“It was an old school scrimmage, 140-something plays that we just wanted to put the ball down and get as many snaps as we possibly could,” Joker Phillips said.

+++I'm sure you want to know the latest on the quarterback derby. Well, Joker didn't really have much to say in terms of who did what. Actually, he didn't say anything that revealed who made plays and who didn't. All we really got out of him was that he's going to go directly back to Nutter Training Facility and begin breaking down film. James is going to come along and add Randy Sanders' comments to the QB debate here shortly. Look for those.

“I'll hold judgment until I review the film but there were some good things and some times that we played sloppy at that position,” Phillips said. “I think there was more good than bad but the difference between quarterback play and offensive line or receiver, if you make a couple of bad plays then it really shows and it's the only thing people usually remember. We have to make sure we're playing clean all the time at that position. We'll watch the film and see if it's a big enough separation to make a decision.

“We'll see if there was any separation. There was some nice competition. I think the two young guys went in and handled themselves well at times. I thought they both did some good. We'll see if there is enough separation between any of them to make a decision. I'm not talking about one and two, I'm talking about three and four also.”

+++I don't know if this is what you want to hear or not, but past years' performance isn't going to factor into the QB decision:

“I don't think you can worry about last year,” Phillips said. “This is a new competition and one thing we have to worry about and base our evaluation on who can help us now. This is a new team. Who can lead this offense into wins and get the ball into the end zone? That's important. We'll base our evaluation on what is happening now.”

+++Sounds like the freshmen backs – Dyshawn Mobley and Justin Taylor – continue to prove it may be impossible to keep them off the field. Same could be said for WR's like DeMarcus Sweat, A.J. Legree, Daryl Collins, etc.:

“The young backs move the pile,” Phillips said. “Big, strong, physical guys who understand how to pick up (blocks). The hardest part of being a freshman back is protection. They don't always know yet who they are supposed to protect but when they do it's an explosion. Those guys do a really good job of moving the pile. There is nothing there and you get up and it's four or five yards. That's the thing we haven't hard here in a while.

“I think we have some really good young skill on offense with the freshmen who just came on campus and the ones that redshirted. Some of the big receivers that redshirted last year and the guys that just got on campus have the ability to make big plays for us and there were some big plays today. I like our skill.”

+++Phillips couldn't remember who had the scores for the offense – although someone who saw the scrimmage told me that both Mobley and Taylor had scores late – but did single out La'Rod King for having a big one.

+++From what I could gather LB Malcolm McDuffen, LB Tyler Brause and CB Cartier Rice had interceptions. There may have been a few more too but those were the ones I could pin down for sure. McDuffen had a score, while Rice was ribbed by Joker for not having enough running back in him to take another INT to the house:

“Defensively, we had one pick six and one that should have been a pick six if the guy who intercepted understood how to put his foot in the ground and cut back inside,” Phillips said. “Big plays on both sides of the ball. I'm stressing to our defense that we need turnovers and to our offense that can't turn the football over.”

+++Joker started his time with the media talking special teams. I'll just post what he said. No need to add much to it:

“I think our scrimmage started really well with our special forces units, which is our kicking units, our punt team and our punt return,” Phillips said. “Again, I’ve been talking about how guys are asking to be on those teams, and it showed today how fast we played in it. This probably is as clean as we’ve played in our kicking game. In every scrimmage, every time we come into the stadium, we usually have about a 10-minute period of our punt team which is the most important team. It’s the team that can flip the field. Now we've gotten to where we can practice both units because we've got guys who really want to be on this team and give us good looks. We don't have to rely on scout team. That was really clean.

“We got a chance to see the young fellas on the back end catch the football. We've got some special returners. Demarco Robinson, Daryl (Collins) stood in there and caught a few he had to catch and catching the ball with people around you is exciting to see because that means people aren't flinching. I think we're starting to see a huge difference in those two kicking units and those are the two we worked the most.”

+++Sophomore safety Glenn Faulkner was carted back across the street to Nutter Training Facility with his right ankle wrapped in ice. Joker said they think it's a high ankle sprain but will know more later.

+++Defensive coordinator Rick Minter said he wasn't really pleased with the defense's sustained effort but it was somewhat understandable in that they hadn't had a day off yet, legs get a little weary after a week and in a perfect world you'd have a day or two off before scrimmage. That said, he knew that would be the case and didn't seem too ticked other than that he's clearly a perfectionist.

+++Minter praised MLB Avery Williamson again. The coaches LOVE this kid. I mean, L-O-V-E everything he brings to the table. Think Wesley Woodyard type but bigger, more physical and at more of a prime position in the middle of that defense. Said the kid has just completely taken over the leadership of that defense.

+++I asked Williamson how you have to approach scrimmages when you're playing your teammates and the goal is for everyone to get better and he said that you have to focus on you and your side of the ball. For that two hours you're trying to kick the other side of the football's tail. Embarrass them. Do whatever it is you have to do to be successful. Then you're boys again afterward.

+++I'll leave you with this, again from someone who saw the scrimmage and passed it along: The were a TON of turnovers and sounded like too many of them were stupid plays. That can't happen. It's the first scrimmage and there is plenty of time to get better, but it had better be a whole lot better in next week's scrimmage.

+++Programming note: There is NO practice tomorrow, therefore no practice notes. They'll get back at it late Monday afternoon, same time, same place. Then Tuesday is their annual pool day after practice so there is no availability for interviews that day either. Bear with us. Thanks.