Following Wednesday’s practice, defensive coordinator Brad White addressed the media and talked about how the Cats spent their week away from the field.
“I don’t know if it was anything we learned, more like worked on,” White said. “We’ve been learning about ourselves the first five games and areas that we need to work on. Obviously, tackling has been an emphasis.”
There are different ways to attack that issue, and White and the UK defensive staff tried a few new things last week.
“The one thing with tackling is you can practice that, you can drill it, but there’s so much that has to happen on game day that they’ve got to be confident enough,” White said. “In a drill, if I mess up, it’s not a touchdown. If it’s on Saturday and I mess up, it can be a touchdown, it can be a first down, it can be a big play. So, trying to add stress within a drill where there are repercussions, where there are consequences, and finding a way to add stressors. We keep trying to find ways.”
White knows that it can’t be just individuals making plays, but rather a team effort on the defensive side of the ball.
“Everybody at every level of the defense has to be ready on Saturday,” White said. “Whoever is out there on the perimeter, whether it be a corner or a safety, you’ve got to be able to execute those tackles. And it’s not just on the corners. In the Georgia game, it came at every level; it came from the safety position, running inside-out, and the linebackers, running inside-out on screens. So everybody’s got to do a good job.”
This weekend, the challenge will be to stop a talented Texas offense, led by quarterback Arch Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli and the grandson of Archie. White knows that the younger Manning is playing at a very high level.
“He’s playing really well,” White said. “I don’t think people realize what he’s doing, how he’s operating. Every game has been a little bit different and he’s handled it great.”
In addition to Manning, the Longhorns have several other offensive weapons.
“We understand the huge challenge that (Manning) presents, and that whole offense,” White said. “The speed they have at wideout and the talent in the backfield.”
The Cats hope that the continued emphasis on tackling will pay off on Saturday against No. 21 Texas.