Kentucky defense faces big test as SEC play opens against No. 20 Ole Miss

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) – Kentucky football’s defense had a strong showing last Saturday against Toledo, keeping the Rockets scoreless through the first three quarters.

However, the wildcats allowed two touchdowns in the last ten minutes of the fourth quarter.

“I was proud of how they rose up in the first half,” said defensive coordinator Brad White. “I was disappointed with how we finished in the fourth. It wasn’t reminiscent of how they played through  the first three quarters. They played dialed in every time it was a one score game. But whenever it pushed to two scores, it was like there was this deceleration. Those will come back to bite you.”

“I did a bad job of that last week,” said senior cornerback JQ Hardaway. “This week, I really pride myself on playing a full four quarters of football.”

The Cats open SEC play this Saturday against No. 20 Ole Miss, a team that brings significantly more size and physicality up front than Toledo.

“Any time you face big, heavy bodies they are going to lean on you all day long and it’s going to take a toll on you,” said White. “Then you throw in the natural tempo of their offense, which is also going to wear you out. You combine the two of those, it’s going to really wear on the defensive line and stress the conditioning level. We are going to have to do our best to keep those guys fresh.”

Along with their size, the rebels’ offense plays with speed.

“I told them the tempo is going to be huge,” said senior linebacker Alex Afari Jr. “Not a lot of teams run that tempo like they do. I told our guys they got to get their eyes to the sideline.” Hardaway agreed, saying that “you definitely have to play with clean eyes.”

Ole Miss is known for their strong receiving core, a new group that had a combined 2,752 yards and 20 touchdowns at their respective school’s last season. However, their offense is predicated on running the football.

“Everybody knows the passing offense,” said White. “But they rushed for 295 yards on Saturday. This is a team that can rush the football.”

Kickoff is Saturday at 3:30 pm E.T. at Kroger Field.