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By LARRY VAUGHT
LEXINGTON — Staying calm is something that new Kentucky offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson is stressing to his quarterbacks — and returning starter Patrick Towles likes the message.
“Iit’s really kind of up to us to keep calm. He just wants that to be a thing. He doesn’t ever really jump us if we make a bad play. He’s all about, ‘You can handle it. Move on.’ You’ve gotta have a short memory. You have to,” said Towles after Saturday’s scrimmage. “And that’s really the thing: he’s not really gonna tear us up out there.
“He’ll talk to us in the film room, we’ll fix it, but he’s not the type of guy that’s really gonna chew us out there. He has done that some times, but not really with the severity that we’re used to.”
Former offensive coordinator Neal Brown stressed consistency and calmness as well, but Towles admits Dawson has helped take his play to a higher level that was on display in Saturday’s scrimmage.
“I think if you look at the NFL, that’s what those guys are doing. I mean, look at Tom Brady and his feet are in the ground and he’s relaxed. That’s who we want to model our games after. He’s the best around right now, so if we can play more like him we’ll be fine around here,” Towles said.
It will help Towles or redshirt freshman Drew Barker once more receivers get healthy and back on the playing field. Both Ryan Timmons and Alex Montgomery missed Saturday’s scrimmage as did running backs JoJo Kemp and Mikel Horton.
“The guys that are in are making a lot of plays, and I’m fully confident with the guys we’ve got that are playing right now. It’s going to help add some depth when we get those guys coming,” Towles said. “In this league you need as much depth as you can get. When those guys come back it’s going to be helpful, for sure, but that’s no slight to the guys right now. They’re making a lot of plays for me.”
A revamped and improving offensive line has made it easier for both Towles and Barker as well.
“It’s a brutal league week in and week out, as you all know, and you gotta be ready to play every seven days. They’re doing a really good job of that. They’re more confident up there. I’m more confident in them,” Towles said Saturday. “(Center) Jon (Toth) is doing a phenomenal job of getting everything blocked. Usually if there’s a sack out there it’s on us, because we’re not getting rid of the ball or doing something. So they’re playing phenomenal. I can not ask for anything more from those guys and I look forward to them to continue to improve.”
Towles said an improved line will help UK be a more physical offense that is necessary in the Southeastern Conference.
‘With Coach Dawson’s new offense, we want to be able to be physical when we need to be. When the defense knows we’re going to run, we still need to be able to run,” Towles said
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