Defensive coordinator Matt House had very little negative to say about his troops after today's practice. As a matter of fact he had several positive things to say.
The first thing we addressed with special teams coach Dean Hood was the punting situation in fall practice. The Cats ranked last in the SEC in punting with a 39.2 average last season. Special teams coach Dean Hood said between Grant McKiniss and Matt Panton they have been averaging 42-yards. He said the hang time is better than in spring practice. Hood said they now have some flexibility between the two guys "more variety now" he said with some of the things they can do. He said the decision to use both is dependent upon how camp plays out and how the season goes. "It's always difficult having been on the defensive side of the ball," the coach explained. "I can't tell how many times you are preparing for one quarterback and the other one shows up." He said it's a tough animal to get a game-plan together when you've got one guy that does one thing well and the other one does another thing better. The said that a Columbia University Panton was good in the gray-area at pinning the opposing team deep in their own territory and swinging to the other side of the field and rugby punting 32 or 33-yards a getting roll out of it. He not only is good at the rugby but he getting better at the pocket stuff with the 42-yard average.
- Matt house talked about the daily improvement of defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna. He said having five ex-defensive coordinators on the staff sharing and comparing ideas, unlike others situation has been a plus in making decisions that benefits the entire team.
- The toughest thing in choosing punt and kick returners is can he catch the ball - "You have punt catchers and you have kick catchers. I've seen returners who are dynamic returners but could not secure the ball after the catch. You've got to have guys that have incredible vision and patience. You need more patience to make the right decision after catching the ball."
- Matt Elam talked about the difference in the coaching styles of Coach Derrick LeBlanc and Jimmy Brumbaugh. He said things are going good. "I've got coach LeBlanc that's helping me do the little things. It's the little things that add up. No coach is the same but coach LeBlanc tries to get more out of you. He's not a holler guy and that's good in a way because some players will shut down under those conditions." Elam said he now weighs 354-pounds which is the lowest since he's been at UK and he expects to go lower.
- Elam on Quinton Bohanna. "He is going to be good. He can strike; he can move his feet. That something I told him. You've got that already and now you've got to get in your playbook. That's the easy part because when you've already got that."
- Matt House said he is pleased with the thing Jordan Wright and Alex King are doing as well Josh Paschal who is dinged up right now.
