Nov. 11, 2008
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University of Kentucky football head coach Rich Brooks spoke to the media Monday about the Wildcats’ upcoming game Saturday with Vanderbilt.
Opening Statement
“Injury report: Kyrus Lanxter had an x-ray on his shoulder that is still bothering him. If he practices tomorrow, it will be no contact for him. We do have some sickness that continues to go through the team. Micah Johnson was sick Friday night before the game and Calvin Harrison has come down with it as well so he doesn’t know if he will practice tomorrow or not. Myron Pryor is also sick and his ankle has flared back up on him with some swelling.
“This game is going to be very important game for both teams. It seems like it is a yearly thing when we play Vanderbilt that we need the win and so do they. They need it for bowl eligibility and we need the win to secure a bowl game. This is a team that has played outstanding defense and has been very efficient in taking the football away from their opponent. They have been good at not giving the ball up on offense too. They score enough to win and have done a good job of running the option and running the football in general. Both quarterbacks (Adams and Nickson) present multiple problems to us with their feet. Defensively, they are very sound. They tackle extremely well and give you a variety of zone pressure and blitzes and they change things up and create a lot of movement. This will be a very hard-fought football game and it will be a very competitive football game — one that both teams need to win.”
On if Vanderbilt has some extra motivation coming into this game
“I don’t think there is any question they are going to be pumped up and they will have plenty of motivation. Some of that can be revenge, because we have kind of kept them out of the bowl picture a little bit (in previous seasons). They have beaten some teams that we haven’t been able to beat and we have beaten some teams that they haven’t been able to beat. It is a different year, and the bottom line is that one of us has to come out with the win. It will be wild.”
On what this year’s graduating seniors mean to him
“This group of guys was here when things weren’t so good and they have brought some credibility back to Kentucky football with the two bowl wins. This season has teetered on really good and heartbreaking. We have lost three conference games by three points, four points and seven points. It has been a year of frustration but we are still in position to do some good things. This game is a must win for us to send them out on senior night with a positive experience.”
On what this year’s seniors can do to create their own legacy here at Kentucky
“They all have a great legacy here, but they can certainly extend their legacy by going to their third-straight bowl game. They can certainly remove themselves from the shadows of last year’s class by winning this week and against Tennessee to get to eight regular-season victories, which neither team before them accomplished the last two years.”
On DeMoreo Ford’s retirement from football
“There is still not an exact science but if you are getting repeated concussions and the concussions are coming easier then it is not a good sign. He has been one of our toughest guys and is a good blocker. You don’t know what the limit is, but you certainly don’t want to go over the limit when you are talking about your brain. He is assuming a student coach role for the remainder of this season. He will be out there coaching our young guys, telling them how to line up and making sure they know what to do. He is a guy that brings a lot of passion to what he has done as a player and I think that will translate over to what he can do as a coach.”
On if he is disappointed that no wide receiver has stepped up his play more
“Yeah, I would have hoped that someone would have been more assertive and productive at this point. You can see flashes of it in practice and in games but the consistency hasn’t come. It is really hard for most freshmen to come in and play at a high level in this league, especially ones that could use a year of bettering their physical strength. With that strength comes confidence as well. It is what it is and we are getting some production and hopefully we can continue to get it to increase.”
On the offense being so different from the offense of Kentucky teams in years past
“We are trying to win games and do it the best way we can with what we have available. We would like to keep the same offense that we have had the last couple of years but if you’re not throwing and catching it well then you have to try something to win games and that’s where we are at right now. This offense has taken a little bit of a turn and Randall has provided us with a different kind of way to move the football. We will continue to do that and then assess where we are at in spring practice next year. For right now, we will continue to do what we are doing.”
On Trevard Lindley’s injury
“He is still questionable. We really won’t know till tomorrow. He was better today. We will see if he can run tomorrow and see how he has come along.”
On if he thought that Randall Cobb’s celebration penalty was a good call
“Yeah, they penalized a quarterback from Washington for throwing the ball in the air, so yes (it was a good call). It is a point of emphasis and you cannot do anything to bring any attention to yourself when you score. It was a very costly penalty for us. It was exuberant and it wasn’t all that bad, but a penalty. You can tell I didn’t like it all that much.”
On if he will change the pregame routine to try to stop slow starts and create more energy
“Maybe we can scrimmage (laughter from audience). They better get the message that we have to come out and play with more energy than we did against Georgia.”