It took a little longer than expected to chat with the Kentucky football team on Tuesday afternoon. The media was invited in to speak with Bush Hamdan and a few other members of the Kentucky offense, but before they could break, Mark Stoops had to share a few choice words with his team. The message was simple: Finish.
“We had a great practice up until that last period at the end,” said tight end Willie Rodriguez.
“We had a great practice; it’s just all about finishing through. In a game scenario like that, we gotta go hard and finish through, no matter if you’re tired or your legs are heavy. We’re already in day five, day six, whatever it is.”
Yes, we’ve already reached the point where players have lost track of what day it is. The Dog Days of Fall Camp officially arrived within the first two days of fully-padded practices. Mother Nature was kind enough to let BBN experience some of it with beautiful weather over the weekend. This morning’s practice felt more like August. It’s just what this team needed.
“Suffer — If you want to be great, you gotta suffer,” said offensive guard Jalen Farmer. After all, joy wouldn’t feel so good if it wasn’t for pain.
“We’re asking them to embrace the suffering because you need to,” added offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan. “As it gets hot out here, as the practices stack on top of days, as the bodies get worn down, it’s no different than what it’s going to feel like in the middle of the year, in the middle of the season. It’s a daily mental battle. Guys are pushing through and we’re happy about where they’re at.”
As Brad White indicated at Football Media Day, you don’t really know the character of your team until about the halfway point of the season. That’s when the proverbial poop hits the fan. “You figure out how mentally, and physically, and emotionally tough you are. We were not that enough last year, midseason,” said White.
Kentucky is getting an early stress test at fall camp, and it’s just what they need.
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