Keidron Smith says Brad White is a defensive "wizard"

Kentucky’s defensive performance against Florida was impressive, to say the least. The Cats shut out the Gators in the second half, most notably limiting Anthony Richardson, who ran for three touchdowns the week prior, to only four rushing yards. It was the first time Florida has been held scoreless in the second half since 2017. Kentucky’s defense has limited its last six opponents to 21 or fewer points, the longest stretch since an eight-game streak of 21 or less to open the 2018 season.

Jordan Wright and Keidron Smith were two of the defensive stars Saturday night. Wright intercepted a pass before halftime that set the Cats up for a touchdown. Smith had a 65-yard interception return for a touchdown in the third quarter to put the Cats up 23-16. Wright and Smith made an appearance on “Out of Pocket” on the SEC Network last night and weighed in on what makes this defense so strong. Smith, one of five senior starters on defense, said experience helps the Cats avoid costly errors.

“Mental mistakes aren’t there for us really. Having so many veterans on the defense, we take pride in making sure we do everything right so we don’t have many mistakes throughout practice and even during the game. Even if we do have mistakes we play fast so it doesn’t look like we did.”

Brad White is “a wizard when it comes to defense”

A lot of the credit for the defense’s performance on Saturday goes to Brad White. White was named SEC Coordinator of the Week by On3 on Monday, which is saying something when you consider the competition in the league. Just look at the drive-by-drive breakdown of the final 35 minutes:

Brad White’s Kentucky defense vs. Florida’s offense during the final 35 minutes:

— Zero points allowed
— Seven points scored (on a Kentucky pick-six)
— Two takeaways
— Two fourth down stops pic.twitter.com/mMIvzqIJHN

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) September 11, 2022

On Monday, Mark Stoops raved about how White prepared the defense in practice last week.

“I just felt like we were thoroughly prepared. I felt like Brad had some things that he had been working on (that) we worked on through camp that we maybe didn’t break out in game one. So there were good change-ups, the guys were in really good position. When you don’t miss many tackles and really are that firm in containing the football and containing the deep passes and everything that went into it, that’s a sign of a really good plan. Brad is to credit for that. Brad and his staff did a very good job and really were well prepared and had the guys mentally ready to go, the whole bit.”

“I love playing with Coach White,” Wright said. “He came here my second year so he knows a lot. He taught me a lot and just knowing his football IQ is high and he’s going to lead us the right way. And he had us really game-planned last week very good so I appreciate him for that.”

“He’s just so poised,” Smith, who transferred to Kentucky from Ole Miss, said of White. “Never really get a reaction out of him. He’s so calm. He has a calm demeanor. And then he’s like a wizard when it comes to defense. It’s an honor to play for him.”

White has already turned down some coaching opportunities during his four years in Lexington. After Kentucky’s performance on Saturday, he may get an offer he can’t refuse, so let’s enjoy him while we can.