Extra Work in Practice Pays Off for Dane Key

Dane Key probably had a different picture in mind when he envisioned the start of his sophomore season. In the midst of early season inconsistencies, he went to work in practice and it’s starting to pay off on Saturdays.

During Monday’s press conference Mark Stoops did not have many nice things to say about his team’s performance against Georgia, describing it as “unacceptable” on seemingly every front. When asked if anybody played well, the Kentucky head coach provided one silver lining from the 51-13 loss to Georgia.

“Dane Key had been frustrated a little bit, maybe some on him, just frustration and down. He really worked hard to improve and looked at himself and looked at areas to improve and it showed up on film,” said Stoops.

“Not always with the catches, but there are still areas of improvement without the ball, blocking the perimeter, doing things that we have to do as on offense to be efficient. I thought it was a good example of taking it to the practice field and working on your craft and trying to improve.”

Key led the Cats in receiving with three receptions for 65 yards, including a 36-yard gain. Georgia deployed plenty of man-to-man to coverage with their talented secondary, yet Dane did not flinch.

“I thought he took a step in the right direction last week. He made some competitive catches, which after the last couple of weeks we tried to focus on that in practice,” said receivers coach Scott Woodward.

The other focus in practice was on route-running. Liam Coen showed Key film of last year’s game against Georgia and how he operated without the ball in his hands. The smallest details make the biggest differences. Coen was proud of the way Key took the coaching in practice and applied it in the game.

“Everything we do (must be) sharp: sharp routes, detailed routes, just the way we run routes, not with our eyes down in the ground. Eyes up, work defenders, using your eyes as a weapon,” said the Kentucky offensive coordinator.

“There’s a lot that goes into route-running. It’s not just this and this (he motioned with two simple cuts). There’s a lot that goes into it, and we’re trying to master that.”

The Kentucky passing game is searching for a breakthrough. Detail-oriented play by the wide receivers against a Missouri pass defense that ranks near the bottom of the SEC can make life easier on quarterback Devin Leary.

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