WATCH: Kentucky Defense Prepares for 'Huge Challenge' at Georgia

Georgia is showing signs of vulnerability early in the season. They trailed at halftime against South Carolina and were down 17-10 at Auburn last week. Even though they aren’t firing on all cylinders and dominating opponents into submission, this Kentucky defense knows they face a tall task Saturday at Sanford Stadium.

“People need not to forget this is the two-time defending National Champions. This is the tenth-ranked passing offense. They average almost 500 yards of offense, 150 on the ground, 330 through the air, 39 points a game. You just name it, you can rattle off the stats,” defensive coordinator Brad White said after Wednesday’s Kentucky football practice.

“And they’re starting to get guys back that might have been dinged (up). It’s a huge challenge. It’s a huge challenge from the secondary standpoint. Obviously, (Brock) Bowers, the receiving corps, they’re big, they can run, they’re willing blockers in the run game and they’ve got a lot of em. It’s not just one guy or two guys. They can go six deep at wideout and keep guys fresh. It’s a huge challenge for all of us in a really hostile environment. We’ve gotta play a really, really good game. We understand that.”

Sign up for the KSR Newsletter to receive Kentucky Wildcats news in the most ridiculous manner possible.

Kentucky Cranks Up the Intensity in Practice

Mark Stoops raised some eyebrows across the Big Blue Nation when he picked up the phone and lamented at his players’ Tuesday practice performance during the SEC Coaches Teleconference. The players heard the message from their head coach loud and clear. White does not believe the poor practice is a red flag, rather than a necessary step teams must take throughout the course of a long season.

“I feel like it was definitely better than it was yesterday,” White said Wednesday. “When you go into a season, they’re long seasons. You play an emotional game five games in, you hit lulls. Like anything else, you need to be corrected. You need that adjustment. It was great that coach (Stoops) made that adjustment and let the guys know about it and the practice today was much better in that regard.”

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.