TRANSPERFECT MUSIC CITY BOWL: IOWA VS KENTUCKY

December 30, 2022

Brad White

Nissan Stadium

Kentucky Wildcats

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Brad White, come on up. Questions, please.

Q. When you look at a running back in Kaleb Johnson from Iowa, what impresses you about him? What is unique about his style that makes it difficult and how good he is?

BRAD WHITE: Yeah, anytime a freshman can run behind his pads as well as he does, it jumps out on film. He's able to turn a three-yard gain into five, six, seven. He's got enough juice to break a big one, so that always in these style of games, you always are nervous about giving up the explosives. He has that ability.

But when you're facing a downhill, power offense, you need to get 'em off schedule. What he allows them to do is to stay on schedule by running hard. He'll push right back into an offensive lineman. It's a subtle move that allows him to gain an extra yard or two. Most probably don't see it, but when you really study him, his ability to not take the direct hit, but it's more of a glancing blow from the side, that allows him to fall forward.

It makes it harder. Instead of being third-and-seven, forcing an offense to be in a throwing situation, now it's third-and-four, third-and-three, and now it becomes a mixed down.

Really impressive for a freshman that early to understand the nuances of the position.

Q. How difficult is it to prepare for Iowa with the quarterback situation, not having film?

BRAD WHITE: Yeah, it's always a challenge. I think a lot of teams run into that in the bowl season with so much transition, whether it be players, whether it be coaches staffs or systems. That's the nature of the business.

The two games that always leave you a little bit in the dark, bowl games, then the first game of the season. So we've had to prepare accordingly. The one thing that you do know when you face a really talented Iowa team is you can pull up their film over the last 10 years, and the core is their core. It's going to start up front.

I think you just heard Coach talk about when you're playing a younger QB, it's the reliance on the pieces around it so he doesn't have to feel like he has to make all the plays. They have plenty of talent surrounding them. The tight ends, we just talked about the running backs. The offensive line is always well-coached and creates movement.

No, they'll put him in situations to be successful. Like any situation for a young player, this is their opportunity. So we're expecting the best out of him. We might have to adjust a little bit in flight during the game depending on whatever style we see.

Q. What challenge does a tight end like Sam LaPorta force for you? How do you game plan against him?

BRAD WHITE: It very much becomes a matchup issue. Do you put a linebacker on him, a safety. He'll get matched up on corners at times, and so now he's a big body.

We've been I say lucky enough, but we were able to face Georgia this year in their two tight end systems, I think Iowa's two tight ends are of that caliber as well. Both LaPorta and Lachey offer really good route running. They're both physical blockers at the point of attack. You can't go small or they'll run it down your throat. If you go big, it's kind of a downfield mismatch.

We saw him last year, knew he was going to be a focal point. He still had a big game. He's a talented player. Talented players find a way to make plays. We have to do a good job of trying to limit them, not let them get explosive. We did not do the best of job of that last year. Took the screen pass for a touchdown, had a big bender around midfield.

But that's going to be a security blanket for a young quarterback, to have two tight ends that can run mid-level routes and get the ball in their hands, know he's going to create space, give him a throwing window to throw in. That's going to be a challenge for us.

Q. Have you scoured high school film of Joe Labas to get a sense of him? As a defensive coordinator, both of you are in the same boat. Do you attack a young quarterback that hasn't really played before or sit back and wait to see what he can do before mounting a game plan?

BRAD WHITE: To the first part of the question, yes. The nice part is that high school highlight films are readily accessible. We were able to watch his high school film. Again, a talented player that can move on the run, make throws on the run both to his strong hand and offhand. Can make some off-platform throws.

You can absolutely see why Iowa was excited to have him come in and how he fits that system.

As far as how we plan to attack, we'll sort of see come tomorrow. I appreciate that (smiling). I don't know if we're fully... It's going to be something based on how they're using him, as well.

Again, when you're a young player, you've got the opportunity to sort of make a name for yourself, there's a little bit of scariness to that because, hey, who knows. You always have to start somewhere. We've had young players this year that had no experience, have played really well for us defensively.

He's going to come in, we anticipate him playing really well. We anticipate him giving them some new sort of juice and energy, maybe a wrinkle or two in terms of his athleticism.

Our guys have to be ready to adapt to that.

Q. I wanted to ask you a little bit about the Georgia tight end combination of Washington and Bowers. How did you try to defend them? What did you take away from that? Iowa's combination is maybe not to that level, but still quality.

BRAD WHITE: Yeah, I think it provided us the ability to lean on something. When you have sort of a good duo of tight ends, our guys can gain some confidence. We came out of that game and played well against those tight ends.

It creates a unique challenge very much to the point of where the Patriots were back in the late 2008, '9, '10, when they had Gronk and Hernandez. If you go small to 12 personnel, they'll run the football; if you go big, they can spread you out. LaPorta can play wide receiver very much like Bowers. Lachey is a lot like Washington, more of the in-line guy.

We've got a little bit of a blueprint for ourselves in terms of how to match up and defend a similar style offense and how they want to attack.

But every team's slightly different. Again, while it may give you sort of a base blueprint, you've got to sort of attack in different ways as well.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach.

BRAD WHITE: Thank you.