First thoughts on Kentucky

Count me officially in the fretters’ camp now.  And my first worry is an overreaction on defense to what got blown up in Jacksonville.

Per defensive lineman Mike Thornton’s assessment, the SEC is “a copycat league,” so the Bulldogs should be expecting to see game plans similar to the one the Gators used to beat them in Jacksonville.

“They’ll definitely try and come out with some of the same things Florida did,” he said.

Thornton isn’t alone.

“If I was a coordinator, I know I would,” cornerback Damian Swann said.

Drew drools at “the challenge” of potentially being the attempted root of an opponent’s bullying. After all, it was the first time all season the run defense — led by the front seven — looked like the team’s weak point. So he doesn’t expect the trend to remain this week.

Johnson’s confidence matches Drew’s.

“We’re going to be prepared this week. We’re not playing,” Johnson said. “We’re dead serious. We’re going to be prepared if someone wants to run the ball. That’s all I’m going to say.”

Perhaps the team’s biggest concern will be avoiding over-correcting to make adjustments in the run game and losing sight of the gradual improvements in the pass game, as well.

Perhaps, indeed.  I’m not gonna tell you that Kentucky’s passing game has been any great shakes this season, but it’s shown enough signs of life on occasion, like against Mississippi State, that Georgia’s defense ignores it at its peril.

And as a more general concern, speaking of UK’s game against the other Bulldogs, this makes me nervous, too.