Lexington, Ky – October 30, 2024 – Tim Letcher
Kentucky hits the road this weekend, facing No. 7 Tennessee in Knoxville. The Vols have their sights set on a potential College Football Playoff berth and Neyland Stadium will be in full force on Saturday night.
Kentucky All-American defensive lineman Deone Walker knows that the crowd will be against the Cats, but he enjoys playing in such an environment.
“I’m excited,” Walker said. “They’ve got some great players, just like they have in the past. It’s going to be a great one.”
In addition to what’s sure to be a loud stadium, the Cats must prepare for the high-tempo Tennessee offense.
“We’re getting implemented to more tempo,” Walker said. “Just to get used to it, like we did for Ole Miss.”
Walker and the UK defense have to be prepared for the big moment on a big stage Saturday night. He knows that the Cats can’t get caught watching what’s going on around them.
“Our big thing is not getting too caught up in the lights,” Walker said. “Neyland is a great stadium, great fan base. It gets rowdy. Just not getting too caught up in the lights. One thing about Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, you get caught up in the lights, it’s 30-0 quick. Just playing where our feet are and not get caught looking at the fans and the lights. Worry about the play and do what you’ve got to do.”
Coming off a loss to Auburn last week, Walker believes it is important for the Kentucky defense to move forward rather than dwelling on what happened against the Tigers.
“I say don’t worry about last week, worry about this one,” Walker said. “You can’t re-write the past, but you can work harder for your future.”
Walker said that UK defensive coordinator Brad White pointed out that the defense must play as a unit and pick each other up after mistakes.
“One thing that Coach White let us know is that the defense is all together. It’s not just one defensive lineman, it’s not one (linebacker),” Walker said. “Nobody is going to play a perfect game. Everybody is going to have mess ups but it’s about who is there for you to help clean up your mess ups. The one thing he told us is not to hold a grudge against someone for not making a play because if you turn the tape on, you didn’t make a play either.”
While the Cats are in the midst of a three-game losing skid, Walker knows that this season could still end on a positive note.
“It’s a big thing to me, trying to finish it out right. End the season 7-5,” Walker said. “We know we’ve had some disappointing games but how can we end off the season and send our seniors out with a bang.”
Step one in that process would be to play well on Saturday night in a tough environment in Knoxville.
