Shane Beamer Talks Challenges Kentucky Brings

During his weekly teleconference call with local media, Shane Beamer showed respect when asked about Mark Stoops and how he's elevated the Kentucky Wildcat's football program.

If you could go back in time to the year 2012 and tell the younger you, one who was well versed in the sport of college football, what the Kentucky Wildcats would look like ten years down the road under Mark Stoops, the younger you would have probably laughed in your face. The thought amongst those in the sport of college football for so long was that Kentucky would have a good season every so often, but they would never be a severe threat to SEC East royalty.

As of 2022, that's no longer the view of the Kentucky football program, as since 2013, the year Mark Stoops took over, the Wildcats have gone on to win 63 games, which has included two ten-plus-win seasons in the last four years and four straight bowl victories. Mark Stoops has turned Kentucky from a perennial doormat into a legitimate SEC East contender. When head coach Shane Beamer gave his thoughts regarding Kentucky's rise under the Wildcats' head man during his weekly Sunday night teleconference call with the local media, he noted how they play the game and the multi-dimensional offense they tout.

"[I can remember] 2017 when I was at Georgia, and seeing then it was a ton of wildcat and physical football and [the ability] to run the football and get downhill on you," Beamer explained. "[They] still do that as well, but now obviously they've got a fantastic quarterback, and they've got elite receivers on the outside, so to me they're a challenge because they don't beat themselves, and they're physical, and just watching that game [Saturday] on TV and watching tape of them today, I mean it's size, it's physicality, they play really hard, and you know if you're gonna beat Kentucky, you gotta go beat them, and you've got to play really, really physical, and you've got to play really, really hard."

Beamer noted, in particular, Kentucky's two inside linebackers in DeAndre Square and Jacquez Jones, who, as Beamer noted, are the heartbeat of the Wildcats' defense.

"They're really, really good. I mean, they're as good as we'll face all year. They're instinctive; they're physical; they're really, really talented. It's a really good group. They were a weapon for them last year and continue to be, and they're good all across the board on their defense, but man, those two inside linebackers are where it starts."

You Might Also Like:

• PFF Trends vs. South Carolina State
• Beamer Gives Injury Update For Kentucky
• South Carolina vs. Kentucky Betting Lines, Odds

Join the community:

Follow Evan Crowell on Twitter: @EvanVCrowell

Follow Andrew Lyon on Twitter: @ALyon_SC

You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to like us on Facebook @GamecocksDigest & follow us on Twitter at @GamecocksDigest.