"He and Gene (McCaskill) did a really good job blocking. Randall Cobb did as well. A lot of perimeter runs were set up by their key blocks. But we deed to have more guys get open on a more consistent basis and we have got to do better job getting them the ball. There were a few plays (against Alabama) Mike missed the read where somebody could have got the ball."
Line play: Brooks thought his defensive line played well overall against Alabama in Saturday's 38-20 loss.
"Our defensive line played pretty good. I wasn't always pleased with the pass rush, but Corey Peters had an outstanding game. He got two hits on the quarterback as he released the ball. Chandler Burden played better than he has since he has been here. We did good things in the line but were not as consistent on the pass rush as I would like," Brooks said.
He felt the offensive line was solid, too.
"On the offensive line other than a couple of assignment errors, I thought we did a very good job in the run game. We had a couple of technique breakdowns in the passing game, but overall we were okay. We gave up two quarterback sacks and our quarterback was hurried more than I would want on a regular basis, but some of that happened when we were in third and long," the UK coach said.
He was especially pleased with center Jorge Gonzalez play against Alabama nose guard Terrence Jones, a consensus choice as one of the Southeastern Conference's top defensive linemen.
"He did a good job controlling the internal part of Alabama's defense," Brooks said.
Still believing: Sophomore linebacker Danny Trevathan believes the losses to Florida and Alabama won't derail UK's season.
"I feel like our defense is good when we play well. We can make plays. We have not reached our full potential, but we are getting there," Trevathan said. "Every game is a must win game for us. That is how we see it. Our defense wants to execute and win every game. We want to shock the world and win, and that includes South Carolina.
"I don't feel like we have lost confidence. I just feel like we have things to work on. We are still better than we showed. Our defense played pretty well against Alabama and made some big plays, but in the SEC you are also going to give up some big plays. You have to bounce back and make a big play yourself. Those turnovers and mental errors kill you in the SEC. If you give a SEC team a crease of room, they take advantage. We have to learn how to avoid that."
ESPNU: Kentucky's game at Auburn Oct. 17 will kick off at 7:30 p.m. and be shown on ESPNU.
