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Author
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Topic: Towels not surprised by his receivers great play
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catmandoo
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Member # 1284
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posted 09-17-2014 05:45 PM
To be a good or great passer you have to have receivers like Johnson that can catch the ball and do something after they catch it.
Three games into the season, Kentucky quarterback Patrick Towles hasn’t been surprised by the emergence of the team’s receivers.
“I see the development (every day),” Towles said Tuesday. “They were pretty talented coming in (to fall camp) and I got to see them first. I was anxious to see how they would develop.”
One of those newcomers — freshman Garrett Johnson — had six catches for 154 yards and scored two touchdowns in the Wildcats’ 36-30 triple overtime loss to Florida last week in Gainesville. The outing by Johnson produced career highs in all three categories and earned him Southeastern Conference freshman of the week honors.
Johnson was surprised by the honor, calling it a “good achievement.”
“I called my mom and everybody,” he said.
Of Johnson’s two touchdowns, he said his 60-yard touchdown strike was his favorite of the passes he hauled in from Towles. The reason? “That was my first touchdown,” Johnson said.
Towles enjoyed each of Johnson’s receptions and liked his receiver’s ability to overcome pressure by Florida’s secondary.
“He’s just a really, really good player,” Towles said. “That third down (ball) I threw to him (against Florida) when he went up and got smashed and held onto the ball, freshmen aren’t supposed to do that, especially in a hostile environment.
“He just kept getting open. When you’ve got a guy who keeps catching the football, you’re going to keep throwing to him.”
Johnson said the throws completed by Towles in the loss to Florida were like “money balls.”
“Every time he threw it, it was like we were always on the same page,” Johnson said. “I noticed in practice (his throws) are working not just me but with other receivers. Everything is really starting to come together.”
Towles said the performance by Johnson helped ease the tension of playing in a hostile environment.
“It was loud, it was the loudest situation I’ve ever been in my entire life,” Towles said. “But when you have guys like Garrett who is making a lot of plays, it takes some pressure off of you.”
Like Towles, Kentucky offensive coordinator Neal Brown hasn’t been shocked by Johnson’s progression three games into the regular season. Brown started noticing Johnson’s ability before he arrived on campus.
“I really felt like in the summer – really, watching, I’ll go back even further. I watched him – the more I watched his high school video, the more I liked him,” Brown said. “He ran really disciplined routes. He can stick his foot. He never got hit, which means – he’s playing against really good competition, which means he can make people miss.
“So I really thought he was going to be – I really thought he would probably be the guy that made the biggest impact as a freshman because we had lower numbers at those slot spots.”
Brown added the Johnson’s finger injury during fall workouts didn’t hinder the receiver from catching on to the team’s schemes once he got past the nagging injury.
“The injury in fall camp did set him back. I’m not surprised that he’s producing,” Brown said. “Now, am I surprised that he was the SEC freshman of the week, all that kind of stuff? Maybe a little, but I thought he would be a major contributor.”
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Posts: 186359 | From: st. augustine florida 32092 | Registered: Mar 2001
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Old Norm
Administrator
Member # 1482
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posted 09-17-2014 06:57 PM
I didn't know until the game, that Towles name didn't rhyme with bowels, but with bowls.
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Pray For Our Country!
Posts: 36271 | From: Western KY | Registered: Aug 2001
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Green-Bean
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Member # 13551
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posted 09-18-2014 12:43 AM
Lol at Norm. Towels grandpa, is Jim Bunning.
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I was Born A Wildcat!
That's All I'll Ever Be!
Posts: 2290 | From: Newport Ky. | Registered: Mar 2014
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