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Posted by catmandoo (Member # 1284) on 04-23-2014, 03:35 PM:

He had a little bit of a problem adjusting but that is over and should have a good season.

Kemp has recovered from his own injuries: He had surgery right after last year’s loss to Tennessee for bone spurs in his ankles, and has sat out a couple of spring practices as a precautionary measure against a tight hamstring.

But even with those setbacks, Kemp is ready to roll in the game that is finally slowing down for him.

“Last year I had my bone spurs so I wasn’t able to stick my foot in the ground and get up field,” he said. “I was beating a lot of guys with speed. Now, I’ve got speed and I’ve got that cut to get up field. I’m more of a complete back now. I know all my assignments, I know all the blocking techniques, I know all my run reads so right now, it’s just building and getting better, where last year I was trying to learn and get used to the game speed.”

For Kemp during his freshman year, it wasn’t about the physical reps. It was about the mental reps that both taught him how to be an SEC running back and slowed him down at the same time. Instead of planting his foot and cutting through a hole, he was usually half a second behind because he was thinking about what he needed to do.

This year, according to Kemp, that won’t be a problem.

“Now I’m just reacting as the play goes on,” he said. “When I get the ball and I see something, I go at it. I’m trying to make my high school plays again. I’m trying to be that dominant player in the SEC, so I’ve got to keep fighting and working hard until I’m that type of guy.”

One of the factors that could lead to Kemp being that dominant player is the competition he faces during practice. Not only is he competing for the starting job against guys like Clemons, Heard and Horton, but he is also competing against an improved Kentucky defense.

In particular, Kemp battles the most with junior linebacker Khalid Henderson.

“It’s just like a challenge,” Kemp said. “He was here last year and he played, and I played, so we were the only two guys that played a lot out of both groups. We just try to compete with each other, get each other better. We’re kind of used to each other.”

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