Mark Stoops at UK Fan Day. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops knows what he wants from offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan.
“We are looking for that balance and you are going to be able to create explosive plays if you are able to run the ball better,” the Kentucky coach said. “That’s just the nature of the beast. I like what Bush is doing.
“I like the way he mixes it up. He does a very good job of window dressing. He does a very good job of cutting off the defense with deception and with motions.”
Hamdan is Kentucky’s sixth offensive coordinator under Stoops, now entering his 12th season as coach of the Wildcats. Kentucky’s offense ran 714 plays last season and ranked last in FBS. The Wildcats struggled with numerous delay of game penalties, which limited Kentucky’s ability to gain rhythm and tempo within the team’s offense.
“We have to be more physical, we have to be able to get tough yards. You know, we were at our best or doing some really good things when the entire stadium knew we were going to run the ball and we still ran the ball for some success,” Stoops said.
While Hamdan plans to install a no-huddle scheme, it doesn’t mean he’s seeking a style similar to Josh Heupel at Tennessee and Lane Kiffin’s squad at Ole Miss.
“That is a different style and it’s very difficult to defend and they do it very well,” Stoops said. “That’s just ‑‑ we can’t be that overnight and I just don’t want to staff it with two and three and four seconds on the play clock as well. I like to see more snaps. There needs to be a balance there. We are not trying to be in a complete hurry. We are just trying to be more efficient, get in a rhythm, and get some more plays.”
Hamdan agrees with Stoops and is seeking more consistency.
“We always want to be somewhere in the middle, and what that means is, have the flexibility depending on how the game is going to do whatever it takes to win the football game,” he said. “I think that’s important for all of us to know. … I know everybody wants to play fast.
“It always comes back to execution with us. I think the thing that we want you guys to know is we are going to have the ability to play fast and keep people on their feet.”
One Response
Thank God were not running a NFL offense anymore. It takes a certain personel to run a offense like that. You have to have 11 guys that are Uber athletic to run a pro style offense. It gives the defense time to match up with the offense more easily. A up tempo style offense is what works in college football. I don’t see how people even thought Liam Coen was any good. Did you see our offense last year. It was terrible it wasn’t no better than scangerello. It was the same thing easy to know what kind of play we are running and give the defense ample time to adjust.