Before looking ahead to the coming season, here's a quick review of 2014 and some thoughts on what went right and wrong.
When reflecting on '14, the first thing that jumps out at me is the ridiculous amount of youth on the offensive unit. Patrick Towles was an underclassman first year starter. Boom Williams was a freshman (overall, UK had almost no experience at running back). Four of UK's top six wide receivers were underclassman. Three freshman lineman played (Haynes, Meyers, and Meadows). Toth was only a sophomore.
Predictably, there were times when the offense struggled. UK finished 79th nationally with 384 yards per game. Kentucky was a woeful 110th in third down conversion rate. They were 101st in sacks allowed. Much of those last two numbers can be attributed to UK's inability to stay out of 3rd and long. UK's offensive line was also incredibly inexperienced. Other than Toth and the departed Darrian Miller, it was a challenge to find reasons for optimism.
On the flip side, there were some positives. UK played three freshman on the o-line. All should be better for it (and all are projected to start this season). Toth emerged as a very good center. Boom Williams averaged 6.6 yards per carry. Towles was picked off just nine times in nearly 400 attempts. UK played a boatload of very young guys at WR. So no question, the '15 offense will be a more experienced group. But will they be better? I think it would be very hard to make a case that they won't be.
Patrick Towles has a very valuable year under his belt. The junior passed for over 2700 yards in an offense that was, at times, pretty awful. Towles is a guy that can also do some damage with his feet. He has a big arm. Accuracy is the only real question mark, IMO. Allegedly, he's gotten better in that area. Either way, I'm confident Dawson will do a better job than Brown of putting Towles in a position to succeed. JMO of course.
UK has no shortage of skill guys, especially at wide receiver. Kentucky returns four of their top six receivers, led by Ryan Timmons. Timmons truly is an elite athlete, but consistency has been a major road block for him. Getting Jeff Badet back is absolutely huge. Garrett Johnson, Dorian Baker, and Blake Bone are young guys that played a ton of snaps as freshman. There are more names as well (LOL; UK really has loaded up at this position). Overall, you have to figure Kentucky is going to be MUCH better at WR this season.
I really like UK's running backs. I wish there was a little more depth, but I'll take Williams/Horton/Kemp. I think Boom could be one of the bigger surprises nationally. He has tremendous athletic ability. Just need to get him more touches. In addition to the 6.6 yards per carry, Williams averaged nearly 10 yards per reception (17 catches). Hopefully, Dawson can get Boom ***at least*** 17-18 touches per game.
That leaves the big fellas. At tight end, I think everyone is excited to get a look at C.J. Conrad. Having that kid develop into a legit "between the hash marks" threat would be huge for this offense. UK looks to actually have a little depth at tackle and guard. Inside, we're probably looking at a starting duo of Nick Haynes and Ramsey Meyers. Senior Zach West (30 career starts) will battle for one of those spots. Outside, veteran Jordan Swindle and SO Kyle Meadows are projected to start, though it seems like just a matter of time before George Asafo-Ajdei replaces Meadows (could be sooner than later). UK has one of the nations better centers in Jon Toth, (Rimington Trophy watch list). Toth is a two year starter and UK's top lineman.
I'm most anxious to see UK's new OC in action. For whatever reason, I've never been as excited about a coordinator hire as I am with Shannon Dawson. Maybe it's the scheme he's going to use. Maybe it's just that has the "it" factor. Not sure where it comes from really, but I have a lot of confidence in Dawson. I think he's going to be absolutely outstanding.
So where does that leave the offense? I think they'll be very good. I'm thinking something along the lines of 430+ yards and 30+ points per game. Looking for a big season from this group.
GBB!!!
When reflecting on '14, the first thing that jumps out at me is the ridiculous amount of youth on the offensive unit. Patrick Towles was an underclassman first year starter. Boom Williams was a freshman (overall, UK had almost no experience at running back). Four of UK's top six wide receivers were underclassman. Three freshman lineman played (Haynes, Meyers, and Meadows). Toth was only a sophomore.
Predictably, there were times when the offense struggled. UK finished 79th nationally with 384 yards per game. Kentucky was a woeful 110th in third down conversion rate. They were 101st in sacks allowed. Much of those last two numbers can be attributed to UK's inability to stay out of 3rd and long. UK's offensive line was also incredibly inexperienced. Other than Toth and the departed Darrian Miller, it was a challenge to find reasons for optimism.
On the flip side, there were some positives. UK played three freshman on the o-line. All should be better for it (and all are projected to start this season). Toth emerged as a very good center. Boom Williams averaged 6.6 yards per carry. Towles was picked off just nine times in nearly 400 attempts. UK played a boatload of very young guys at WR. So no question, the '15 offense will be a more experienced group. But will they be better? I think it would be very hard to make a case that they won't be.
Patrick Towles has a very valuable year under his belt. The junior passed for over 2700 yards in an offense that was, at times, pretty awful. Towles is a guy that can also do some damage with his feet. He has a big arm. Accuracy is the only real question mark, IMO. Allegedly, he's gotten better in that area. Either way, I'm confident Dawson will do a better job than Brown of putting Towles in a position to succeed. JMO of course.
UK has no shortage of skill guys, especially at wide receiver. Kentucky returns four of their top six receivers, led by Ryan Timmons. Timmons truly is an elite athlete, but consistency has been a major road block for him. Getting Jeff Badet back is absolutely huge. Garrett Johnson, Dorian Baker, and Blake Bone are young guys that played a ton of snaps as freshman. There are more names as well (LOL; UK really has loaded up at this position). Overall, you have to figure Kentucky is going to be MUCH better at WR this season.
I really like UK's running backs. I wish there was a little more depth, but I'll take Williams/Horton/Kemp. I think Boom could be one of the bigger surprises nationally. He has tremendous athletic ability. Just need to get him more touches. In addition to the 6.6 yards per carry, Williams averaged nearly 10 yards per reception (17 catches). Hopefully, Dawson can get Boom ***at least*** 17-18 touches per game.
That leaves the big fellas. At tight end, I think everyone is excited to get a look at C.J. Conrad. Having that kid develop into a legit "between the hash marks" threat would be huge for this offense. UK looks to actually have a little depth at tackle and guard. Inside, we're probably looking at a starting duo of Nick Haynes and Ramsey Meyers. Senior Zach West (30 career starts) will battle for one of those spots. Outside, veteran Jordan Swindle and SO Kyle Meadows are projected to start, though it seems like just a matter of time before George Asafo-Ajdei replaces Meadows (could be sooner than later). UK has one of the nations better centers in Jon Toth, (Rimington Trophy watch list). Toth is a two year starter and UK's top lineman.
I'm most anxious to see UK's new OC in action. For whatever reason, I've never been as excited about a coordinator hire as I am with Shannon Dawson. Maybe it's the scheme he's going to use. Maybe it's just that has the "it" factor. Not sure where it comes from really, but I have a lot of confidence in Dawson. I think he's going to be absolutely outstanding.
So where does that leave the offense? I think they'll be very good. I'm thinking something along the lines of 430+ yards and 30+ points per game. Looking for a big season from this group.
GBB!!!
