Bush Hamdan Confident Kentucky Can Have a "Damn Good" Offense

The Kentucky offense has received a large helping of criticism following Saturday’s 30-23 loss to Ole Miss.

The Wildcats scored 23 points, but left a lot to be desired with six three-and-outs. They have yet to throw for a touchdown this season and are only completing 46.4% of their passing attempts. Only two teams have a worse completion percentage. The advanced stats paint an even uglier picture. Kentucky has one of the worst passing attacks in the FBS.

“We’re as frustrated as everybody is with us, and there’s no sugar coating it,” Bush Hamdan said after Tuesday’s practice. “We thought we could have put up 30 plus points in that game. They’re self-inflicted wounds. We made plays. We thought we called it aggressive at times.

“It’s just the reality of the matter is, the formation mix-up we had early in the game on a 35-yard play, the halftime issue with substitutions, it’s just the self-inflicted wounds. We’re not going to recover from that. When we’re looking to be explosive, like we got to have every explosive play we can, and that cost us.”

As bad as it seems, Kentucky’s offensive coordinator repeated multiple times that he believes the Wildcats can put a quality offense on the field.

“We got to be at our best when our best is needed. Everybody included. It starts with me. We’ve been here before at Kentucky,” said Hamdan. 

“I’m not sitting here under my table hiding. We got a chance to be a very good football team, a very good offense, and we got 40 guys who believe that, and that ultimately, right now, is all that matters. And we got a good opportunity this Saturday.”

Why Hamdan Believes the Kentucky Offense Can Improve

The numbers can play Devil’s Advocate to that statement. What makes Hamdan confident that this can be a good offense?

“Ability to run the football. I think both backs have been playing at a really, really high level,” is where Hamdan started. The numbers back that up. Dante Dowdell and Seth McGowan are both on pace to have 1,000-yard seasons.

Hamdan continued: “I see a team that’s come out in two weeks that have played their butts off at every level. We don’t have selfish guys out there. These guys are playing extremely hard. Some of the penalties have just been from a standpoint of trying to be too physical, not knowing when to let go. And so I think we got 45 guys that want to be great, that want to do it for this team. I don’t see a lot of selfishness. I see a football team that’s running the football extremely well.

“I thought from week one to week two, we were more explosive. We did create a couple more plays. I think that’s going to be the (challenge) all year in how we create those explosives, but if we put it together, that’s a top 20 team we played last Saturday, and we beat ourselves. Otherwise, we’re sitting here at 2-0. So I think there’s a lot in my mind that needs to be improved, but if it does get improved, I got confidence in this group.”

Kentucky played within a score of a Top-20 team and didn’t look great for most of the game. It’s their turn to prove they can take drastic steps forward to turn around this offense.