The Schematic Changes Helping Cutter Boley Improve Each Week

The Cutter Boley who tossed five touchdown passes against Tennessee looks like a completely different player than the one we saw getting his first career start in the 2024 season finale. An overnight revelation did not make it all happen. There were thoughtful changes to the offense that have helped the redshirt freshman exceed early expectations.

“There’s a deeper meaning in all of this. When you’ve battled with a guy like Cutter for 16 months and poured in a lot to pursue his growth, for him to go out there and play older than his age, it feels good,” offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said on Tuesday.

“There are small wins and we just gotta keep building on that. He’s done some things that probably haven’t been done in 20 years. He’s steady, going right back to work, and continuing to improve. I think the message to him is there will be a time when you look back on this experience and understand the struggle you went through, you’ll look back on this experience and know this is where it started.”

Quick Release

It started with a simple instruction: Make quick decisions. Over the last month, Hamdan tinkered with the offense by implementing a quick passing game. Not only does it protect Boley from taking a bunch of hits, but it also gets the balls to his playmakers in space with a chance to gain yards after the catch. The key to its success? Taking what the defense gives you.

“These defensive ends, these pass rushers week in and week out are extremely talented and the focus is getting the ball out of his hands, being more decisive from a read-progression standpoint,” said Hamdan. “We’ve worked extremely hard at that and in a lot of ways think that’s where the growth in our passing game has been. It’s an 11-man job: protection, running fast routes, quarterback’s gotta get the ball out of their hands, knowing where to go with it, and we just gotta keep building on it.”

It took some time, but Boley found a rhythm on the road against Georgia, completing a career-high 21 passes. Once they identified what worked, they added more to it, culminating with 330 yards and five touchdowns against Tennessee.

“We’ve done more and more every week, developing who we are and who our identity is, and we’re going to stick to that,” said Boley.

Boley is Playmaking

Not every single quick pass is going to be there. Sometimes, a disruptive defense makes the right call to take away Boley’s top options. Once a broken play breaks out, he might be at his best. It’s not by accident. During fall camp, they worked on scramble drill more than any other part of the passing game.

“Our biggest concept is going to be scramble drill,” said the quarterback. “You only run a certain concept a few times a game. When we get out of the pocket and the play breaks down, that’s going to happen more than any singular concept you’re going to play during the game. We really emphasized that during fall camp.”

The results are undeniable. For freshman wide receiver DJ Miller, he had multiple broken-play receptions in the win over Tennessee, including a 28-yard tiptoe touchdown. Those successes are confidence-builders. Even though Kentucky is losing, the young quarterback is making plays and efficiently executing the two-minute offense.

“That’s the true mark of a quarterback who’s taken the next step,” said Hamdan. “Anytime two-minute, red zone, finishing drives, understanding in those pressure moments to take what the defense gives them, it’s a huge plus.”

More Kentucky News and Views on the KSR YouTube Channel

Kentucky Sports Radio has expanded its coverage of the Wildcats in the most ridiculous manner possible on our YouTube Channel. Here you will be able to find interviews with coaches and players, as well as commentary from the KSR crew. From Rapid Reactions following big events to our lengthy lineup of live shows, subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel to stay up to date on everything happening around the Big Blue Nation.