Mark Stoops believes Kentucky's offense is 'getting better' despite the bad numbers

Kentucky made a bet on staff continuity in the offseason. The program rebuild mostly meant bringing in a bunch of new players to help give this football organization a spark. Most of the personnel turnover occurred on offense where the Cats are starting first-year transfers at tailback, wide receiver (x2), left tackle, left guard, and right tackle. This was supposed to lead to better offensive production with an offensive infrastructure in place.
The results, unfortunately, have been very much the same as 2024 in year two for offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan.
- Scoring: 24.4 (No. 94 overall)
- Success Rate: 40.1% (No. 97 overall)
- EPA/Play: -0.09 (No. 126 overall)
- Yards Per Play: 4.99 (No. 65 overall)
- Yards Per Non-Sack Rush: 5.30 (No. 55 overall)
- Yards Per Dropback: 5.93 (No. 110 overall)
- Third Down Conversions: 42.86% (No. 103 overall)
- Havoc Rate Allowed: 9.6% (No. 41 overall)
- Explosives (20+ yards plays): 17 (No. 127 overall)
- Red Zone TD Percentage: 63.16% (No. 74 overall)
- Turnovers: 8 (No. 80 overall)
Kentucky finished the 2024 season ranked No. 89 in success rate (40.6%), No. 107 in yards per play (5.25), No. 109 in red zone touchdown percentage (52.94%), and No. 118 in EPA/play (-0.08). Kentucky posted only a 38.9 percent red zone touchdown rate against power conference foes and finished under five yards per play six times. This program added eight transfers who have played at least 25 snaps per game to help improve this offense.
The results are worse across the board in almost every statistical category through 20 quarters but there is still a lot of football left to be played. Mark Stoops was asked about the development of the offense on Monday. The 13th-year head coach says he feels that the offense is getting better.
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“Not so much look at a plan — what may look good on a grease board — but what we can execute. And we could have some success. I do feel like we’re getting better. I know some people will pull up stats or numbers and whatever and throw them right back in my face but I know what goes on in the building,” Stoops explained. “And I know guys are working hard and trying to put a good plan together to help us achieve our goals and winning some games.”
Kentucky is very much a defense-first operation. The Cats want to play a methodical style of football. That means shrinking game, establishing the run, and oftentimes leaning very conservative. That overall philosophy isn’t necessarily the best method when it comes to winning the stat wars. Kentucky needs to win in the margins and dominate is situational football. However, the numbers can tell us if progress is being made. There are even numbers there that can give us all a glimpse how UK is performing in situational football. Through five games, Kentucky’s offense seems to have take a minor step back from last year. That was not the plan.
There is still time to show this improvement that Stoops and is program keeps talking about but that clock is starting to run out.
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