Kentucky sits at 10th in all of college football in rushing efficiency

With Liam Coen back at the helm calling plays for the offense, Kentucky has made the passing game the ball-moving method of choice through the first four matchups of the season. The ‘Cats entered Saturday with roughly a 60-40 split between pass plays and run plays, putting faith in Devin Leary’s ability to find his plethora of playmakers down the field.

This is a stark shift from the run-first mindset Mark Stoops has often engrained into his game plans, made possible by power running backs like Chris Rodriguez and Benny Snell. This year, the committee of backs on Kentucky’s roster is built for speed more than power, however, this explosiveness has created a number of big plays.

Last week, I wrote it would be good to see a little bigger focus on the run game and my wish came to fruition. Against Vanderbilt, Kentucky used a more balanced approach in their attack with a 50-50 split in run plays and pass plays.

With this scheme, Kentucky averaged 5.6 yards per rush against the Commodores bringing their season average to 5.8 yards per rush, good for 10th best in all of college football.

Kentucky benefiting from explosive plays

Two years ago, the last time Liam Coen served as the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator, Kentucky finished the season 7th in the country in this category. That season, Kentucky also had the best offensive line in the SEC when it comes to run blocking according to PFF, and needless to say, that helped.

Contrast that to 2023 where Kentucky ranks 7th in the SEC in run blocking. That is a step up from last season when the ‘Cats ranked 10th in this category, but still far from the days of the Big Blue Wall.

The way this team has been able to maintain a high yards-per-rush is the backs’ ability to break any run for a big gainer. Against Vandy, Ray Davis ripped off a 38-yarder, JuTahn McClain broke one for 36 yards, and even Devin Leary found some room and ran for 22 yards.

On the flip side, Kentucky had nine rush attempts against Vanderbilt that went for either no gain or a loss. That is roughly a third of the time they ran the ball on Saturday and something Mark Stoops did not need to worry about when C-Rod was in the backfield always falling forward.

It will be interesting to see how this boom-or-bust run game fares against the likes of stiffer competition as the SEC schedule kicks into full gear.

Kentucky will get a big test when Florida comes to town on Saturday as the Gators feature the top-rated rush defense in the SEC.