Liam Coen: Kentucky offense "is going to look different" in 2023

by:Nick Roush•01/13/23•

RoushKSR

Liam Coen had the best offense of the Mark Stoops era during his first season as the Wildcats’ offensive coordinator. Two years later that offense will different.

“This is going to look different. It’s not going to be 2021,” Liam Coen said Friday morning on Kentucky Sports Radio. :The standard, the philosophy, the way that we might do business around the building and meet and practice, those standards and expectations will be very similar. But the way that we look, the way that we operate during the game, that might look a little bit different.”

It has to look different. Liam Coen will not be drawing up plays for Will Levis, Wan’Dale Robinson and Chris Rodriguez. There isn’t a Consensus All-American at right tackle and a day one NFL starter at center.

“We’re going to need to be able to work and adjust to our personnel. At the end of the day, what happened last year is on all of us. The standard dropped and that’s on every single coach and player in that building. It’s on me as well. I’m a part of it. And we need to get it fixed. We’re committed to getting it fixed. We’re committed to getting it right and putting the product on the film and and on the field that everybody’s proud of and excited to go watch.”

What specifically must get fixed? It all starts up front.

“I think the efficiency in running the football and protecting the quarterback. Those are two things that we need to get back to, evaluate, develop, work on. I think those two things, and also developing those young receivers… They had a nice, good freshman year, a couple those guys like Dane (Key) and Barion (Brown). Now we need to see those guys take the next step in their development. I think they’re poised and ready to do that. That’ll be something we work on throughout this spring and offseason.

“But number one priority really is on third and one, we’re going to run the football and get a yard and we don’t want to even think twice about it. When it comes to protecting the quarterback, we have one of the better quarterbacks arguably in the country coming off an injury. We need to protect him at all costs. And those are two things that need to get fixed and ultimately I think they will.”