Liam Coen's Offensive Playcalling Trends (Through Week 1)

I’m not sure the offense was really humming last week but you could still see how much more explosive that side of the ball looked compared to 2022. The variety of play calls kept Ball State on their heels all game long and I think if they remain healthy, Kentucky has enough weapons to keep just about any opponent on their schedule on edge. Liam Coen might go down as the best assistant hire this offseason and we saw glimpses of why last week.

But just what kind of trends could we decipher from the play calls against Ball State? Throughout the season I will keep track of what types of plays and the successes (or failures) of those plays in various down-and-distance situations. What kind of spots will the UK offense do the best and where do we not want to see them?

1ST DOWN

Passing Plays: 10-16, 145 yards, 1 TD, 1 sack allowed
Running Plays: 7 rushes for 14 yards

Breakdown: Obviously, the Cats had a significantly higher amount of success through the air on 1st down over the run game. The longest run on first down went for only 5 yards and that will have to improve moving forward. But Kentucky showed big play promise on 1st down and mostly stayed ahead of the chains throughout the game. The main key for Liam Coen on 1st down is NO NEGATIVE PLAYS and Kentucky only had two against Ball State.

2ND DOWN

Passing Plays: 5-10, 57 yards
Rushing Plays: 8 rushes for 97 yards, 2 TD

Breakdown: Very unlikely Kentucky will have over 10 yards per rush this season on 2nd down but even still, explosive running by Ray Davis, including both of his touchdowns. Even if you take away the last 30-yard score, Kentucky still rushed for 67 yards on just 7 carries. Leary struggled a bit in these situations. The key for him is if Kentucky is in 2nd and Long, the completion percentage needs to remain high and get into more 3rd and short situations. 5 incompletions on 2nd down is not ideal.

3RD DOWN AND LONG (6 Yards or More)

Passing Plays: 2-3, 25 yards (converted 1 of 3)
Rushing Plays: 2 rushes for -1 yards, 1 QB scramble (converted 0 of 2)

Breakdown: These situations always will favor the defense but if you can somehow convert 1/3 of these situations then you’re in good shape. Kentucky converted 20% against Ball State. The two rushes were circumstantial as UK was getting into a better position for a field goal and Leary was forced out of the pocket on another. Nonetheless, with the weapons at Liam Coen’s disposal this year, you hope these percentages will improve throughout the season.

3RD DOWN AND SHORT (5 Yards or Less)

Passing Plays: 1-2, 14 yards (converted 1 of 2)
Rushing Plays: 2 rushes for 8 yards (converted 2 of 2)

Breakdown: Here is where good offenses are automatic. Inability to convert 3rd and shorts are killer for offenses. Look at Kentucky’s best seasons and you’ll see they extended drives constantly on 3rd and short. It helped to have Benny Snell and Chris Rodriguez in those situations of course. Kentucky got 3 of 4 converted on Saturday and that percentage works pretty well if they can continue it. My only question is who is getting the tough 1-2 yards for Coen when needed? Against Georgia and Tennessee, this is going to happen. Do we have the guys to make that happen?

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