In the wake of a frustrating loss to Ole Miss, Kentucky Offensive Coordinator Bush Hamdan projected a defiant confidence. While fans lamented poor play-calling and a stagnant passing game, Hamdan argued they didn't lose, rather a series of correctable mistakes they made meant they gave the game away. Sounding familiar?
He made it clear that he believes this Kentucky team is on the verge of being very good, and that they let a major victory slip through their fingers.
"If we put it together, it's a top 20 team we played last Saturday and we beat ourselves," Hamdan stated emphatically. "Otherwise, we're sitting here at 2 and 0."
A game of self-inflicted wounds
According to Hamdan, the difference in the game wasn't the Ole Miss defense; it was Kentucky's own operational failures. He pointed to several key moments that derailed the offense's rhythm and cost them dearly.
"It's just the reality of the matter is, you know, the the formation mixup we had early in the game on the 35 yd play, the halftime issue with substitutions, it's just the self-inflicted wounds," Hamdan explained. "We're not going to recover from that."
He believes the offense had the potential for a massive day if not for these errors, noting, "we thought we could have put up 30 plus points in that game." That's rich considering Kentucky has never put up more points than the 23 they did Saturday, against a power 5 team.
Confidence or excuse?
Hamdan's message is clear: he sees an offense with the ability to run the ball at a high level, players who are playing hard, and a scheme that can create explosives. That is just not living in reality as Kentucky ranks 115th out of 136 FBS teams in explosive plays. In his eyes though, the team is not being out-schemed or out-played, but is instead its own worst enemy. Tell that to the fake toss QB draw he called on 3rd and 9.
"I'm not sitting here under my table hiding," Hamdan said. "Like, we got a chance to be a very good football team, a very good offense, and we got 40 guys who believe that."
For a frustrated fanbase, this confidence is a double-edged sword. It's either the rallying cry of a coach who truly believes his team is on the cusp of a breakthrough, or the empty excuse of a coordinator failing to get his unit to execute when it matters most.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time, he spends time with his family, and watching Premier League soccer. Psalm 121:7-8.#UpTheAlbion