Mark Stoops expresses confidence in Bush Hamdan despite Kentucky's offensive struggles

Amid a season where the Kentucky Wildcats have struggled on offense, head coach Mark Stoops shared his confidence in offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan.

Kentucky has now lost four out of five SEC games this season. On top of that, the Wildcats have yet to score more than two touchdowns in a conference game this season, leading to concerns about the direction of the offense. That manifested in the loss to Florida.

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“We just stay the course,” Mark Stoops said following the Florida loss. “I mean, we’ve had a lot of turnover at that position. I have a lot of confidence in Bush. He’s been handed a — it’s tough. Not going to point any fingers. Put it on me.”

This is Bush Hamdan’s first season as the offensive coordinator at Kentucky. He previously held the role at Boise State and Washington. However, things clearly haven’t clicked yet with the Wildcats. That could, in part, be due to turnover at that position. Kentucky has had a different offensive coordinator every season since 2020, with Liam Coen having two separate seasons in the role.

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“We’ll go back to work. There’s been opportunities, as you know,” Stoops said. “I don’t want to keep on going backwards, but each game it’s like we’re shooting ourselves in the foot. So close, at least it wouldn’t be so eye-popping if we get several other possessions in the end zone and those are the times that we will just keep working on.”

This season, Kentucky is averaging 20.4 points per game, which is 115th in the country in scoring offense. That mark is last in the SEC. On top of that, the Wildcats are 115th in the country in total offense, averaging 319.9 yards per game. A major reason for those struggles has been the passing game, with Kentucky averaging 167.9 passing yards per game, which is 121st in passing offense.

For the season, Kentucky is -1 in turnover margin. That includes seven interceptions and two fumbles lost on the season. That’s more than a turnover per game, which never helps a struggling offense. Add in 2.43 sacks per game and it’s not hard to see why the Wildcats are struggling to put drives together.

There are plenty of issues that Mark Stoops and Bush Hamdan need to clean up moving forward and not much more time left to do it. Already in the second half of the season, Kentucky is now 3-4 overall and 1-4 in SEC play. With five games left, it’s going to be difficult to get to bowl eligibility without improving the offense. That’s particularly true given that two AP Top-10 teams, Texas and Tennessee, are still to come.