WATCH: Bush Hamdan, Kentucky Offense were blown away by BBN

The 2024 Kentucky football season opener was unlike any other. It’s not because the Cats pitched a shutout, just the second of the Mark Stoops era. Kroger Field was on fire while lightning struck all around Lexington.

Typically, severe weather scares most of the crowd away. On Saturday night, the rain stayed away from the stadium, failing to send people home early.

Fired up to see their Cats in action for the first time in 2024, Kentucky football fans stayed in their seats. They weren’t just passive bystanders either. As each moment passed, the crowd grew hotter and hotter. When the team finally took the field, there was an amazing pop.

Mark Stoops already shared his gratitude toward Big Blue Nation on three different occasions. Tonight offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan got a chance to speak to the media for the first time since the 31-0 win over Southern Miss.

I’ll be frank, a lot of times coaches go through the motions behind the podium. It can be a game of chess between the ears as they debate what’s worth sharing with the public and what should be kept private. When asked about Saturday night, Hamdan completely let his guard down and shared just how special it was to receive that outstanding greeting from Kentucky football fans.

“I’ve never seen anything like that. I mean that,” Hamdan said. “I was in my office. I actually had Brock (Vandagriff) up there for an hour and a half because we didn’t know what was going on. We were re-watching cut-ups, this and that. Finally, I said, ‘Hey, let me just get down there,’ because I knew it was going to be a quick turn-around when they said it was a go.”

He added, “I don’t think I’ll ever forget it, to be honest with you. In my life, I’ve been fortunate to be in a lot of places, but to walk out there after a two-hour delay and see that place as packed as it was. You got to slow down sometimes and be grateful and thankful for where you’re at, and I will never, ever forget that.”

Hamdan, Kentucky Offense Preview South Carolina

Hamdan didn’t spend his entire 10 minutes with the media raving about Kentucky football fans. The play-caller had plenty of nice things to say about his unit’s performance in the abbreviated season opener, and he talked at length about the challenges the South Carolina defense poses. The Gamecocks have some game-wreckers on the edges and an experienced secondary.

KSR spent most of the post-practice media scrum speaking with folks about the running game. We caught up with RB coach Jay Boulware, Demie Sumo-Karngbaye, and true freshman Jason Patterson. Marques Cox also spent a couple of minutes talking about the challenges South Carolina poses to the UK pass protection.

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