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Kentucky’s offense has struggled, but its ground game presents a challenge

For the last five years or so, Kentucky has been consistent in its approach on the offensive side: run the dang ball. The Wildcats haven’t averaged more than 25 passing attempts per game since 2015, which makes them a bit of an oddity among power-conference schools.

This period of run-heavy offense coincides with a successful stretch for Mark Stoops that includes a four-year run with winning records and a five-year bowl streak. Kentucky will finish below .500 this but probably would have at least had the opportunity for a winning record with a normal schedule.

It hasn’t made for great offense in general—Kentucky tends not to light up the scoreboard—but its effective ground game helps shorten games as well as hide its substandard quarterbacks.