By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops likes the way Zach Calzada has responded in practice this week.
After throwing for just 85 yards in a season-opening 24-16 win over Toledo Saturday, Stoops said his starting signal-caller has played “very well” in practice this week ahead of the Wildcats’ Southeastern Conference season opener against Ole Miss.
“As I mentioned in my Monday presser, I have a lot of confidence in Zach and in the passing game, and just playing at a higher level,” Stoops said on Wednesday. “He’s come out this week and really worked hard.”
The biggest point of emphasis, Stoops said, has been connecting with his receivers in the open field. The Wildcats were 0-5 on deep throws against the Rockets.
“Obviously, I think I’d like to see the passing game greatly improve — that’s for sure,” Stoops said. “We took some shots aggressively down the field, I want to say five deep shots, and didn’t connect on any of them. We did get two pass interference (calls) with that, and had some contested catches that I’d like to see come down with.
“We’ve just also got to make the routine plays, and we’ve got some work to do. I’m confident that that will get it done and improve.”
Calzada agreed and added that making the right call under center has been a focus this week.
“For me, it’s going to be my decision-making — knowing when to pull the ball down and run, knowing when to take my outlets,” he said. “I think we saw a lot of production from taking those outlet throws on some of our shots,” he said. “We know exactly what we need to work on with regards to our shots and keep building that chemistry.”
Double trouble
While the passing game wasn’t on target in the opener, Kentucky offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan liked the Wildcats’ ability to run the football. Hamdan also doesn’t mind running backs Dante Dowdell and Seth McGowan sharing the load in the backfield.
“I think, from a freshness standpoint, especially nowadays in ball, I think two guys feeding off of one another is critical,” he said. “Even, think of (Saturday’s) game, there were opportunities where Seth was out there for four, five, six plays. Then all of a sudden, Dante came in and was able to hit that big one and be fresh. I think, more than ever now, the ability to play off of one another is critical. We’re fortunate to have both of those guys.”
Dowdell paved the way with 129 yards, including a 79-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. McGowan added 78 yards in the opener.
In addition to Dowdell and McGowan, Hamdan gave credit to the offensive line, which didn’t allow a sack and had just one penalty against the Rockets.
“Certainly the number one thing going into the game was we had to be a more physical team,” he said. “They had to feel our presence there, and I think it showed up at all levels. We were able to run the ball well.”
Gametracker: Ole Miss at Kentucky, 3:30 p.m., Saturday. TV/Radio: ABC, UK Radio Network.