John Clay: Kentucky football fans hope party

Never mind Kentucky football’s preparations for Saturday’s opener against Ball State. Liam Coen recently had arguably more important responsibilities.

“Which is harder?” a media member asked UK’s offensive coordinator after Tuesday’s practice. “Planning a game-plan for your first game or planning a 2-year-old’s birthday party?”

“Oh, geez,” answered Coen, who along with wife Ashley held a birthday party for son Jackson last weekend. “I’d say, without question, a 2-year-old’s birthday party.

“Especially one with a petting zoo and a lot of other things that he’ll probably never remember. But it’s good. About an hour prior to the actual party starting, we said, ‘Why didn’t we just do this at Malibu Jack’s and have somebody else deal with this?’ But it was fun. We had a great time.”

Big Blue Nation hopes for a great time Saturday. After a one-year hiatus, Coen is back. He’s the same play-caller who along with quarterback Will Levis and wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson, injected life into UK’s 2021 offense. Then again, after spending the 2022 season as OC of the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams, he’s a different play-caller.

With the Rams, it was Sean McVay’s show. The head coach also called plays. While Coen had been with McVay in L.A. before first being hired by UK coach Mark Stoops in 2021, his main responsibility was helping formulate the plan of attack during the week and offering input on Sundays.

Back with the Cats, it’s Coen’s show again. The game plan. The play-calling. Sure, it’s a collaborative effort with the assistants on offense. However, when it comes right down to it, how Kentucky’s offense performs this season rests squarely on the 37-year-old’s shoulders.

Is he nervous about getting back in the swing on Saturday?

“Not quite yet,” Coen said Tuesday. “That settles in a little bit more, the anxiousness more Thursday, Friday as we get back to the later course of the weekend. Right now, we’re so dialed in on each play, each practice, each rep.”

Coen has a new quarterback. Perhaps you’ve heard. North Carolina State transfer Devin Leary will take his first snaps as a Wildcat on Saturday. The Coen-Leary duo have teamed up through both spring drills and fall camp to plan for Saturday.

“It’s been a long time since I played football,” Leary said Tuesday, referring to the fact he missed half of the 2022 North Carolina State season with a torn pectoral muscle. “I really can’t wait to go out. First time rocking the blue in Kroger Field. I’m just really excited.”

What about game-planning with Coen?

“I think it definitely helps now that I’m a graduate (student),” Leary said. “I’m not spending a super amount of time on campus, as I was in the past. Now it’s really cool being able to hang in the facility with Coach Coen and watch how he comes up with certain plays and how he sees going about certain ways.”

“It’s been a good process, kind of bridging the gap between the two of us and some of the things we’ve done in the past,” Coen said. “But he’s pretty dialed-in to this game plan.”

Coen also has a new running back in Ray Davis, the transfer from Vanderbilt, who rushed for over 1,000 yards last season as a Commodore.

“It’s different,” said Davis when asked about how Coen prepares the offense. “Where he came from, being with the Rams, having that NFL background, he prepares us differently from a lot of OCs that I’ve had before, which has been great.”

Is there back-and-forth between Davis and Coen about certain plays?

“Nah,” Davis said. “Whatever play he calls, whether I’m getting the ball or not getting the ball, whatever puts our team in the best position to win.”

That’s the bottom line, of course. Kentucky went 10-3 Coen’s year as offensive coordinator. It improved from 115th nationally in total offense in 2020 to 50th in 2021. After falling back to 116th in 2022, another jump under Coen in 2023 would be more than just nice. It’d be a party.

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