Blue Preview: In opener, can Liam Coen’s offense live up to UK fans’ expectations?
READ MORE
2021 College Football Preview
The Lexington Herald-Leader’s 2021 College Football Preview is being published in the print edition from Sunday, Aug. 29 through Friday, Sept. 3. Click below to view all the stories that have been published on Kentucky.com.
Expand All
Louisiana Monroe at Kentucky
When: Noon (EDT) Saturday.
Where: Kroger Field (capacity 61,000).
TV: SEC Network (play-by-play, Taylor Zarzour; analysis, Matt Stinchcomb; sideline, Alyssa Lang).
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1.
Satellite Radio: XM Channel 81; Sirius Channel 81, Internet Channel 81.
Records: Kentucky 0-0; Louisiana Monroe 0-0.
Series history: Kentucky leads 4-1 and has won the past four games.
Last meeting: Patrick Towles threw three touchdown passes and UK returned two interceptions for TDs as the Wildcats pasted ULM 48-14 on Oct. 11, 2014, at the venue then known as Commonwealth Stadium.
Line: Kentucky is favored by 27.5 points.
The story line
As Mark Stoops seeks to run his record in season openers to 6-3, Kentucky will unveil a new offense coordinated by former Los Angeles Rams assistant Liam Coen, directed by ex-Penn State quarterback Will Levis and, if things go as planned, ignited by ex-Nebraska standout Wan’Dale Robinson.
The number to watch
UK’s passing yardage. A season ago, only five teams in the FBS threw for fewer yards a game than Kentucky’s average of 121.5 — and four of them ran the wishbone. Stoops brought Coen from LAX to LEX to put some balance into UK’s ground-hugging attack.
The big threat
Is complacency. In 2020, ULM produced one of the worst seasons in college football history. Not only did the Warhawks go 0-10, they never led in any game at any point. UK’s second-week game, against Missouri, shapes up as one of the pivotal contests of the Wildcats’ season. So while it is hard to imagine a team being flat for its season opener, this could be a challenging motivational scenario for Kentucky.
On the spot
Will Levis. The howitzer-like arm strength of Kentucky’s new starting quarterback has created a mystique around Levis. However, in his days at Penn State, the 6-foot-3, 232-pound Madison, Conn., product was seen as lacking the passing touch and accuracy to take advantage of his powerful arm. UK is essentially staking its season on the ability of Levis to prove that “the book” on him at PSU was wrong.
The mood
Is expectant. The collective imagination of the Big Blue Nation has been intrigued by the idea of UK installing an NFL offensive system. Against a ULM defense that surrendered 42 points a game in 2020, Cats fans will want to see Coen’s new Kentucky attack make the Kroger Field scoreboards light up like the Las Vegas Strip.
This story was originally published August 30, 2021 at 11:56 AM.
.JPG)
.jpg)
