Kentucky Focused on Discipline in First Game of the Season

Kentucky is set to kickoff their 2024 season on Saturday night against Southern Miss. One of the biggest things, especially with it being the first game of the season, is staying very disciplined. That's one of the main areas of focus that Offensive Coordinator Bush Hamdan is making a priority on Saturday.

"Everything we're talking about right now, we've talked about the pre-snaps so much," Hamdan told media. "It's being extremely disciplined in the pre-snap. No pre-snap penalties, getting lined up, knowing what we've gotta get done. I think the second thing we've been preaching is this make routine, routine. Again, the routine plays, we need to go out there and do that over and over again. Certainly in this first one, owning the line of scrimmage is gonna be critical. We've gotta play a physical brand of ball and take care of the football."

Hamdan and the coaching staff have also been preaching about the mental side of discipline, especially with it being the first game of the season, as well as the new players on the team who will experience it for the first time at Kentucky. "I think the number one thing for us is, can you be at your best regardless of how you're feeling? That's what we're constantly preaching. We know that with every guy. Do they have the mental discipline to go out there each play regardless of what the last play was like, stay focused their job?"

What has Hamdan seen on film of Kentucky's first opponent of the season, Southern Miss, as far as the defensive side goes? "You talked about all of the transfers and the guys they brought in. Where they did not bring in a lot of guys is their fronts, and so there is experience there. It's a physical group that's played a lot of football. I think they do an equally good job in their pass rush and stopping the run."

The Wildcats will face off against Southern Miss on Saturday night inside Kroger Field to kick off their 2024 season.