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Kentucky’s offense has struggled so far this season, but head coach Mark Stoops says running back Stanley “Boom” Williams can be a solution to the problem.

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With Kentucky on a bye week, Mark Stoops will put in some recruiting before spending time with his family on Saturday – his son Will’s birthday – as he enjoys a rare stress-free weekend in the middle of the tense college football season. After opening the season with two consecutive losses, the Wildcats have battled back to 3-3 and are in position to challenge for a bowl bid down the stretch, which would be the first postseason game since Stoops arrived in Lexington.

Stoops has a lot of work to do if he wants to reach that six-win plateau, including finding a solution to the stagnant offense that ranks 111th in the nation in yards per game and averages just 24.5 points per game. A lot of the problems can be pointed at the injury to starting quarterback Drew Barker, who has been out since the third week of the season.

One guy that Stoops is counting on to help revive the offense is running back Stanley “Boom” Williams, whose importance to the Wildcats is often overlooked.

“He brings that element of a guy that can make a big play at any given time.”

Through six games, Williams has been just okay for the Wildcats, averaging 94.3 yards per game and reaching the end zone only two times. With no real threat of a passing game – backup quarterback Stephen Johnson passed for only 49 yards in the win against Vanderbilt – defenses have been focusing on shutting down the junior running back.

Stoops is expecting more from Williams, and knows that it can come at any moment.

“He’s very explosive and he has that home run talent that you are looking for, so he can break off a big one at any time.”

Stoops and Kentucky will need that explosiveness to manifest in a difficult, but manageable, second half of the season, as they work towards bowl eligibility.

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