Kentucky offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan was pleased with his debut as the new OC following a 31-0 win over Southern Mississippi last Saturday.

Hamdan liked the way the team handled the adversity of a late start following a lengthy weather delay in a contest that lasted a little more than two quarters.

“I’m certainly proud of the guys, from the standpoint of the extended delay and the ability to stay focused,” he said. “I felt they played better as the game continued to go on. I think a lot of positives. There (is a lot) a lot to clean up.”

Hamdan’s offense generated 43 plays against the Golden Eagles. Kentucky rushed for 148 yards and threw for 169 more, with three passing touchdowns. Hamdan praised the team’s offensive line and its ability to create balance with the passing and running attack.

“I thought they did a nice job (and) they played extremely hard,” Hamdan said. “I was very pleased with the ability to run the ball when we needed to. On the explosive plays, it always starts with those guys up front. The ability for them to hold up the protection gave us the ability to throw the ball down the field and that was impressive.”

The opener also was the debut for Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff, who threw for 169 yards and rushed for 35 more. The Georgia transfer also threw for three touchdowns.

“He plays physical,” Hamdan said. “He’s got to get down and protect himself because we’re going to need that guy. I think we’ve got a good player there — the toughness, the resiliency, more so not when things were going good but how he responded when things weren’t going good. We’re excited about his play. I think he’s a steady player. He’s never too high, never too low. He knows exactly who he is.”

South Carolina coach Shane Beamer recruited Vandagriff while he was at Oklahoma and considers the Kentucky quarterback a “really good player.”

“I’m very familiar with him,” Beamer said. “When I was an assistant coach at [Oklahoma], he was committed to us at [Oklahoma] and Lincoln Riley was our head coach. When you’re the head coach, you’re very limited on how often you can go out recruiting, so I was the one who was going to see Brock about every week, so I know what kind of talent he is.”

Vandagriff’s receivers also played well in the opener, paced by North Texas transfer Ja’Mori Maclin, who hauled in two passes for 66 yards, while veterans Dane Key and Barion Brown combined for 88 yards receiving and a pair of touchdowns.

“I think those guys have different skill sets that complement one another. I think that’s so important about a great wide receiver room, you’ve got vertical threats, you’ve got guys who are great in space, you’ve got guys who can stretch the field, you’ve got a guy like Dane Key who can make those tough catches,” Hamdan said. “The great groups have that about them.”