Kentucky’s offense had issues last season’s 5-7 campaign, but running the football wasn’t one of them.

Largely due to a leaky defense, the Wildcats trailed in the second half of games, limiting their opportunities to run the football. When they did, the team’s 4.66 yards-per-carry average and 22 scores ranked in the top half of the SEC.

Only Missouri had fewer rushing attempts, however.

Still, despite a lack of opportunities and injuries to top back Stanley “Boom” Williams (pictured), the Wildcats were able to move the ball on the ground last season.

That bodes well as the calendar flips to 2016.

Nov 28, 2015; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats running back Stanley Boom Williams (18) runs the ball against the Louisville Cardinals in the first half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Rushing yards per game in 2015 (SEC rank): 162.67 (9th)
Yards per carry: 4.66 (7th)
Touchdowns: 22 (tied for 7th)

ROTATION

Williams is the first choice at running back. He missed two games last season but has piled up 1,341 yards and 11 touchdowns in his first two seasons in Lexington. He averaged more than 7 yards per carry last season, so new offensive coordinator Eddie Gran will look to increase his touches this fall.

But he’s far from the only capable back. Jojo Kemp (below) filled in for Williams at times in 2015, rushing for 555 yards and six scores, and Mikel Horton (318 yards, 3TD) and Sihiem King (127 yards, 1 TD) add size and speed, respectively, to the backfield.

Nov 21, 2015; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats running back Jojo Kemp (3) runs the ball against Charlotte 49ers defensive back Devin Pearson (19) in the second half at Commonwealth Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Gran likes the hand he’s been dealt.

“You’ve got Jojo and Mikel that are kind of pounders and they go, and then you’ve got Boom and you’ve got Sihiem that are more slashers,” he told A Sea of Blue. “You have a changeup there and you’ve got to be able to call accordingly.”

Kentucky might not boast the star power of Tennessee or Georgia, but it just might have the deepest group of backs in the division.

CHASING 1,000

Rafael Little had 1,013 yards and three scores in 2007, and that’s the only time in the past decade that Kentucky has had a 1,000-yard rusher.

Williams began the 2015 season with a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage, but wound up missing the 1,000-yard mark by 145 yards. Blame injuries. He didn’t play in two games and missed parts of two others.

With a full season of work, he has an excellent chance to add his name to this list.

PLAY-CALLING

Former coordinator Shannon Dawson dialed up running plays on first down 57.1 percent of the time, resulting in a solid 4.7 yards per carry. The running game bogged down a bit in the red zone, however, averaging 3.14 yards per carry in 72 tries inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.

Williams was more slightly more effective in the red zone (3.95 yards per carry, 4 TD) than Kemp (3.25, 5 TD) or Horton (3.33, 3 TD). In addition, Wildcats quarterbacks had 14 carries inside the 20 and scored six touchdowns.

Perhaps the addition of speedy JUCO quarterback Stephen Johnson II will add a wrinkle to the running game — especially near the goal line.

Last year at Cincinnati, Gran called first-down running plays nearly 54 percent of the time and his backs averaged 5.25 yards per attempt. The red zone average was nearly identical (3.13), but the Bearcats rushed for six more touchdowns (24) than the Wildcats.

His quarterbacks also averaged 3.4 yards per carry and scored four touchdowns inside the 20 last season.

GREATEST CONCERN

Can quarterback Drew Barker keep defenses honest? With a talented stable of backs and nine of the 11 offensive linemen listed on the two-deep for last year’s season finale returning, the most pressing question is at quarterback.

Patrick Towles, the starter for much of last season, struggled in 2015 and has since transferred to Boston College. That leaves Barker, a Kentucky native and four-star recruit, as the guy who needs to complete passes to keep defenses from loading up the box to stop the run.

Kentucky quarterbacks were 12th in the SEC in passer rating last season, so even a modest improvement would help the running game immensely.

ONE STAT THAT MUST IMPROVE

In 26 short-yardage situations (3rd-and-3 or less), Kentucky only recorded 13 first downs. Only South Carolina (45.2 percent) and Missouri (40 percent) converted those chance less often than the Wildcats.

On the bright side, the team did rush for eight first downs in nine fourth-down rushing attempts. Moving that sense of urgency up a down would be a much less stressful way to move the chains.

By comparison, Gran’s Cincinnati team converted 23 of its 30 (76.7 percent) of its third-and-short opportunities in 2015.

BETTER OR WORSE IN 2016?

With another year of stability on the offensive line, some fresh ideas from the sidelines from Gran and a strong group of running backs, a degree of improvement seems likely.

Sep 26, 2015; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats running back Stanley Boom Williams (18) runs the ball against the Missouri Tigers at Commonwealth Stadium. Kentucky defeated Missouri Tigers 21-13. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports

Much will depend on Barker and what kind of sophomore season he has under center. If teams are able to crowd the line of scrimmage, there won’t be as much room for Williams and company to operate.

Of course, some improvement from the defense would help, too. It’s hard to pad the rushing stats when the other team is scoring nearly four touchdowns per game.