Mark Stoops gives it a 4th shot in the next month and this is a make or break season for the head coach. Not necessarily for his job but certainly for the support of the fans moving forward. As you can see below, UK's seasons, especially in the last 2, have gone very similar. Not only in the wins and losses but in the margin of losses as the season progressed. When you look at how UK has done each season under Stoops, a could things stand out:
- The blowouts to Tennessee takes UK fans back to the days of Bill Curry and Hal Mumme. Look, Rich Brooks never beat the Vols either but he at least made the series competitive and freaking Joker beat the Vols. It's time for a competitive game against UT, no matter where the game is our how good the Vols are.
- You obviously can see the trend of losses as a season wears on but you notice on the defensive side of the ball is where UK declines as the year has gone on. Of the 10 times that UK has given up 40 points or more, 9 of those 10 came in Game 7 of the season or later. The defense has gotten worn down each and every season.
- And it goes without saying the 2nd half of the season has been brutal to the record. In the first 6 games under Stoops, UK is 10-8. In the final 6 games they are 2-16. Oh, and those 2 wins were Alabama St and Charlotte. No SEC wins after Game 5 of any season.
So, here is the breakdown of each point in the 3 seasons under Stoops:
GAME 1 (2-1)
This Year: Southern Miss
2015: WIN, UL-Lafayette 40-33, 2014: WIN, UT-Martin 59-14, 2013: LOSS, Western Kentucky 35-26
GAME 2 (3-0)
This Year: at Florida
2015: WIN, at South Carolina 26-22, 2014: WIN, Ohio 20-3, 2013: WIN, Miami (OH) 41-7
GAME 3 (0-3)
This Year: New Mexico State
2015: LOSS, Florida 14-9, 2014: LOSS, at Florida 36-30, 2013: LOSS, Louisville 27-13
GAME 4 (2-1)
This Year: South Carolina
2015: WIN, Missouri 21-13, 2014: WIN, Vanderbilt 17-7, 2013: LOSS, Florida 24-7
GAME 5 (2-1)
This Year: at Alabama
2015: WIN, E.Kentucky 34-27, 2014: WIN, South Carolina 45-38, 2013: LOSS, at South Carolina 35-28
GAME 6 (1-2)
This Year: Vanderbilt
2015: LOSS, Auburn 30-27, 2014: WIN, UL-Monroe 48-14, 2013: LOSS, Alabama 48-7
GAME 7 (0-3)
This Year: Mississippi State
2015: LOSS, at Mississippi St 42-16, 2014: LOSS, at LSU 41-3, 2013: LOSS, at Mississippi St 28-22
GAME 8 (1-2)
This Year: at Missouri
2015: LOSS, Tennessee 52-21, 2014: LOSS, Mississippi St 45-31, 2013: WIN, Alabama St 48-14
GAME 9 (0-3)
This Year: Georgia
2015: LOSS, at Georgia 27-3, 2014: LOSS, at Missouri 20-10, 2013: LOSS, Missouri 48-17
GAME 10 (0-3)
This Year: at Tennessee
2015: LOSS, at Vanderbilt 21-17, 2014: LOSS, Georgia 63-31, 2013: LOSS, at Vanderbilt 22-6
GAME 11 (1-2)
This Year: Austin Peay
2015: WIN, Charlotte 58-10, 2014: LOSS, at Tennessee 50-16, 2013: LOSS, at Georgia 59-17
GAME 12 (0-3)
This Year: at Louisville
2015: LOSS, Louisville 38-24, 2014: LOSS, at Louisville 44-20, 2013: LOSS, Tennessee 27-14
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