Kentucky Finally Turned Small Victories Into a Big SEC Win

“We’re getting better.” Mark Stoops harped on small improvement for weeks, and yet had nothing to show for it. Finally, they left a stadium with a win by taking down Auburn 10-3.

That refrain was difficult to stomach for Big Blue Nation. We could see the improvement, particularly on offense, yet it doesn’t really matter if the final score does not reflect that. The victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium was a step in the right direction.

“For us, it’s about continuing to build on the good things we’ve done,” Stoops said on Monday. “I know we’ve fallen short at times, and there’s been other times when we played very good in spurts. I thought it was very good this past week to play good on offense, defense, and special teams, put it all together, and get a hard-fought victory on the road at night in the SEC. It’s never easy.”

The season so far could be summed up with a familiar saying, ‘One step forward, two steps back.’ When the offense and defense played well against Texas, special teams cost them a chance at a victory. The following weekend, it was the defense that didn’t give Kentucky a chance to win. Even though the offense didn’t light up the scoreboard, they did enough and won the field position war, giving Auburn an average starting field position at the 14-yard line. Put it all together, and you’ve got a winning recipe.

“It was good for the players. It was just fun for them to celebrate. They’ve worked hard, and it means a lot to them,” said the Kentucky head coach. “Sometimes, when you go through that stretch and go a long time in between victories, it was really good for them. They deserved it, they worked really hard, and it was fun to celebrate. And yeah, there was some relief.”

The scene on the field as Kentucky sealed its 10-3 win over Auburn.pic.twitter.com/O2DOG1iNlA

— KSR (@KSRonX) November 2, 2025

Kentucky Didn’t Quit

There is something else Mark Stoops has often said that sounds like Coach-Speak, but now has to be accepted as truth. “This team has no quit.” I know we don’t like to hear about how they’re going back to work, but that is exactly what happened, and it worked.

A year ago, that wasn’t the case. When the losses started to add up, the team quit. It was abundantly clear. Coaches spent all offseason preaching overcoming adversity to their team, and it’s a message that stuck.

“They’re great people,” Stoops said. “They care, they care about this university, they care about their teammates, and they’re invested. That’s all we can ask for. I appreciate the way they’ve approached it, and I think that’s the bottom line. They’re tough, and they have a tough mentality, and they want to continue to grind.”

Small victories stacked up until it turned into an SEC win on the road. Now, the back end of the schedule is ripe with opportunity. Stoops hopes this team can turn one win into multiple, and it starts with a big game Saturday night against Florida at Kroger Field.

“That’s like some of those hard losses we have. Yes, they hurt because the guys invest so much, they work, they know they’re close, they know they’re getting better, but they’re not seeing the end result. To see the end result here, you hope it does. You hope it catapults you,” said Stoops.

“I know this. They’ve been very steady in their approach. Win or lose, we want to come back in Monday and try to win this week, and try to go 1-0.”