Mark Stoops Confident Kentucky is a Good Football Team

Kentucky was once again on the wrong end of a bad loss in SEC play. When Mark Stoops stepped behind the microphone to discuss the game with reporters, he was not defeated or exasperated. The Kentucky head coach shared confidence that his players can bounce back from the 35-13 loss to South Carolina.

“What I’ve told them is the same thing I told you: We did a lot of good things. I’m proud of them. I’m proud of their effort, their want-to,” Stoops said.

“They’re a good team. They care about each other. We didn’t execute in critical moments, and that’s on all of us. That’s on the coaches, and that’s on the players. In critical third downs, critical situations, we have to execute better. That’s on all of us.”

The most critical third down ended in a disaster. Cutter Boley was sacked, fumbled the ball, and South Carolina returned it 41 yards for a touchdown. Two plays later, the Gamecocks scored another defensive touchdown.

On those two plays, the South Carolina defense gained 86 yards. Kentucky had 36 total yards in the second half.

Bush Hamdan has yet to orchestrate an offense that has scored more than two touchdowns against an SEC opponent. The offensive ineptitude has created fatigue around Big Blue Nation.

“I understand the frustration, I really do. I know our team is a good group of guys that work really hard. We’re a better football team. I know it doesn’t always show up, and I know that doesn’t mean a whole lot. The bottom line is winning, and we’re falling short of that, and that’s frustrating for all of us,” said Stoops.

Why is Mark Stoops confident that they are a better football team?

“I’m with them every day. I definitely know that. I just think we’re — our guys have a great mentality. The guys are playing hard, they’re playing tough, they’re playing physical. We need to execute better, we need to coach better, and we’re all in this together. I know it could turn at any time. Listen, nobody’s gonna feel sorry for us. We just got to get our butts back to work, get back at it, and keep the same mentality that the guys have had.”

Kentucky has lost 11 of its last 12 games against Power Conference foes. It’s been a year since Kentucky fans have been able to celebrate an SEC victory. The weight of the losses are adding up for the fanbase, but Stoops is keeping his eyes on the future.

“I really trust these guys and their mentality and their attitude. That’s what matters to me, is getting back to work. We can’t look at it like that. We don’t have the luxury of looking at the schedule and all that stuff. We have to look at it one week at a time,” said Stoops.

“You know, we had our opportunities in the past and had our opportunities through the years. For us, it’s one week at a time.”

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