Mark Stoops did not like being asked if he's motivated to beat Ole Miss
Is Kentucky embracing Motivated Mark Stoops? The reviews have been mixed, to say the least. Some days, it appears the program is leaning into it, coaches such as Derek Shay and L’Damian Washington tweeting about being “motivated” following big recruiting wins over the summer.
Shoot, even the mascot held up a Motivated Mark Stoops sign at the CatWalk on Saturday ahead of Kentucky’s win over Toledo.
As for Stoops, he has seemingly taken it as a shot at him personally every step of the way. When asked about the “Motivated Mark Stoops” nickname at SEC Media Days, his response to KSR’s Nick Roush was not very pleasant, defending himself that he’s not any more motivated this season than any other he’s been in Lexington. That’s just the way he operates, wanting to prepare and coach with an edge.
“I think that’s a point that I think you’re pretty dialed into,” Stoops told KSR in July. “I think it’s interesting. As I talk a lot in the offseason, I love how people grab certain aspects of things that I say. It’s no different than I’ve ever been. Zero change. I want to get back to the coaching and that makes me very happy. But, motivated is something that I’m quite sure I’ve mentioned each and every year I’ve been a head football coach and will continue to always do that.”
Fast forward to September and the start of SEC play for the Wildcats, hosting Lane Kiffin and the Rebels on Saturday. They’re looking for revenge after Kentucky managed to pull off the upset in Oxford in 2024 — the team’s lone conference victory. Stoops, meanwhile, is looking to prove he’s still got his fastball leading the program coming off a 4-8 campaign and inarguable slippage in terms of culture and identity. Pulling off this ranked win after losing seven straight SEC matchups at Kroger Field would go a long way there.
One fan asked about his mindset entering this crucial matchup, slipping in the obvious joke of the cycle while trying to contain his nervous laughter.
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“How motivated are you to beat Ole Miss this Saturday?” he asked during the head coach’s call-in show Monday evening — the second part of his question after initially struggling through another about utilizing the wide receivers.
Stoops’ response? About what you’d expect, using it as an opportunity to throw a shot right back about the Wildcats pulling off the upset last season. Clearly irritated, he once again stressed he’s just as motivated this week as he’ll be every week as long as he’s the head coach at Kentucky.
“I’m pretty much ready to go, buddy. About the same way I was last year,” Stoops fired back. “Same way I’ll be each and every Saturday.”
KSR is all for a good Motivated Mark Stoops joke — we’ve been pushing for the program and coach to embrace it from the beginning — but if the caller is going to go for it in that moment, he has to say it with his chest. Poor setup and execution. Of course he’s going to take that attempt personally.
Hopefully it motivates him to whip some ass on Saturday.
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