No matter your opinion of him, Mark Stoops appreciates BBN's support of his players

The tone has shifted for Mark Stoops with the losses stacking up, the latest maybe the most painful yet. Doubling up Texas offensively and tripling the Longhorns’ first downs while controlling the clock almost twice as long, the opportunity for a big-time win for Kentucky to get the train back on the tracks was right in front of them. Not only that, but it was going to come during Homecoming weekend with some of the program’s all-time legends back in Lexington and ready to celebrate. Fans were invested and Kroger Field was popping.

Then the Wildcats came up just inches short, running four plays from the three-yard line in overtime for the go-ahead score, only to go two-and-a-half yards with it. Game over, Kentucky’s streak of zero Power 4 home losses since September 2023 continues with nine straight SEC losses overall. They played well enough to not only win, but win comfortably.

Instead, fans went home sad again.

“There was so much good, so many good things. Then there’s always those one, two, three, four plays that you feel like you left on the field,” Stoops said during his call-in radio show Monday evening. “Unfortunately, we came up short.”

Above all else, he knew how badly his players wanted it and the fight they showed from the opening kick. They prepared and executed nearly to perfection, putting themselves in position to pull it off. The reward just wasn’t there.

Stoops felt they deserved that reward, knowing what his guys have put into this only to come up empty.

“I really greatly appreciate our players’ effort, not only Saturday, but what they’ve done to get to that point — to work so hard, to play so well for the vast majority of that game, it’s heartbreaking for them,” he continued. “But they also can see with the investment and with the hard work and what they’re doing, they’re very confident in the improvement, and that’s what we have to focus on, you know? Because whatever we decide to focus on is how we’re going to feel.

“Even for us and the staff and all that, once you get through it Saturday — and it was heartbreaking after the game — and get into work for us coaches Sunday morning. If we hang on to the what if, a few inches short, then that’s how you’re going to feel. But we have to choose to look at all the good things we did and how we got to that point and continue to try to improve on that.”

That’s when Stoops addressed the elephant in the room regarding his future in Lexington. He knows the numbers and the trajectory, Big Blue Nation’s anger and disappointment leaving their home venue with a loss over and over and over. The 13-year coach used to get defensive about those criticisms, defending his body of work and the program’s proof of product under his leadership, confident they’d figure it out sooner rather than later — and scoffing at potential doubters.

This time, it was a simple message of gratitude. If you’re upset with him and are ready for a change, that’s fine. He gets it. Stoops just wants you to know he appreciates you showing up for those players and creating an environment they deserve for the work they’ve put in up to this point.

Do it for the kids, he says.

“We always are going to own our film and watch it, own the good and the bad as a team, as an organization. Areas where the coaches can do better, areas where the players can do better — we’re all in it together,” Stoops said. “The players, you know they do recognize the improvement, about their attitude, about their work ethic, about their desire to play well for each other. It’s important to them as a team. When they see the improvement, that gives them excitement.

“But again, there’s always the frustration piece in it for me. I feel for our players, first and foremost. Then I care for the whole state, our fans and the people — I said it postgame, but I’ll say it again: the atmosphere was fantastic. I understand how people may feel about me. That’s understandable and that’s warranted.

“I mean, I get it, but our players deserve that kind of atmosphere. And I appreciate it. They appreciate it, and they work very hard. So I really appreciate them.”

They were rewarded with the best home atmosphere of the year, but they were inches away from being rewarded with a ranked victory. The film only gets harder the more they watch it together as a team.

“There were so many ex-players back, the fans were great, it was a great night. I wish we could’ve come up (big for them), but like I said, it was very, very close on getting it over the goal line,” Stoops continued. “We’re literally — I felt like, after watching on the coach’s copy, I felt we were inches short on third down.”

It may not always feel this way watching Stoops-coached offenses year after year, but he does actually like touchdowns and scoring points. He’d like the running streak of two offensive touchdowns or less in 13 consecutive power conference games to end just as much as anyone.

That score in overtime would have been preferred.

“I haven’t lost sight of the fact you gotta get the ball across the goal line,” he said. “So don’t — before anybody wants to say you’ve been talking a lot about that, I get it. I get it. We got to get the ball across the goal line, and we’re working hard. I could promise you that we want to score some points.”

For the first time in a very, very long time, Mark Stoops is clearly reading the room.