Stoops Acknowledges the Noise After Coming Up Six Inches Short

A ray of sunlight nearly broke through the overcast skies that cloud the Kentucky football program. The Wildcats were three yards away from scoring a touchdown to take a lead in overtime. They had four plays to get there, but never crossed the goal line.

Kentucky dominated the team ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP Poll in nearly every facet of the game (with special teams as the exception). The Cats had twice as many yards and limited Texas to only eight first downs, yet it didn’t matter. They still fell 16-13 in overtime.

Fans left Kroger Field in agony, again. Before leaving the scene, Mark Stoops tipped his cap to his players and those who support them.

“When you’re losing games, it’s real easy to cave. It’s real easy to submit and give in. None of those guys did that,” Stoops said in his postgame press conference. “They worked their tail off. It was a great investment by them, and it hurts. I feel for them.

He continued: “I want to thank the fans who have supported us during some tough times. I get it, I really acknowledge that, but it’s about the University of Kentucky. It’s about these players. I understand the position I put people in to make a decision, and that’s on me. But I greatly appreciate the support for our team and our players. They deserve an environment like that and deserve to win. I want to do that for them.”

For the first time, Stoops acknowledged the noise that has engulfed his Kentucky football program. Instead of talking about the team, conversations around Big Blue Nation are all about his future. A fan wore a “Fire Stoops” to the Cat Walk and was there on the railing as the players walked to the practice facility. That shirt might have been taken off if Kentucky had found a way to punch it in and end the 10-game home losing streak to Power Conference opponents.

“We came up six inches short…. There’s always decisions that I can definitely second-guess myself on, but not that one. I wanted to play to win. We played well the entire game and had a great opportunity, six inches or a half-yard, to put yourself in a position to win the game,” said Stoops. “We came up short, and that hurts.”

Kentucky could have taken another shot for the win at the end of regulation. The Cats had the ball at the 27-yard line with 14 seconds to play, but no timeouts. He ultimately opted to try the game-tying field goal instead.

“I don’t want to put down our offense because they had 26 first downs and 400 yards. I thought they had an exceptional gameplan and moved the ball well. But scoring a touchdown in that situation is very tough,” said Stoops. “If I don’t get the three, am I even walking in here?”

You know what they say about ifs and buts. The reality is that, despite their efforts, Kentucky suffered another heartbreaking loss. The players may be able to endure and build off this performance, but the close loss may only add more fuel to the rage burning within the fanbase. While the chatter about his performance as the head coach will continue, Stoops is focusing on only what he can control.

“We’re getting better. You can look at the bottom line, and we all do. It’s a bottom-line business and I understand that as much as anybody. I’ve been around a long time,” said Stoops.

“But I really care about the way they approach things, the way they invest, how they work, and the improvement that we’re making. We’ve improved each and every week through this SEC schedule. Unfortunately, we came up short and that hurts.”

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