The analytics book told Stoops to go for two, and he hated it

With under a minute remaining in the third quarter and Kentucky trailing Tennessee by four touchdowns, Cutter Boley hit DJ Miller for a 28-yard score, cutting into the Vols’ massive lead late in the game. The touchdown toss was Boley’s fourth, and the touchdown catch was Miller’s second of the night in only his second career game as a true freshman.

.@cutterBoley is the first freshman QB in school history to throw four touchdowns in a single game.

📺 – SEC Network pic.twitter.com/yxNR9mKrBn

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) October 26, 2025

Still down by 22 points after Miller’s catch, Mark Stoops left Boley and the offense on the field for a two-point try in a 49-27 game, only for Boley to throw an incompletion on the stuffed conversion attempt. After the game, Stoops was asked what went into the decision to go for two there. Turns out that it was the stupid book’s fault.

“That’s what the analytic book said,” Stoops told Jon Hale. “I thought it was stupid, too, quite honestly. But that’s what the analytics book said. When I had time to reevaluate afterwards, I said, well, that’s a stupid book. But that’s what it said.”

Obviously, those points didn’t matter in a 22-point loss, but it was a brutally honest moment from Stoops after the game, blaming the book when he’s relied more on gut decisions in the past.

Stoops was also honest with a one-word answer on his feelings during the play with multiple fumbles late in the first quarter.

“Disbelief,” he said.

Of course this would happen against Tennessee.pic.twitter.com/Tz0M4JA0si

— KSR (@KSRonX) October 26, 2025

Mark Stoops after the loss to Tennessee

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