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Kentucky

Mark Stoops clarifies coaching changes comments following Vanderbilt loss

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby:On3 Staff Report•11/12/22
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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops yells during a game on Oct. 15, 2022. (Andy Lyons / Getty Images)

After rising to No. 7 in the AP Poll Kentucky has lost four of six games, including the most recent to Vanderbilt on Saturday. The Wildcats are reeling, to the point coach Mark Stoops is being asked about coaching changes already.

On the program’s official postgame radio show, Stoops clarified an answer he gave local reporters immediately after the loss about whether he’d make any offensive coaching changes.

“They said in season,” Stoops said of the reporter’s question. “They said like, right now. That’s not what I’m going to do, no, no. I don’t want to say anything right now because people take it and run with it. If I say maybe, they’ll say I am.”

Kentucky gained just 322 total yards in the loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday, the fifth time in the last six games the Wildcats have been held to fewer than 330 yards.

The Wildcats have averaged just 314.0 yards per game in the last six outings.

Still, Stoops plans to wait until he has a chance to evaluate things a bit more thoroughly before he makes any changes.

“I don’t know. It’s emotional. It’s hard right now,” Stoops said. “I need to calm down, take a good look. I don’t want to say yes or no and people take it and run with it. It’s not time to blame.”

Stoops on offense at halftime: ‘We’ve got to make some plays’

Coaching changes or not, Mark Stoops had noted the Wildcats had to be better offensively to win, stating so bluntly in a halftime interview. Obviously things didn’t get turned around in time.

“We’ve got to make some plays. We’re not good enough in the red zone,” Stoops said. “Missed another kick, a low kick, so once we get that, we’ve got to score some touchdowns. … We’ve had some good play-action passes, we’ve converted on some of those. Once we get in the red zone, we’re stalling and we can’t miss kicks and we’re getting penalties on special teams again.”

Quarterback Will Levis finished the game just 11-of-23 passing for 109 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception.

Running back Chris Rodriguez was essentially the entire offense for the Wildcats on Saturday, racking up 18 carries for 162 yards and two touchdowns. But Kentucky got little else going offensively and fell 24-21, allowing Vanderbilt to snap a 26-game losing streak against SEC opponents.