Mark Stoops previews how Jeff Brohm could impact Kentucky-Louisville rivalry

The Kentucky–Louisville series has been one that the Wildcats have truly dominated over the past few seasons on the gridiron. Even so, Mark Stoops is well aware of how that script could flip, in more ways than one, with Jeff Brohm leading the Cardinals now.

Stoops spoke respectfully of his program’s rival and their head coach while talking with the media at the Louisville Alumni Kickoff Luncheon at Churchill Downs. He knows that the series is already going to change at face value because of what Brohm brings to the table as a coach and well-known name in the city of Louisville.

“I’m sure it’s going to change just with Jeff and the job that he does, the experience that he has, and the connections that he has to the state. It’ll change,” Stoops admitted.

However, even with his regard for Brohm, Stoops doesn’t want the scoreboard to change. Kentucky has owned its matchups with the Cardinals as of late, specifically since 2018. After losing four of his first five against Louisville, Stoops has led UK to four straight wins in the series by an average margin of victory of 30.5 points.

Stoops is well aware of just how important The Governor’s Cup is in the Commonwealth. Even so, he also has 11 other games, including eight in conference play, to worry about first before they make their trip up to Cardinal Stadium to face off with Brohm for the first time.

“For us? I mean that’s down the road. Listen, I walked in here 11 years ago and we weren’t very good and they were. And, day one, I sat here and said, ‘Absolutely. It’s damn important,'” said Stoops. “We’re not going to shy away from that. I said it from day one when we had miles to go. I don’t think they have miles to go. They’ll have a good team and do a good job.”

“We both understand that, we respect each other. But, for me, I’ve got an SEC gauntlet before then,” Stoops noted. “So, yes, it’s important. But that’s a long way off for me.”

Stoops on Kentucky’s season tickets being sold out

Over the weekend, Kentucky football sold out its season ticket allotment, selling the most season ticket packages overall of the Mark Stoops era.

In the wake of such a rare occasion for UK football, Stoops has been very grateful and thanked the fans when he spoke after practice on Saturday.

“Yeah, it just means an awful lot,” said the Wildcat’s head coach. “I greatly appreciate the support. We always do.”

“It affects the game, you know, it affects recruiting, you know, the atmosphere. When (Kroger Field) is full tilt? It’s a blast to play in and our players really feed off that. We’ve always had great support and we continue to get that and we thank them.”

Kentucky’s AD, Mitch Barnhart, also provided appreciative comments when the official UK Athletic website announced the sellout last week.

“We’re very excited and thankful to the fans for their great response in anticipation of the upcoming season!” said Mitch Barnhart, per the team site.  “Coach Stoops and the team love the support they get from the Big Blue Nation. We’ve all seen what a difference it can make on game day. I can’t wait to see everyone at Kroger Field this fall!”