Mark Stoops shares what still needs cleaned up for Kentucky

With just under two weeks until Kentucky’s season opener, Mark Stoops isn’t satisfied. On Saturday, the Kentucky head coach detailed what his ‘Cats still need to improve.

“There’s still been some pre-snap things and we just got to try to be as perfect as we can,” Stoops told the press. “Turnovers and ball security has been relatively good and that needs to stay, but there’s still some pre-snap penalties and some things of that nature that we just got to be cleaner and not beat ourselves.”

Penalties will make or break a team in close games. Kentucky didn’t see yellow flags constantly last season, but they certainly weren’t perfect. The ‘Cats received 5.69 penalties per game, tied for the 52nd-least nationally.

However, when Kentucky committed penalties, they were minor offenses. The team lost just 39.54 yards per contest due to penalties, good for 14th-best in the country. Nevertheless, Stoops isn’t satisfied with good. He wants great.

This mindset doesn’t only apply to pre-snap movement and penalties. Stoops is determined to prevent his team from turning the ball over this season, an issue the ‘Cats struggled with in 2022. In 13 games, UK recorded six fumbles and 13 interceptions.

Mark Stoops hopes to improve his special teams

With a new starting quarterback and running back this season, Kentucky has a chance to clean up its issues. Offense is just one facet of UK’s game, Stoops hopes to see growth.

“Even in special teams, the guys are working really hard and they’ve been much improved but there’s still just a lot of areas in there that we need to clean up,” Stoops said.

Special teams was the thorn in Kentucky’s side last season. UK allowed five blocked kicks, ranking in the bottom five nationally. Consequently, Kentucky kicker Matt Ruffalo connected on just 75% of his field-goal attempts, a career-low.

Stoops didn’t hesitate to revamp the special teams unit this offseason, adding two new kickers, a snapper and a punter. Additionally, Kentucky hired special teams coordinator Jay Boulware. Boulware will replace John Settle, who was fired as RBs coach and special teams coordinator on Nov. 28.

“I’m thrilled to add Jay to our staff at Kentucky,” Stoops said in a press release. “I’ve known Jay from his time with my brother, Bob, at Oklahoma. I’ve always been impressed with him and his work ethic. He brings a wide range of experience coaching running backs and in recruiting, along with his expertise and success with special teams. That’s what I was looking for in this position and Jay is well-regarded in all those areas.”

Kentucky won’t have long to mend any issues. The team kicks off its 2023 campaign on Sept. 2 against Ball State.