Mark Stoops vows to find players who will play Kentucky football

Mark Stoops was enjoying a dream season at Kentucky just a couple weeks ago. The Wildcats were featured on College GameDay, Waka Flocka Flame was in their locker room and praise was rolling in left and right.

Fast forward, things aren’t a dreamscape any longer in Lexington. Stoops watched as Georgia dismantled the Wildcats, then Kentucky came out flat after a bye and suffered a demoralizing loss to Mississippi State on Saturday.

Still, Kentucky has all their goals ahead of them. If they’re to reach them, Stoops realizes that the Wildcats have to embrace the disappointment and learn from it. He laid down a call to action for his players in his postgame press conference.

“We have to address it,” stated Stoops. “It’s not a good feeling. I don’t want to have a football team like this. I don’t think these guys want to play that way. That’s not who we’re going to be, that’s not going to be our identity. We’ll get back to work and get it fixed. Make sure we get the right guys on the field who want to continue to play like we play.”

Kentucky’s dream of an undefeated season went by the wayside. However, they’re still 6-2 with a chance at one of the best seasons in program history. Stoops recognizes the moment, and needs his players to do the same.

Over the next month, Kentucky doesn’t exactly face any behemoths. It begins with Tennessee this Saturday, then the Wildcats face Vanderbilt, New Mexico State and Louisville. All in all, there’s reason to believe Kentucky can finish the season 10-2.

As Mark Stoops mentions, his mission over the remainder of the season is identifying players who play the brand of football that earned them their opportunity. If he can’t, the Wildcats could squander their blazing start.

Kentucky turnovers led to the Mississippi State victory

Kentucky quarterback Will Levis completed 17 of his 28 pass attempts for 150 yards and a touchdown against Mississippi State. But Levis also threw three interceptions in the game. Running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. also lost a fumble.

The fumble from Rodriguez was a big swing in the game. Kentucky was trailing by seven points. But the Bulldogs scored a touchdown after recovering the fumble, taking a two touchdown lead. With Kentucky trailing 24-10, Levis threw his third interception of the game. Mississippi State scored a touchdown on the ensuing possession, giving the Bulldogs a 31-10 lead.

Kentucky also allowed Mississippi State to return a punt for a touchdown in the game. Mississippi State gained 438 total yards in the game compared to 216 for Kentucky. The Bulldogs also possessed the ball for more than 41 minutes, a significant advantage over the nearly 19 minutes for the Wildcats.