Josh Heupel weighs in on Mark Stoops' success with Kentucky

Josh Heupel and the No. 3 Tennessee Volunteers will look to remain undefeated against No. 19 Kentucky this weekend in what should be one of college football’s biggest games on Saturday. The SEC East border battle holds a ton of weight for both programs as well as their division. That’s why Heupel is making sure he gives Stoops and the Wildcats the respect they deserve.

Heupel complimented the job Stoops has done in his tenure in Lexington during his press conference on Thursday. He says Stoops has instilled certain qualities into the Kentucky program that guarantees them a chance in every game that they play.

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“He’s done a good job of building that program from the ground up,” said Heupel. “They play hard, they play smart, and they’re a physical football team. You put those three things together and you’ve got a chance to continue as a program and they’ve done that.”

Stoops took over at UK in 2013 and has brought unprecedented success to the school since then. He became the program’s all-time wins leader earlier this season and has led the Wildcats to four straight bowl victories. However, the Volunteers have been an itch Stoops has never consistently scratched with a 2-7 record against them. That includes last season’s loss during Heupel’s first season where Tennessee won 45-42 in Kroger Field.

This will be the highest-ranked Tennessee team Stoops has ever faced since being at Kentucky. With that said, he has a Top-25 team of his own that has the pedigree to potentially pull the upset in Neyland on Saturday night. That’s why Heupel and the Vols will hold them in high regard while still having every intention of defeating them and moving to 8-0 on the year.