Mark Stoops crowd surfs, dances with Kentucky players after Ole Miss upset
Kentucky pulled off the upset of the day in college football, rolling out on the road to Ole Miss and upsetting the No. 6-ranked Rebels, 20-17. And it called for a hearty locker room celebration.
At the center of it? The usually buttoned-up head coach, Mark Stoops.
In a handful of Instagram Live videos shared by Kentucky players, Stoops can be heard congratulating his team and also seen crowd surfacing, as well as dancing to music he probably doesn’t normally listen to in the car.
The win moves Kentucky to 1-2 in SEC play and hands Ole Miss its first loss of the season.
And after the win, Stoops was adamant that his team didn’t just get lucky.
As the Rebels attempted game-winning kick sailed wide left, sealing the win for his Wildcats, coach Mark Stoops turned to one man.
“Well I walked up to coach (Brad) White. We had played so good, he did such a great job,” Stoops told ABC sideline reporter Molly McGrath. “All of our coaches did, and that’s the one time, one time we need a break. We needed a block or a miss. We were fortunate to get the miss.”
Kentucky limited the nation’s top-ranked offense throughout the afternoon, holding Ole Miss to just 353 yards, about 320 yards shy of its season average going into the contest.
Quarterback Jaxson Dart was never allowed to get into a real rhythm in the game, as Kentucky recorded four sacks in the contest and hit him routinely.
Top 10
- 1
Upset
Kentucky beats No. 6 Ole Miss on the road
- 2Hot
Travis Hunter
Colorado star hits Heisman pose after ridiculous interception
- 3Live
Meltdown
Auburn fans react to 27-21 loss to Oklahoma
- 4Trending
Arch Manning Dime
Texas QB finds DeAndre Moore Jr. for six
- 5
Cheerleader levels OU player
Auburn cheerleader destroys Oklahoma player
The win comes on the heels of another impressive performance from the Wildcats, taking No. 1 Georgia to the brink.
“It means a lot, because we started tough and we have a brutal schedule,” Stoops said. “And our guys just keep on fighting, keep on coming back. We took the No. 1 down to the wire, and that’s no fluke. But yet we have so much work to do. We know that. We know who we are, but I love these kids. Their coaches have done a remarkable job.”
The team lost games to South Carolina and Georgia, albeit in very different fashions. The South Carolina game was a 31-6 blowout, while the Georgia game was a 13-12 affair that Kentucky simply didn’t have enough gas to finish off.
With this win over a top-10 opponent on the road, Stoops and his Kentucky squad will likely have some newfound confidence.