History puts Kentucky on High Alert against Southern Miss

There were probably a few Kentucky fans who suffered from PTSD symptoms when they saw Southern Miss as the first game on the 2024 schedule. A make-or-break 2016 season for Mark Stoops began with so much promise before ending in disaster against the Golden Eagles.

The Kentucky head coach rarely publicly acknowledges the importance of history when it comes to weekly contests. After all, those were different players and different teams playing in those matchups. But when Stoops met with the players Monday afternoon, the Wildcats were reminded about the loss to Southern Miss that kicked off the 2016 season.

“Certainly, the players know. They’re not oblivious to all that and they understand that we have to go play well, there’s a lot of teams that could beat us and we could beat a lot of teams,” Stoops said on Monday.

The message this week is clear. “You have to be able to play well in this game.” If not, history may repeat itself.

A Mistake vs. Southern Miss Mark Stoops Does Not Forget

Preseason hope immediately turned into excitement on the field. Drew Barker, the homegrown Blue Chip prospect who chose the Wildcats over Steve Spurrier and South Carolina, looked destined to fulfill lofty expectations. In his first 20 minutes as the starting quarterback, he had four touchdown passes, connecting on big plays from 72, 43, and 53 yards.

Big Blue Nation was prepared to crown Barker when the proverbial you know what hit the fan.

Kentucky scored with :56 on the clock before halftime to take a 35-10 lead. The Cats could not get to the halftime locker room with a 25-point lead. Nick Mullens threw a 71-yard touchdown pass, the first of 34 unanswered points. Stoops still cringes when thinking about the decision he made before halftime.

“They took care of us. There were some lessons in that game that I carry with me. You’ve heard me talk about scars, calls and plays, and things that happened. I remember exactly what happened at the end of that half, I remember exactly the call we made, I remember exactly the mistakes I made. You’re thinking they’re running out the clock, I let a call go, I should have called timeout and regrouped. That’s on me. That was a long time ago but I don’t forget,” said Stoops.

The key is not forgetting. Former UK offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson had his revenge, but the Cats got him back the following year with a 24-17 win in hot, humid Hattiesburg. Even though it was eight years ago, the lessons learned in the loss to Southern Miss still matter on Saturday when the two teams share the same field once again in Lexington.

“That’s something (Stoops) put a big emphasis on, we gotta play through four quarters, no matter what the score is,” said junior tight end Josh Kattus. “We really gotta bring it to them every play out there.”

You’re only one Saturday away from being humbled.