Kentucky football won't back down in fight to win SEC East

A new tradition for the Florida football program started back on Oct. 7, 2017 during the team’s Homecoming game vs. LSU: Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down” played for Gator fans to sing between the third and fourth quarters.

It began as a tribute to the late Petty, who passed away a week earlier on Oct. 2. The moment went viral, and since then, it’s become a weekly occurrence.

Also since then: two victories for Kentucky football in three trips to Gainesville.

It started back on Sept. 8, 2018, the night the program ended its 31-game losing streak to Florida in a 27-16 victory, the first since 1986. Then again Saturday evening — exactly four years and two days later — a 26-16 victory in The Swamp.

Both times, I Won’t Back Down echoed throughout the stadium, each moment unique in its own way — both involving the memory of the late John Schlarman.

“I’ll tell you what’s funny — well, it’s not funny. It was actually a really emotional moment,” Marrow told KSR on Sunday Morning Sports Talk. “(That song) took me back to 2018, they played the same song in the fourth quarter. Me and Coach Schlarman — I think we might have been up by seven and we were trying to run the clock out. We just looked at each other and said, ‘Wow, we’re about to break this streak in front of 90,000.’ Then we’re back there last night. It was just like, wow.”

Never back down. pic.twitter.com/onJmzH3cvG

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) September 11, 2022

The surface-level meaning of the song is clear — the title tells the story. “I Won’t Back Down.”

In 2018, it was Kentucky’s mindset when trying to break down barriers and make history. Florida fans rained the lyrics down from the stands as motivation for their own team, when in reality, it was the Wildcats using the song to tell their story. We’ve made it this far, no backing down now. One barrier at a time, finish the job. Marrow and Schlarman saw it coming from a mile away.

Four years later, the song shares a new meaning for the program. It helps describe Schlarman’s story, his battle with cancer and fight to the very end. He showed up to every team meeting and practice, no matter how brutal the pain or vile the illness. “For the team,” he’d say. Anything to keep that Big Blue Wall intact. Anything to continue knocking down barriers with his boys.

Schlarman didn’t back down when he had every excuse to do so. No one would blame him. He kept fighting anyway.

Marrow remembers the former offensive line coach’s final weeks at Kentucky and here on Earth. The Wildcats were set to take on the Tennessee Volunteers on Oct. 17, 2020, looking for the program’s first win in Knoxville since 1984. A visibly ill Schlarman took center stage for a pregame speech that knocked the team off its feet.

“Schlarman — it goes back to 2020 when we were playing Tennessee, the COVID year,” Marrow said. “That’s when Schlarman was fighting there at the end, going to be with the Lord. We went to Tennessee, and I remember him talking to the team. He was frail and weak, got up there, and he said some words I can’t say. It was like anything: ‘These bleep-bleeps do not respect us. We have to go out there and get it.'”

Kentucky would go on to again make history, beating the Volunteers in Knoxville 34-7. Schlarman received the game ball.

“We’ve got to lean on each other,” Stoops said in his postgame speech. “We’ve got to lean on everybody here. Everybody here made a difference, and that’s a fact. I greatly appreciate you, we talked about it all week, playing for something bigger than yourself. That was evident.

“We wanted it more. We played for something bigger than ourselves.”

“If you come together, nobody can stop you,” Schlarman added.

We played for something bigger than ourselves 🙏#22OatsStrong #SchlarmanStrong 💙🏈 pic.twitter.com/xmTB6CMj5P

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) October 17, 2020

Marrow thought about that pregame speech prior to Kentucky’s trip to Gainesville and the hours leading up to the anticipated matchup. He remembered Schlarman’s emphasis on earning respect and some of the jabs thrown at the program leading up to this game. Questions of toughness and physicality.

“I remember (Schlarman) saying it, and it was in my head yesterday during pregame when we were at the hotel,” Marrow said. “Mark (Stoops) was giving his pregame speech. Schlarman is just really ingrained in our staff, ingrained in this team. They really took it to heart about the things that were said about them last week”

Another day, another hurdle cleared for the program. Three wins in five years over Florida, a team Kentucky couldn’t beat for decades. Back-to-back.

Schlarman’s physical presence may not be with the program anymore, but the culture he helped establish is permanent. He was there to help build it from the start alongside Stoops and Marrow, a culture of never settling, always raising the bar. You’ve beaten Florida, you’ve beaten Tennessee, emerging as a clear and regular player in the SEC East. Clearly a top-tier program in the division.

Now, it’s about knocking down that next barrier: beating Georgia and coming out of the East to earn a trip to Atlanta for the SEC Championship.

Stoops is there to help finally clear that hurdle. The program is behind him completely.

“You’ve got to have a good leader, whether you’re going to war or anything. Mark, his personality, how tough he is, us being from Youngstown — we take on his personality. I know the players, they really love playing for him,” Marrow said. “… A lot of our fans — and I hate to say it, because we have a lot of really good fans. But there is still doubt, like, do you really believe?

“We’re just trying to get to the point where it’s, dude, this is a really good football program and we’re not going to back down from anyone. We look forward to the next coming teams we play.

“Mark is always going to have his team ready to go, ready to try to win the SEC East. We’re going to go try and win it.”

Stoops cleared a personal hurdle himself in his team’s victory at Florida. With 61 career wins, he’s now Kentucky’s all-time winningest head coach, passing Paul “Bear” Bryant. It’s an honor that deserves recognition and praise — he celebrated accordingly with those who have been with him for each victory.

Stoops, Marrow and Kentucky’s safeties coach, Frank Buffano. 10 years and 61 wins together.

“It’s funny. Me, him and our safeties coach, Frank Buffano, have been here from day one — we’re from the same high school,” Marrow said. “We got back about 2:30 (a.m.) and stopped by Mark’s house, just us three, and we had a moment, had some Kool-Aid.”

It was to celebrate where the program is now and the progress they’ve all made together, all they’ve accomplished. The culture they built together.

“I can tell you this, no other coach can do what Mark Stoops has done,” Marrow said. “… Not taking shots at anyone, but we had MAC-level talent, and the guys we had then played their butts off. We put that culture in, being tough.”

10 years and 61 wins later, Kentucky is a real contender in the SEC East.

It was a group effort to get to this point, something Stoops never fails to make clear. When asked about his new record immediately following the win, the Kentucky head coach deflected. Again, a team-first mindset.

“Fortunate. A lot of great players, coaches have been here,” Stoops said. “To be able to persevere playing in this conference, I’m fortunate.”

Marrow, however, believes it’s time to give the flowers where they belong.

“I was really happy for him,” he said. “And y’all know Mark, he always deflects, taking pride in being someone who when you say, ‘Hey, good job,’ he says, ‘I couldn’t have done it without you.’ I looked at him and said, ‘Nah man, what you’ve done here, it’s an understatement — you took a program and put it on a national level.’

“When people see this logo — of course we’re known for basketball. But now they see this logo, they think football when they see UK. I tip my hat to him. He’s a guy who is really unselfish. UK couldn’t have found a better head football coach.”

It all started back in 2012 with Marrow, Buffano and Schlarman by Stoops’ side. 10 years later, their collective impact has turned into unprecedented success for the program.

And they won’t be backing down anytime soon.