Mark Stoops eager to see Kentucky on the road: 'There's some guys that have never been in that situation before.'

For several of Mark Stoops‘ players, Saturday’s showdown against Ole Miss will be the first real road atmosphere of their college careers. From freshmen such as Jason Patterson and Jamarion Wilcox in the backfield to even a veteran like Brock Vandagriff — who has technically been in front of rowdy gameday crowds, just not suiting up as QB1 — stepping on the field at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium will be a first-time experience.

How they handle that environment will play a role in Kentucky’s success rate against the No. 6-ranked Rebels. Despite the 11:00 a.m. local time kickoff, Ole Miss fans will likely fill the over 64,000 seats inside their stadium. This game has been sold out for a while now and the weather should be ideal for watching football.

Everybody on Kentucky’s roster, from top to bottom, has to be ready to roll from the opening kick. A couple of blinks is all it takes for Ole Miss to run up the score.

“The first time you go on the road, like I’ve mentioned, I think there’s some guys that have never been in that situation before that are gonna play,” Stoops said on Thursday. “Some guys have come from smaller schools, some guys are playing as freshmen, some guys aren’t used to this environment. We’ll learn a little bit about them.

“Certainly with a team like (Ole Miss) that plays exceptionally fast and likes to start fast and it’s hard to replicate their speed and the way they execute. Sometimes they can jump out on you and we can’t flinch. You gotta settle down and continue to play the game. It’s a four quarter game and I think that’s a big piece of it. Not that we want to start slow, they clearly want to start fast and do start fast.”

Kentucky has done a solid job on the road as of late, posting a 6-6 record over its last 12 games away from Lexington, including last season’s Top 10 win over Louisville. But none of those six wins came against a team ranked as highly as Ole Miss. To beat an offense as potent as the Rebels, Kentucky will need close to a perfect performance — on both sides of the ball.

In a situation where the outcome is in the balance down to the wire, late-game execution — not exactly Kentucky’s strong suit this season — will be necessary. The crowd will be loud and right in the ears of the Wildcats. Can the “inexperienced” players step up in key moments with opposing fans screaming down their backs?

“Just the way we’re built, we’re going to be in a lot of close games,” Stoops said. “We have to make sure we stick to that plan and follow it and do the very best we can in critical moments. You can play 95 percent of a game extremely well and play five percent (poorly) and lose that game.”

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.