Mark Stoops wanted to see 'more precise' game prep from Kentucky

Kentucky did not respond well when the first wave of in-game adversity hit in the 2024 college football season. The Wildcats started to crumble in the second half in Week 2 as South Carolina turned a 10-6 lead into a 31-6 victory. That forced the entire program to get back to the drawing board.

Mark Stoops and his coaching staff went looking for answers immediately at the Joe Craft Football Training Facility.

“It started with the coaching staff on Sunday in here all day and looking at everything. Every facet, game plan. Whether it was us or a breakdown physically, mentally you name it. We made a lot of mistakes but the first thing is taking ownership in it,” Mark Stoops told Tom Leach this week. “It starts with the staff, and it starts with the players. You gotta own it. You gotta own your part of it.”

Mark Stoops wanted to see his coaching staff and players be more sharp in game prep for No. 1 Georgia this week. For Kentucky to win games this season, the process has to begin on the practice field and last through the duration of the week.

“You gotta make sure you have the attitude to look at it critically and figure out how to correct the mistakes. That’s the big thing. For us this week, it was knowing the game plan early. Like, when we’re out there on Tuesday, we’re concentrating on first and second down. Know it. Wednesday we get into third down and red zone and critical moments. Know what we have to do and then continue to hone that. Be precise.”

“You gotta really know the game plan. You gotta really zero in and hone in on what you have to do. Be so precise.”

Kentucky is hoping that the extra attention to the little details will pay off on Saturday. The Wildcats are attempting to prevent what happened against South Carolina from happening again. Mark Stoops did not believe everyone was locked in, and that needed to change fast.

“You gotta be so on point whether it’s a walkthrough or meetings or anything,” Stoops explained. “I just think we got a lot of people taking things for granted and didn’t really hone in and be precise on what they needed to do.”

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