Mark Stoops lets team dance in a joyful Kentucky locker room: 'They deserve it'

mark-stoops-lets-kentucky-dance-joyful-locker-room-auburn-win — Mark Stoops in Kentucky's locker room after the Auburn win - Photo by UK Athletics

Mark Stoops was emotional during his interview with Alyssa Lang following Kentucky’s win over Auburn. His voice was still thick when he met up with Tom Leach to describe the scene in the locker room after the 10-3 victory, the Cats’ first in SEC play going back to the upset over Ole Miss in September 2024.

“It was a ton of joy,” said Stoops, who was late to the celebrations because he was talking to Auburn’s coaching staff on the field. “By the time I got in the locker room, they were dancing and jamming out, you know, to the tunes, which they deserve, they needed to.”

Stoops said that normally, he’ll let his guys celebrate for one song before addressing them, but tonight, he let them go for two.

“I felt like it’s been a while, let’s be honest. So I wanted the guys to enjoy it, feel that moment. They deserved it. And that’s what I told them. I was emotional walking off that field because of the pride that I feel for this team.”

Tonight’s win snapped a four-game losing streak, ten games in SEC play. This game was dubbed the Hot Seat Bowl, as both Stoops and Hugh Freeze face mounting pressure to win in an extremely competitive league. Since the overtime loss to Texas two weeks ago, Stoops has acknowledged the unrest in the fanbase. He did that again tonight, even in victory.

“It’s been hard. I acknowledge that, but these guys have not flinched, and our coaches keep continuing to work and get this team better. I know the results aren’t always there, but I know in my heart, you know what I mean, that these guys were getting better, and the players just, they constantly show up, and they care about each other.

“They care about how they play. They’re prideful, you know? And I just love them for that, and I want to make it positive for them, and they deserve it. I feel for them. And so, I just love seeing the joy from them.”

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“Let’s go get one at home”

That should be the main takeaway from tonight. Who knows what the future holds for Stoops, but after several tough losses, the players got a needed moment of happiness, a win over an SEC team on the road. Stoops told them to use tonight’s joy as fuel for more victories, starting Saturday vs. Florida at home.

“I talked to them about meeting the challenge. We can’t control what happened through this whole year, and they can’t change that in one night, but they can change the mission that we have tonight and the way we approach the week.

“After I talked to them, they cheered and danced. That’s the fun, but they started, you know, like, ‘Hey guys, let’s go 1-0 next week. Let’s come to work on Monday.’ And that’s what I love, you know?”

Mark Stoops has encountered many ups and downs during his 13-year tenure at Kentucky. He admitted to Tom Leach that after Kentucky’s 56-34 loss to Tennessee, “Sunday was about as bad as I could feel”; however, he went back to work on Monday with a positive attitude. After four straight losses and calls for change impossible to ignore, his team could have stayed on the mat; they didn’t. Stoops hopes tonight will make them hungry for more.

“I said this to the media, and I said to our fanbase that’s listening. You know, it is special going on the road and winning, but I acknowledge how important it is — it’s been a while since we had one at home, and so we’re going to go back to work. The players already said it, the coaches will be in that office — we’re gonna get home late tonight, but we’ll be in that office tomorrow morning working, and the players will as well, and let’s go get one at home. It’s important for us and for our fanbase.”