Mark Stoops promises change following 'embarrassing' loss to South Carolina

It’s easy to ask where exactly Kentucky football goes from here. South Carolina was the one game circled on the calendar as a must-win, a season-altering matchup that would set the tone for the rest of the year. The Wildcats’ response? A no-show at Kroger Field, as embarrassing an effort and overall performance you could draw up.

After taking the 31-6 home loss to the Gamecocks, Kentucky now hosts No. 1 Georgia before a learn-nothing MAC matchup vs. Ohio the following week. Then you travel to Oxford to take on No. 5 Ole Miss ahead of the bye week, followed by Vanderbilt coming to town on Oct. 12 — and they’re 2-0 coming off a statement win over Virginia Tech. The back-half of the schedule includes a trip to Florida, a home matchup vs. Auburn, a road matchup at No. 7 Tennessee, a gimme vs. Murray State and back-to-back ranked road matchups at No. 2 Texas and No. 19 Louisville.

How many wins are you counting there? That number is certainly lower today than it was entering the season, no matter how optimistic you were as a fan.

One member of Big Blue Nation asked Mark Stoops that exact question during the head coach’s call-in show Monday evening: “What do you need to tell the fans?”

His response? He understands the frustration and embraces it.

“Yeah, it’s frustrating. I get it, I really do. If you listen to me as a fan, you know I care deeply about this fanbase and about this place, about the way we represent you,” Stoops said. “I am passionate about thanking the fanbase because, as I’ve said each year, it’s a lot to go to a football game. It costs a lot of money, it’s hard to get parking, it’s an all-day deal. You gotta get there, you gotta tailgate, it’s a long game. You gotta wait in line to get out of there. It’s a commitment. So how we play, it does matter. It matters to all of us, I promise you. That’s the only thing we can do is accept that responsibility with the mistakes we made and go back to work.

“That’s what I say to the fans, that’s what our players are doing and that’s what our coaches are doing. One game never makes or breaks the season. It doesn’t. Yes, we play a brutal schedule, but nobody’s going to feel sorry for us. I accept that responsibility, we do. We embrace it. We have a great opportunity Saturday, so we’re going to punch the clock here this week. That’s what I could tell you.”

Kentucky faces the ultimate challenge with top-ranked Georgia coming to town on Saturday, one of four top-seven teams left on the schedule coming up for the Wildcats. How do you move past the embarrassing loss to South Carolina and get the team refocused with things only getting tougher from here?

That’s what Tom Leach asked Stoops to wrap up the show.

“The first step is just taking a reality check and owning our mistakes, looking at it. And then I think it’s really important for us to zero in on the game plan and know what the big picture is, be more precise and be more efficient in what we have to do, hone in on it,” the head coach said. “I think our guys definitely will. I don’t think they were feeling too good about themselves.”

The loss was a punch in the gut, no doubt about it. No positive way to spin the outcome and the inexcusable aspects of discipline and execution. On the flip side, though, it’s a long season and the games have to be played one way or another.

Why not use it as a learning lesson to prove that isn’t who this team really is? They’re the only ones who can decide that.

“It was one game. I mean, we have a long, hard season. I just think it’s a reality check. Our guys, we really have to zero in on the little things,” Stoops said. “When you’re playing really good teams and really talented players, they could jump up and bite you at any time. The penalties hurt us, the pre-snap penalties and all the technique issues, you name it, that’s what is embarrassing.

“There’s no excuse for it, period. I know the fans are frustrated, I am too. I don’t blame them. That was a frustrating game and I can promise you we’re gonna attack this week to get better.”