Mark Stoops refuses to make excuses for Kentucky's poor play vs. Georgia
A day of reflection did not make Mark Stoops feel any better about his team’s performance in Athens. At his Monday press conference, Stoops was still fired up about Kentucky’s 51-13 loss to No. 1 Georgia, saying multiple times that he refuses to make excuses for the Cats’ poor play, even if it was against the back-to-back national champions.
“We did not play very good,” Stoops said. “The number one topic we talk about is handling the environment and obviously, we did not handle that situation and environment, that game very well at any level…Just outcoached and outplayed in every area.”
Upsetting the No. 1 team in the country on their home field is a tall task. It’s even more difficult when you shoot yourself in the foot repeatedly with mistakes and penalties. Holding and unsportsmanlike conduct calls on right guard Jager Burton killed Kentucky’s first two drives of the game.
“I thought offensively, until the silly penalties, we had some good drives going,” Stoops said. “We were running the ball, we had protection, we had time, we had guys open. We had the ability to move the football and two penalties just absolutely derailed us there.”
Stoops said he made it clear to Burton during the game how unnecessary and costly those penalties were.
“The message was right during the game that it was completely unacceptable. There is zero excuse for both of them. On the first one, on the hold, he had him blocked. The player logged himself. He was going to come under the guard. Jagger had him logged. We didn’t need to — there was no need whatsoever to try to sling him to the ground. None. He was blocked.”
It wasn’t just the offense that struggled vs. Georgia. Brad White’s usually stout defense had no answer for the Bulldogs. Georgia scored on its first six possessions and had over 300 passing yards and 34 points by halftime. On Saturday night, White said that even though the defense got “whipped,” he wouldn’t trade his players for any others because he felt they competed until the very end. When asked if he shared that sentiment, Stoops sighed deeply.
“I wasn’t satisfied in any area. And I will not make excuses. I love these guys as well and I have faith and confidence in them but I cannot excuse that performance in any way.”
Tuesday’s bad practice was a warning sign
On Wednesday’s SEC teleconference, Mark Stoops blasted his team for a bad practice on Tuesday. Kentucky’s poor performance in Athens clearly showed that Stoops’ rant wasn’t lip service; it was a warning sign.
“I worked hard last week at being honest with the team and what I saw. And I mentioned it to the team Tuesday after practice. I mean, I ripped them Tuesday after practice. And that’s not scripted for me. That was what I saw. I told him exactly how I felt. It wasn’t a good enough day. Period. And we went back and had another motivational team meeting on Wednesday and I felt like we picked it up a little bit but I’m not saying that was the end reason, but it certainly doesn’t help.”
How important are midweek practices? Stoops brought up an article he read after the game in which Georgia’s players said how beneficial Tuesday and Wednesday’s practices were to their performance on Saturday.
“It just reaffirmed what I tell my team all the time about Tuesday and Wednesday. Three or four of their players are sitting there talking about how the game was won throughout the week. It was their most physical Tuesday [practice]. They were prepared that way, they had the mindset, they answered the challenge. We did not. So we have to get back to being who we are and having a great prep week.”
Stoops praises Dane Key for hard work in practice
Needless to say, Kentucky has plenty to work on this week in practice ahead of a crucial game vs. Missouri. Players like Devin Leary and Jager Burton are especially under pressure to turn things around after a bad day in Athens. If they need guidance on how to deal with adversity, Stoops said they should follow Dane Key‘s lead. When asked, Stoops said Key was the one Wildcat who played well vs. Georgia. The sophomore wideout was Kentucky’s leading receiver on Saturday with three catches for 65 yards on six targets.
“I thought a guy, you take for instance Dane Key, who had been frustrated a little bit. Maybe some on him, some just frustration, being down and really worked hard to improve and just looked at himself and just looked at areas to improve and it showed up on film. And not always just with the catches. There are still areas of improvement without the ball and blocking on the perimeter and doing things that we have to do as an offense to be efficient.
“But I thought it was a good example of just taking it to the practice field and working on your craft and trying to improve.”
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