Mark Stoops says lack of discipline deserves accountability

Deone Walker said it best following Kentucky‘s mind-boggling 38-21 home loss to Missouri: “We’ve got to learn how to play with passion, but not emotion.”

Discipline has been a disaster this season, the Wildcats ranked No. 117 in college football in penalties per game (7.71) and No. 121 in total penalty yards (479). 122 of those yards came on Saturday alone, a number that somehow surpassed the team’s passing production (120 yards). 14 total penalties overall, the Tigers picking up four first downs on those mistakes alone.

Kentucky played with energy, but couldn’t harness it. That translated to reckless play and decision-making in back-breaking moments of the game. That’s how you start with a 14-0 lead and finish the final 47 minutes being outscored 38-7.

“That’s something we’ve got to constantly talk about. It’s been a problem. If it’s continuous, that’s on me,” Mark Stoops said during his call-in radio show Monday evening. “We have to get it fixed. There’s really no excuse for it. Our guys, they do play with a lot of energy. We need to, we have to, but you have to play with discipline. You have to understand there are consequences. Individually, you’re penalizing everybody on the team. In a game like that, emotions are high because we’ve invested a lot.

“We put a lot into it. They’ve bounced back, they work extremely hard. They had great passion in that game, but we’ve just got to keep our emotions in check and keep the discipline.”

Stoops always wants his teams playing with an edge and toughness — his blue-collar approach is what has allowed him to become Kentucky’s all-time winningest coach. It works.

And with that mindset comes aggressive plays on balls, sometimes resulting in flags. He’s OK with that. What Stoops won’t accept, though, is the undisciplined play we’ve seen in recent weeks.

“It’s hard to describe, you know? It’s like turnovers, some years you don’t get as many, but then this year we’re getting more. With penalties, the last two years we’ve been as good as anybody in the league. Now we’re on the wrong side of that,” he said. “There is certainly no excuse for some of them. Even in years we’ve been the fewest-penalized team in the league, when you’re aggressive, some fouls you’re going to get. Bam-bam plays, pass interferences, aggressive plays like that where you’re making plays on the football. But some of the penalties that we’ve had this year, I can’t defend — not to our fanbase, not to our team.”

With inexcusable behavior comes accountability. That started in practice on Monday.

“There has to be some accountability. Believe me, there was some today on that,” Stoops said. “The whole team ran some extra gassers and different things, just as reminders. We just have to be more disciplined.”

Some of that comes with leaders stepping up. Maybe it means bringing in outside help, potentially former players who helped establish the winning football culture here in Lexington under Stoops.

Nothing is being ruled out as Kentucky looks to get things figured out during the bye week.

“We bring different people in and talk to the team. Not as much in-season, but I certainly can in the off week. It’s not a bad idea,” Stoops added. “I’m open to anything to try and help in that area, that’s for sure.”

Stoops embraces criticism

All eyes were on the Kentucky head coach this week after an eventful call-in show last Monday. There, he called on fans to “pony up some more” with NIL and told one caller to “see if (he) could do it” if he thought it was so easy to climb the SEC ladder.

Stoops felt his words were taken out of context and those few seconds of the hour-long show were ‘blown out of proportion.’

“Last week, what bothered me. JMI — I’m sorry, I just have to be boring from now on. I tried to be honest and just talk, just have a little fun on this radio show. I talk Saturday at the game, Monday press conference — I own my stuff,” he said. “Sometimes when you’re in these shows you just want to talk back and forth with fans, you want to be honest and open. I don’t like it when just a sliver gets out there and people want to take a little piece of what I say and blow it out of proportion.”

Let him clarify: fans have every right to share criticism. He embraces it. But understand he’s only been firing back in an open and honest way to be transparent.

For better or worse, Stoops wears his emotions on his sleeve. And though it’s never personal, he has to work on his discipline at times, too.

“I’ve been around, sat right here for 11 years. Fire away at these calls. It’s not like I was one bit ruffled, I was just sitting here having a conversation. There’s gonna be good, there’s gonna be bad. There are gonna be upset fans, and they have every right. They’re fans, I love and appreciate them. They wouldn’t be real fans if they didn’t have some highs and lows.”