Mark Stoops wants fans to put the Florida loss on him, not the players

Mark Stoops wants to make it clear he was the conductor of the train wreck in Gainesville, not any of his players. The 48-20 loss that saw Florida rack up 476 yards — including 279 through the air on just eight completions — and win the turnover battle 3-1 is entirely on him.

When asked if Kentucky had lost its edge or if there were any concerns about playing with a chip on their shoulders, the 12th-year head coach said the Wildcats brought it against the Gators. They had a good week of practice and felt prepared going into the road trip, entered the matchup in the right headspace and ultimately played hard.

They just didn’t play well against a team that did. And he deserves the blame for that.

“Absolutely not,” Stoops said of Kentucky potentially losing its edge in a postgame radio chat with Tom Leach. “Our team was prepared and wanted to play well in this game. I have no issue with our approach whatsoever. I mean, do we need to play better? Do we make mistakes? Yes. Put it on me.

“The players are trying to play hard and trying to do what’s right. There are things we could do better. And again, I thought this Florida team played very well, the best they’ve probably played all year coming off (a loss to Tennessee).”

Injuries are also an issue for the Wildcats — though he understands that’s not an excuse for laying yet another egg under his leadership. They’re trying to manage the situation as best as possible while acknowledging no one feels sorry for them. Losses are losses, and unfortunately for this program, they’re stacking up in a hurry.

“I think it’s a combination of things, but our guys will get back to work,” he said. “Like I said, there’s a thin line between success and failure right now, we have the type of team that we have to play very, very good. We have to play darn near perfect. We’re getting really thin, we’re beat up, but it’s no excuses. Nobody gives a crap. You know what I mean? It is what it is.

“We’re playing the best personnel we can. We need all hands on deck, we’re getting thin. We’ve just got to get some of the best guys we can, that’s it. Just got to keep on working.”

Is he concerned about the team’s trajectory? Of course, just as we all are. The dam continues to crack and the water is starting to burst through. There is only so much duct tape you can use before it breaks for good.

And the schedule lets up for no one. Kentucky has no choice but to get back to work and figure things out to salvage a bad season.

“We really worked hard this week. I know the product didn’t show out there today, but I cannot fault the players. I can’t — again, put it on me, but I felt like we really worked hard,” Stoops said. “I felt like their minds were good, coming on the road in a challenging environment. I’m not down that way. You know what I mean?

“Obviously, I’m concerned — like you would be, fans would be. There are things we’ve got to do a lot better, but I think there are a lot of guys playing as hard as they can.”

Up next? A desperate Auburn team hoping to do the same. They’re struggling, but the talent is there to punch Kentucky in the face.

“There are a lot of guys playing banged up and really hurting, but hey, this is a very unforgiving week. We’ve got to get right back at it,” he said. “As I told the team, we’re playing a team next week that also had a challenging day today, but they’re a good football team with a lot of good players. Those guys big and physical, look at the recruiting classes over the years. I mean, that’s a lot of good players. That’s how I felt about Florida, they did a really nice job.”

A tough, tough position to be in for Kentucky.