Both Positives and Negatives of the Mark Stoops Era (BTI's R & R)

We currently live in a culture that is incredibly negative and Mark Stoops and his program felt that in a bad way last weekend. Social media has completely diseased our society and brought out the worst in many people. Sports fandom can often lead to negativity anyway but social media has taken it to a whole new level. So when you experience a loss like Kentucky did on Saturday to Mississippi State the amount of negativity you see online is overwhelming. The reality always lies somewhere in the middle. That loss was a truly embarrassing performance, both from the players and coaches. But the reality also is this has been a very good season and the program is on its steadiest ground in generations.

So I thought I would do some balanced perspective about the Mark Stoops tenure at Kentucky. The reality is he has brought so many positive aspects to a program that has been beaten down for so long. But the reality also is that there are some holes within his tenure.

So, for every positive thing I say about Mark Stoops, I’ll also give the negative. Hopefully, this will show that everything, including Kentucky football, always lies somewhere in middle.

OVERALL RECORD

Mark Stoops is three games above .500 for his tenure at Kentucky. If he finishes his time in Lexington above .500, he will be the first coach to due do so since 1961. He is also 27-4 against teams from non-Power 5 schools and Vanderbilt, meaning he is 28-48 against SEC teams, Louisville, and bowl games.

MARGIN OF VICTORY

Mark Stoops has been fantastic in close games, winning 18 of the last 25 games decided by 7 points or less. His teams also get blown out quite often. Kentucky has lost 30 of his 52 games by more than two touchdowns. And a whopping 17 games by 21 or more points. The average margin of defeat in losses under Stoops: 17.4 points.

OFFENSIVE PRODUCTION

Mark Stoops has developed Kentucky into one of the nation’s best rushing attacks/offensive lines year in and year out. Mark Stoops teams also consistently are some of the worst in the passing game in the country. His teams have ranked 101st, 122nd, 124th, 114th, 92nd, and 101st in passing yards per game for the last six seasons.

In the same theme, Mark Stoops has done a great job recruiting and developing running backs and offensive linemen. Kentucky continues to struggle to develop quarterbacks and wide receivers with only a few exceptions.

SEC EAST PERFORMANCE

Mark Stoops has taken over and dominated the series over the bottom of the SEC East, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina, winning 13 of the last 15 games against those two teams. He has not consistently controlled the upper half of the division, going a combined 5-21 against Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee in his tenure.

MARK STOOPS’ PHILOSOPHY

Stoops has shown a willingness to allow his offense to transform quickly based on personnel. He adjusted to a run-heavy scheme when he had Benny Snell, changed the offense completely when Lynn Bowden became quarterback and implemented a completely new offense under Liam Coen. Mark Stoops also has shown a conservative mindset when hanging onto a lead that has handcuffed the offense in key games. His strategy is clearly to hold onto leads, not attempt to expand them with risk.

CONFIDENCE vs. RESULTS

Mark Stoops’ confidence level on where this program can be is infectious. He is the most confident coach we’ve had in my lifetime and he has a great ability to convince the fans something special is on the horizon. Mark Stoops has also gone better than 7-5 in the regular season just once in his nine years. He will hopefully make that twice after this season but at some point, that confidence has to translate to multiple 8-9-10 win seasons.

OVERALL REALITY

Here’s the reality on the Mark Stoops tenure at Kentucky. And it all depends on how you approach things. If you have been a UK football fan all your life, you have to admit that Stoops has done things during his decade that we haven’t seen before. He’s winning games (Penn State, Florida, Tennessee) that coaches before him never got close to doing. The program feels strong. And for many fans, that is enough. We are no longer the laughingstock of the league, we are seeing some great football, and amazing moments are happening every year.

But some fans will never be satisfied. And that is because Stoops has pounded into our heads that “we’re just getting started” and that this program could compete for SEC titles. And when that is your standard in your head, the program hasn’t met your expectations. So when they throw in the egg they laid in Starkville, and the other eggs of the Stoops tenure, you get mad and negative and lose perspective of where this program came from.

The reality is there are some amazing positives for Stoops. And the potential is there for even more. You can’t only look at the rosy side of things though because Mark Stoops has demanded we shouldn’t be satisfied. We should be disappointed in a 9-3 season, if that is how it finishes, because that is the standard Stoops has wanted. So, celebrate the great things this program is doing but also push for more. Find the balance. And stay off social media.