Stoops not surprised by Kentucky's response; "I knew we would play like that, like we do"

Before getting back in the win column against Mississippi State, Kentucky Football had two disappointing Saturdays in the trip to Ole Miss and the return to Lexington to host South Carolina last weekend. Not just the back-to-back losses, but how Kentucky beat itself in those losses was aggravating to all parties, especially Mark Stoops.

“Our pride was hurt a week ago,” he admitted Saturday night, a week removed from the loss to South Carolina. “Just by the way we played; you know, you’re gonna have some wins, you’re gonna have some losses. Results are what they are. It’s about the respect and preparation and the way you play.”

This week, Stoops knew his team would show up with a better fight than it brought to the field to play the Rebels and Gamecocks. He didn’t wake up Saturday morning knowing Kentucky would win outright against the 16th-ranked Bulldogs, but he trusted the culture and the preparation throughout his locker room to not have a third consecutive game in which the Wildcats beat themselves.

“I didn’t know the outcome going into this game,” he said afterward, “but I knew we would play like that. I knew we would play like we play. Tough. Resilient. Together. Play hard, like we do. I knew we would respond.

“Again, I didn’t know the outcome—couldn’t predict that and there’s things in that game none of us could’ve predicted—but surely proud of our team the way adversity came and went and we responded.”

The outcome Stoops didn’t foresee was a 27-17 victory as a home underdog, and the “like that” was a four-quarter defensive stand against one of the best QBs and offenses in college football, and the best game Kentucky’s offensive line has played all year. Special teams answered the bell too, namely Matt Ruffalo’s two made field goals inside the 50 to cover for his one miss from deep, a 51-yard attempt that was wide left.

Overall, “a team effort,” Stoop called it. “We put it together in all phases when we had to… I just greatly appreciate their attitude and the way they prepared.”

“I thought the coaches had a great plan”

In addition to his praise for the players’ response, Stoops also spoke highly of his coaching staff. He said, “There’s things that we could do over and call over and, you know, replace few calls. But in general, we had a really good plan on both sides.”

When asked directly about offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello and the offensive playcalling, Stoops replied, “There were some plays in there that he was aggravated, I was aggravated; you know, that you’d like over, you’d like to execute better, there’s a lot of things. But again, I thought the coaches had a great plan, and there are certainly some plays and some timing that you’d like to do some things over, but I think we learned and he will learn as you continue to grow and continue to compete in this league.”

The screen that got intercepted is likely one of those aggravating plays, but Stoops stood behind his OC after the win in his proud comments about Kentucky’s all-around performance.