Mark Stoops: “We better regroup in a hurry”

Chris Rodriguez ran for 126 yards on 22 carries against South Carolina but only had five carries in the second half. (UK Athletics Photo)

South Carolina had four sacks in its first five games. It got six against Kentucky Saturday night.

South Carolina had not made a fumble recovery in its first five games. It got one on the game’s first play.

South Carolina had not won a Southeastern Conference game this year (losing to Georgia and Arkansas). It never trailed at Kentucky and won 24-14 after coach Shane Beamer admitted at halftime when the score was 7-7 he told his team the game “would not be close” and he was right.

Kentucky played without quarterback Will Levis, linebacker Jacquez Jones and right offensive tackle Jeremy Flax. Coach Mark Stoops knew his “team” had to play well to help redshirt freshman quarterback Kaiya Sheron in his first legitimate playing time — and the Cats failed miserably.

“I don’t think our team played with the normal competitive character we normally play with,” Stoops said after an unusually long wait before his postgame press conference. “I don’t feel like we played with sustained intensity.”

“It’s the job of the head coach to get a team prepared and put them in position to be successful and that wasn’t done. We didn’t do a good job top to bottom. As I told the team, you better buckle up because nobody feels sorry for you. It’s about responding and we generally do. We better regroup in a hurry.”

That’s because Mississippi State and then Tennessee are coming up next on the schedule and even if Levis, Jones and Flax are all back Kentucky cannot win playing like it has the last two weeks. The Cats felt they let a game slip away in a 22-19 loss at Ole Miss Oct. 1 and should feel even worse about getting manhandled by South Carolina.

If the UK players don’t feel bad, watching Beamer dancing in the locker room and poking fun at Stoops and UK football should re-energize the team that seemed to lack energy way too often against the Gamecocks.

Special teams mishaps haunted UK again. Matt Ruffolo missed a first-quarter field goal. Colin Goodfellow had a punt blocked. UK never got anything going in the return game.

The defense gave up just 90 yards in the first half and South Carolina’s only score came after it recovered a fumble at the UK 3-yard line on the game’s first play. However, in the second half South Carolina amassed 266 yards.

Stoops said there was “no excuse” for big plays the UK defense gave up late in the game.

“The character we usually play with was not there. Very uncharacteristic. Not good, no excuses,” Stoops said.

The Kentucky coach said he had to “face the music” that the loss at Ole Miss carried over to this loss.

“I have to look at it. I tried like hell. Tried to tweak a few things and get their energy up and they didn’t respond,” Stoops said.

That’s seldom been a problem during Stoops’ time at Kentucky. However, the losses at Ole Miss and now South Carolina might be the most disappointing two-game stretch of the Stoops’ era. Kentucky has lost to better teams and sometimes by big margins. But this year UK has a star quarterback, star running back, big play receivers and a defense with big-time linebackers.

The coach, players and fans have openly talked about competing for a SEC Eastern Division title. Now UK has lost consecutive games because of poor special teams play, penalties, spotty offensive line play and a general lack of focus.

“You have to find ways to win and we didn’t do that tonight,” Stoops said.

Instead, for the second straight week Kentucky found ways to lose and that’s what is both disappointing and infuriating to fans.