Mark Stoops wants his team to understand there are consequences for penalties. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Kentucky’s high penalty rate is something coach Mark Stoops knows has to be fixed and said on his weekly radio show Monday night that it was on him to get that done.
“It’s been a problem. If it’s continuous, that’s on me,” Stoops said. “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.”
Kentucky ranks 117th in penalties per game at 7.71 and 121st in penalty yards with 479 in seven games. Kentucky was penalized 14 times for 122 yards against Missouri last week. By comparison, the Cats had only 120 passing yards.
Kentucky was coming off a 51-13 loss at Georgia and jumped in front of Missouri 14-0 before collapsing after a fake punt play by Missouri went for touchdowns.
“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 said.
Stoops doesn’t want the undisciplined play to continue and knows it has to stop for the Cats to play the way he believes the team can in the next five games starting with Tennessee on Oct. 28.
“It’s hard to describe? It’s like turnovers, some years you don’t get as many, but then this year we’re getting more,” Stoops said. “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.
“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.”
5 Responses
These aren’t off-sides or illegal motion penalties. These are personal foul penalties. Thug penalties. #UnacceptableForKentuckyFootball
unacceptable indeed Jerry
When you have eleven players on the field with differing responsibilities there are going to be mistakes. But it’s the trash talk and cheap shots that the fans are so upset with.
I think you are correct RJohn
Coach Saban said if want to run your mouth to opponent join the debat team