Vicky Graff Photo
Many Kentucky football fans were teetering on their support of Kentucky football after last year’s 4-8 finish but were hoping for better times this season.
Even though UK lost at home to Ole Miss in its second game, the Cats seemed to have a realistic chance to win at South Carolina to end a three-game skid against the Gamecocks. Instead, two defensive touchdowns on consecutive plays by the Gamecocks wrecked UK’s night and led to a 35-13 Kentucky loss.
Kentucky scored on its first two drives with redshirt freshman quarterback Cutter Boley making his first SEC start and then was overwhelmed by the South Carolina defense.
That led to some needed questions for Stoops after the game about this message to fans and what lies ahead for the Cats.
What do you tell fans who don’t see a reason to be optimistic about the offense?
Stoops: “Yeah, I think you know, I understand the frustration. I really do. You know I know our team is a good group of guys that work really hard, and we’re a better football team. I know it doesn’t always show up, and I know that doesn’t mean a whole lot. Bottom line is winning, and we’re falling short of that. That’s frustrating for all of us.”
What’s the message to the team when you have so many ranked matchups coming up?
Stoops: “That was the message. Basically, what I told them was the same thing I told you, was that we did a lot of good things. I’m proud of them. I’m proud of their effort. You know, they want to, they’re a good team. They care about each other. We didn’t execute the critical moments, and that’s on all of us. That’s on our coaches, and that’s on the players, critical third downs, critical situations, you know, we have to execute better. That’s on all of us.”
Why are you confident that you’re a better team?
Stoops: “Well, I think you could look at it, and for us, I’m with them every day, and I definitely know that. I like the way our guys have a great mentality; they’re playing tough, they’re playing physical. We need to execute better, we need to coach better, and we’re all in this together. But I know it can turn at any time. And listen, nobody’s going to be sorry for us, we just got to get our butts back to work and get back at it and keep the same mentality that we’ve had.”
How can you prevent things from snowballing?
Stoops: “I think that it’s a fine line with developing guys, too, and bringing them along. Even in that game, we’re bringing players in and letting them get quality snaps to get better. The more depth we have, I think, can help in a lot of ways as well. We just got to keep the attitude and edge realistic.”
How can you keep confidence they won’t let go of the rope with SEC losses piling up?
Stoops: “I really trust these guys and their mentality and their attitude. And that’s what matters to me, you know, is getting back to work. And, you know, we can’t look at it like that. We don’t have the luxury of a schedule, all that stuff. We have to get it one week at a time. And you know, we had our opportunities in the past. We had our opportunities through the years. For us, it’s one week at a time.”
12 Responses
He knows everyone is frustrated but either refuses or doesn't know how to fix much of anything.
Like I said in an earlier post, Stoops is the ONLY constant denominator in all of the issues he has had during his tenure. He fired the best OC he's had because he wanted to score too quickly. Since that time, every OC that has been at UK has had similar issues one to another. When Schlarman was there, he was good enough with OL that he could mask many of UK's shortcomings on offense. Now that he is gone, the problems are magnified.
Stoops either can't hire competent coaches on the Offensive side of the ball or he ties their hands so their isn't much they can do. Either way, the problems they each have are very similar.
Any way you slice it, there is no one that can refute the fact that Stoops is the biggest part of the problem.
You nailed it, again, OldFan! You & TheProfessor are always right in your comments. Barry, RJohn, WildWest & others also have it. (apology for wrong names & missed names). There are so many fans fully aware of the fact that UK FB is finished as long as Stoops is the HC. The OC revolving door with a new portal QB every season has made it impossible for UK have any continuity on offense and the absence of any coaching skills on offense insures UK is going to be in the cellar until the house is swept & cleaned of loser coaches.
I wonder if Barney is considering giving Stoops a raise to inspire him to try to win more games. It must be tough to have to try to provide for a family in just $800,000 per month while also having responsibility for being a pseudo-coach.
3 wins this season will “reward” Stoops with $4 Mil per win. That may be a record for any sport!
I think the best thing to do is
1. Quit going to the games.
2. We apply as much pressure as possible here and other sites.
Maybe by the end of the season he'll be so humiliated and embarrassed that he'll resign and leave.
I fully agree, WildWest!!!
Stoops doesn't get it. A frustrated fan still has hope in things getting better. Many Kentucky football fans are angry and are calling for a coaching change because we don't see any chance in things getting better. There are some who think hiring a coach is like getting married; it lasts until death do us part and they are entitled to hold to that opinion. The overwhelming majority of BBN says it's time for a divorce, but Stoops divorce lawyer, Mitch Barnhart, says Kentucky will pay dearly in that divorce…$44 million.
Barnhart should be fired first for cause; negotiating contracts that were contrary to the interest of the University. Then the Kentucky Board of Regents should step in and say that the maximum buyout for any coach in the future should be set at 1 year's salary. If another school hires a Kentucky coach under contract, the coach pays Kentucky 2 year's salary. If Kentucky hires a coach that is under contract, that coach and the University split the cost of that buyout, up to 1 year's salary. The University should ALWAYS have the upper hand.
As for Stoops, he has a contract extension through 2031. Instead of firing Stoops for having a losing record and paying him $44 million, the University should fire him for cause. The football program and the swimming program are under probation this season and next year due to paying players for work that was never performed in 2021. Fire the entire coaching staffs of both programs and start all over again. By including the swimming program and firing all coaches in both programs, Stoops could not claim that he was being singled out. Stoops would challenge this action in court and it would take a few years and probably $8 to $10 million in legal cost, but that would be cheaper than $44 million. A new coach could be hired immediately and the football program could start out with a clean slate in 2027. Many players would leave our program in 2026 but we are already under probation…let that be the cleansing year. The new coach could be recruiting a new team for the 2027 season. We would be starting at the bottom of the SEC but we are at the bottom now. This move would give the program hope for the future instead of having it die a slow death through 2031. Firing Barnhart first would be the first step though.
It sounds good, Barry!
It’s an excellent idea and sure seems it coudp be done with a settlement ($5 Mill buyout?) in a hurry and clean the slate.
Petrino was made interim coach at ARK and immediately fired the DC & a couple of D coaches. UK needs action in a hurry and starting with Barney is essential!
One thing that characterizes KY football teams. They have a lot of quit in them. You don't win battles by letting up when the going gets tough. The only thing you can do is blame the coaching because the coach sets the stage. Don't know the answer but it is getting very ugly from fan's perspective.
Possibly the Hawkeyes will call their ex FB player and alumnus home when their coach retires this year. Yea, sure.
I have had Coach Stoops' back for nearly his entire tenure. Even through last season's 4-8 ordeal, I held on to my support until the end of the season.
I see no way, I see nothing Stoops can do at this point, that will get me back on that wagon.
All those years, I ignored the consistent absence of preparation, readiness to engage, offensive vision, bone headed mistakes on the field that any player who has been coached to play this game would not make, like the time UK players stood around a ball placed on the ground by a UK player, assuming it was an incomplete pass rather than a fumble, while the UGA player waltzed up to the ball, picked it up, and ran to length of the field for a TD.
I heard about these issues repeatedly from my good friend Little Baron. But, I had a list of reasons why I could ignore those things.
No more of this for me.
Stoops must go. If he had any integrity, he would resign now. He does not want to be here. He knows the fans don't want him here. The only reason not to resign is the big payout.
Barnhart must also go. This is not the first time he has done UK in with his stupid contracts. He locked UK into a mess with Tubby Smith's contract. That cost the UK basketball program dearly for several years. He did it again with Calipari, and as has been pointed out, Calipari did not want to still be here, and he knew the fan base wanted him gone. He resigned despite his ability to take UK on for many millions more by just hanging on. Now Stoops.
Barnhart must go.
I will vouch Professor that you have indeed stayed a supporter when others did not — until now.
Thank you Larry. Coach Stoops elevated this program unlike anything I had ever experienced. However, I watched him on the sideline Saturday night, whenever they showed him, and he seemed totally unconcerned, unaware, uninterested, ?? I don't know how to name what I saw, but it wasn't good.
I hope Coach Stoops resigns and finds peace knowing that he really did special things with the program. But it is time for UK to regroup.
Great! Thanks, The Professor for solidifying your decision Barney & Stoops should go! You have defended Stoops beyond most, and he refuses to make any little change to make UK better.
Fans & administrators need to pressure (legally & without violence) those 2 and the OC to GO AWAY!!!