Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops is looking ahead following back-to-back setbacks, including a 48-20 loss at Florida last weekend in Gainesville.
“You can face a bad day in tough times with a good attitude,” Stoops said during his weekly press conference on Monday. “That’s what I’ll do. We’ll go to work. I’m not going to sit here and flinch. I critique myself and things of that nature. The outside noise, I can’t bother myself with that.”
However, Stoops knows there is a sense of urgency going into the final five weeks of the regular season. The loss to the Gators was the second in a row for Kentucky, its third Southeastern Conference setback in four tries this season.
“There are things we can all do better, and we’ll keep on grinding it out and going to work,” Stoops said. “People will say that’s redundant, but it’s the truth. What else are you going to do? There’s no mercy. We’re playing a team this week that’s a good football team. We can’t count on the turnovers that have set them back. Like I said before, there’s a thin line between success and failure. (Auburn) is a good football team.”
Kentucky has five games remaining, including road games at Tennessee and Texas. The Wildcats have made eight straight postseason appearances under Stoops, a streak that could be in jeopardy.
“We’re in the right now and trying to win this game. That’s where we have to stay focused,” Stoops said Monday. “Is it important? I think it is in the grand scheme of things. There are only eight schools in the country that have gone to eight straight. There are only four in the SEC. It’s not easy.”
As for his team’s struggles, especially in the red zone this season, Stoops said he lets offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan call the plays and doesn't get involved unless he is asked to do so by his coaching staff.
“Criticism is fair,” he said. “I don’t get involved in play-calling, but they did ask me on the three when we had a first-and-goal on the three, and I said pound it. Pound the rock. And we did. And we scored."
The Wildcats (3-4, 1-4) will take on Auburn, which remains winless in the league through its first four conference games. The Tigers are 2-5 overall and coming off a 21-17 loss to Missouri.
“Auburn is a team that, if you look at the record, everybody’s going to think it’s a bad football team,” Stoops said. “It comes down to turnovers for them. They’re a very good team. Turnover margin has been a big issue for them.”
GAME TIME SET FOR VOLS
Kentucky’s game at Tennessee set for Nov. 2 will be at 7:30 p.m. and televised on ESPN, ABC, or the SEC Network.
The seventh-ranked Volunteers are coming off a 24-17 win over No. 15 Alabama.
