Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops met with the media following Saturday’s 30-23 loss to Ole Miss.
“You know, Going into it, that they are a handful,” Stoops said about Ole Miss. “They are tough to stop. Very Explosive. We got off to a great start. Gave ourselves an opportunity and did many good things. But, you know, certainly we all will look at a lot of negatives and a lot of things we need to get fixed and get cleaned up. You know, quite frankly, some of them are inexcusable.”
Stoops also hinted as a quarterback change, whether Zach Calzada is injured or not.
“Certainly, let’s just look at the way it is,” Stoops said. “He is banged up. I don’t know to the extent, I would think he would more than likely miss Monday or Tuesday, I would think. But I want to see Cutter and yeah, I want to see him, yes.”
Here’s a transcript from UK Athletics:
MARK STOOPS: You know, Going into it, that they are a handful. They are tough to stop. Very
Explosive. We got off to a great start. Gave ourselves an opportunity and did many good things.
But, you know, certainly we all will look at a lot of negatives and a lot of things we need to get
fixed and get cleaned up. You know, quite frankly, some of them are inexcusable. You know,
it's on us. I love the fight of this team and I love how hard they play. We need to be competitive
in every snap and there are areas where I still need us to improve in that area and there's other
areas where guys were super scrappy and very competitive and made a lot of good plays. It's
early in the year and we have a lot of football ahead of us, that's a good thing. And I like this
team. I like the way they fight and scrap and we will improve.
Q Mark, can you talk about the organizational issues that you guys had in the first half
where you had to burn your timeouts?
MARK STOOPS: Yeah, it was really inexcusable to be totally honest with you. There are things
where we are trying to get the best personnel we can with certain plays and certain things. You
know, we got to be better. We've just got to function better. There were issues that we thought
we had our communication on the sideline and with the quarterback here and there with the
communication device. But there is no excuse for it. Not all of it. That's on us. Put it all together
and it was messy. You know, operationally we have been very smooth. I think we are trying to
do too much with matching personnel and changing some people out. We talked about that at
halftime. Cleaned that up. It really pissed me off and we had a discussion with the offensive
staff and got that rectified.
Q How much of that – backed up by another one and kicked that field goal. If you
would've kicked a field goal there you would have not gone to the fourth down?
MARK STOOPS: Yeah, I agree. In hindsight, a lot of the field goals I would have loved to have
gotten three, that was a messy series. And even late the three, you know I can second-guess
myself now and I think you all would second-guess me if I kicked it. Neither here nor there I
think analytics would tell me to go for it and I was studying it carefully on the sidelines. Wanted
to be aggressive. You know, in hindsight I think the first one now that we didn't get it I would've
liked to have kicked it. You know we had it backed up and got a quick stop and got the ball right
back and drove back down and we gave ourselves chances. But yeah, I think the three at the
end of the half would have been nice as well.
Q Zach Calzada?
MARK STOOPS: What’s that, Zack? He was hurt; I don't know the extent but we were in the
heat of the moment there. I'm not sure.
Q Regardless of Zach's status, do you have to consider a quarterback situation?
MARK STOOPS: Certainly, let's just look at the way it is. He is banged up. I don't know to the
extent, I would think he would more than likely miss Monday or Tuesday, I would think. But I
want to see Cutter and yeah, I want to see him, yes.
Q Mark, two interceptions you got the lead ten to nothing and had them on fourth and
one -to the default, can you just talk about that?
MARK STOOPS: Well, it is disappointing because we worked that play. We worked that exact
play. You know, it's us trying to do too much and you hear me talking about other coaches with
just bad eyes. You know just trying to do things you are not responsible for.
Q Mark, would you like to see the passing game go downfield more and allow the
screens and short passes? And the game plan today – score more?
MARK STOOPS: I mean yeah, we always do. You know in the last game we didn't complete
very many but we had five shots down the field and today we had our shots as well. I want to
say the first play of the second half we had an opportunity. He took the tight end and got maybe
7 yards but I thought we had the post for a big gainer. It was called there, it was called
throughout the game but you don't always see it.
Q What did you think about how your defense kept up with Ole Miss’s Tempo?
MARK STOOPS: I thought we handled that part of it very well. Operationally really well.
Operationally we got off to a good start and we were disruptive and changing looks. You know,
we were too soft in coverages giving them some easy access throws, you know, there is areas
where we need to tighten up there. Not having DJ Waller who got injured Wednesday in practice
obviously affected us as well.
Q – Seemed to provide some sparks on offense, how can we see an impact touching the
ball more?
MARK STOOPS: We had some plays and some touches and screens that you mentioned and
some other things and Kendrick trying to get touches and going. And Seth, we saw some really
explosiveness out of him today. Big play capability and we will continue to work both of those
guys and I think it's a nice combination with Dante as well. I think the run game was effective,
again, going into it. You know them, Pete goaling on the defensive side, the personnel that
they have and it's a tough defense as well. I thought they really played well. It made it difficult
for us. We had some success in running the ball. Too many three and outs and missed
opportunities.
Q You are always striving for balance but do you want about in their hands more
particularly after that quarter where Seth really got going?
MARK STOOPS: – and I talked about it on the headset. It's a double edged sword. I just sat
there and everybody thinks I control the offense or call plays, which I, zero-zero percent. You
know, after it. He and I talked about it, it pisses us both off because in hindsight we should just
pound it, pound it, and pound it when we got the turnover got the second one and got it to the
14 we both second-guessing afterwards. I don't say anything because I don't want to hinder us
from improving. And being aggressive.
Q Mark, on the Cutter drive had third and nine, 29 – what was your thought process on
that?
MARK STOOPS: I can't remember the play. I'm sure we were just trying to hit a power play, you
know a fake play and on third and long sometimes you can hit them with the power on the
quarterback run and try to pop one.
Q Mark, it seemed like the defense played well on a lot of plays.
MARK STOOPS: For sure. You know that going and playing them that they thrive off of
explosives. And I really think we did a really good job for the majority of plays and then you take
however many explosives they have and it's the difference in the game. You know that's kind of
who they are. I think the play that we mention on fourth and one really ticks us off and we
worked it. You can have a man on a man there and we cover the flat perfect and there's no
excuse. We have to cover the two deep balls, you know, we were off and that's a huge play right
there. And very much playable for us. Not to say that a 50-50 ball wouldn't go their way but we
should have a man on them then.
Q How do you sense your tackling, particularly in the second?
MARK STOOPS: You know, there's a lot going on in my head right now. I don't feel like, you
know, I mean I guess if you're talking the corners, on the perimeter it hasn't been good and to
me they been too soft, is a double edge sword and they get uptight and they did get behind us a
couple times. I think the corner position has stood out to me as being below average at times
this year both for the first game and second game and our safeties have generally been good.
We did lose leverage late in the four-minute drill with some of our guys and that's inexcusable
as well. You know, there are some things we can easily get fixed. We lost some leverage late
in the game.
Q There were a couple of times when it felt like the game was getting away from you.
You got a top ballgame at the 30 yard line with a chance to do something in the fourth
quarter. Is there some big picture positives to take away from that?
MARK STOOPS: Absolutely, I definitely think so. We have a lot of moving pieces. A lot of new
guys and new people. I like this team and it's a tough loss. This is a team that everybody
predicts they will be a playoff team and I have a ton of respect for Landon and his staff and his
team. They are very good. We had many opportunities and did a lot of good things. You know,
whatever you can get on me for that or whatever, but we have a long season. I want to continue
to build this team up and make sure they keep their heads high and just work to get better.
There's things we can all improve on.
Q Mark, it seems like you have some pieces on the offensive side of the ball. What do
you think has been missing with from that unit from the first two to be more consist?
MARK STOOPS: I think it's easy to point out in the past game. You knew that the pass rush
was going to improve today and harass Zach and whoever was in there quarterback. You know,
they did that. But we still had some time. I felt like the timing of some of that. There were some
throws that were there. I feel like our vision has to be better at quarterback and get the ball out
of his hands. Because there were some things that were there. Not easy and not like they were
going to be contested. But there were some plays where we've got to get rid of the ball.
Q Is that a play calling thing or is that a?
MARK STOOPS: No, because the plays were there. And again, not easy and not wide open
and things of that nature. When you drop back and pass you got to throw the ball. And some of
it was there. Listen, it's not easy, those are big guys coming at them and you don't know what
the visions like and what his windows are like. As we are looking at it, because I was interested
in that and Bush was looking at that. I was looking at that after in between series and there
were some opportunities there and we got to be more efficient.
Q Mark, – Quarterback and –?
MARK STOOPS: It is, the way they go, a lot of their play passes and a lot of their things. They
had the fourth down that we already talked about. Most of their explosives I would imagine is
around the first or second guy. Just playing them, that’s where they are going to be. Third down
we were 3 for 13 success rate. You know what I mean? That's pretty good against that team. I
would imagine those explosives for second down. That's tough, you have to get your feet in the
ground and they kind of live off that. You know that going into it we try our best. Being down DJ
didn't help us. Coach White tries protecting in a way, you know, rolling and that gave up one of
the shots on second down with a tight end through the middle. Trying to roll and protect the
corner and give up the tight end scene and it's a weakness in the coverage that we went to. It's
a cat and mouse game and it's tough. They put you in some binds. Again, I thought our
defense did some really good things. They are going to score a lot more than 30 in most of their
gains.
Q Mark, do you think DJ's injury is more long term?
MARK STOOPS: I'm not sure, I hope he will be back if not this week certainly after the buy.
