Kentucky-Ole Miss Postgame Quotes
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY MEDIA CONFERENCE
September 6, 2025
Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Coach Mark Stoops
Press Conference
Kentucky – 24, Ole Miss – 16
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?
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.
KENTUCKY FOOTBALL POSTGAME QUOTES
KENTUCKY VS. OLE MISS
KROGER FIELD – LEXINGTON, KY.
SEPTEMBER 6, 2025
Kentucky Player Quotes
#5, Zach Calzada
On missed opportunities…
“Too many to say the least, it’s something that we have to get fixed. There were a couple times where we had communication issues, but we will get it fixed.”
On his shoulder…
“It’s the other shoulder, so it’s definitely different. I’m just trying to get back out on the field.”
On missed throws today…
“Yeah, definitely. I’m always looking for plays that I could’ve made, that I didn’t make. No matter what difficulty or how far it is if there’s an opportunity I want to make it.”
#14, Ty Bryant
On how it felt to get two interceptions…
“It felt great, it felt amazing. Trusting all my work and you know it pays off. Hard work really pays off. I wish we would’ve got the win though.”
On defensive success early in the game…
“I mean I just felt we were playing with a lot of energy, I mean I feel like our energy stuck throughout the whole game, you know just you know mistakes, little things like tackling and stuff like that, but I mean when we go back to practice on Monday that’s definitely going to be an emphasis and we’re going to fix all of that.”
On tackling on the perimeter this year vs. last year…
“I don’t know, that’s a good question. I really don’t know. I’m not going to say yes or no because I don’t want to seem like I’m pointing the finger at anybody, but I mean I don’t know.”
#7, Daveren Rayner
On how the defense was…
“No, I think that we did some really good things on film, and I think when we turn the tape on we’ll be happy on some things. The bottom line is they scored more points than our offense did.”
On if Ole Miss surprised him at all…
“Nothing, truthfully. They ran everything that we knew they were going to run. We need to execute better. Tackling and execution is what it boils down to. We’ve got to get the ball to the ground, and we’ve got to execute when we’re supposed to execute.”
On getting back to winning at home…
“I don’t want to sound like a broken record but again, execution. If we execute, we don’t have these issues. We make plays when we’re supposed to make plays, we won’t have these issues.”
#3, Seth McGowan
On what the offense can improve on …
“First of all, I just want to say I’m proud of this group of guys. Still proud of this group of guys, even though I’m not proud of how we as a whole performed today, that includes myself…The things that we have to fix are minuscule and they are fixable. Things like communication and just overall synchrony.”
On success of the running backs…
“I mean, it’s not up to us. Right? We’re not calling the shots. All we can do is be ready when our number is called. I think Dante and I have done a pretty good job of that.”
On his personal performance…
“To be honest, not really because we didn’t come out with a win. I don’t think that the state of Kentucky is happy right now just because a player might have played okay. I think that ultimately we’re playing this game to win. I don’t care what the outcome is, other than if we won the game or didn’t win the game.”
OLE MISS FOOTBALL POSTGAME QUOTES
KENTUCKY VS. OLE MISS
KROGER FIELD – LEXINGTON, KY.
SEPTEMBER 6, 2025
Lane Kiffin Quotes
Opening statement…
“Really proud of our guys. You know, coming down the road in the SEC and win is a hard thing to do. We play for it every year, and it’s hard. So, proud of our guys. We started down ten to nothing, and then we got the ball in our territory, got aggressive, made some plays, and that was a big turning point. Proud of our guys, how they played wasn’t perfect, but Austin was okay to go back in, and we just got to plan for the next game. Really that game was a lot like last year. Just all three phases went the other way. Last year we had the ball out before I said, we gave the ball back, we didn’t stop them, and they went down the field and scored, and then we missed the field goal. This was exactly opposition score, two scores, make the field goal.”
On the fourth and one conversion…
“Yeah, just a lot of confidence, they are hard plays man. They’re sticking on defense and been that way for long enough to throw, you know? And throw, you know, in all those zones and so really, the one time is a short yardage. We have just practiced and been ready for that spot.”
On early adversity and bouncing back…
“I think it says a lot. I think it says they got a chance to be really good because if you can see in phases that go right down the field and score, they’ll stop people and shut them down. So, I think they have a chance. It was a good SEC start. Winning SEC is hard.”
On dimension in the offense…
“He’s really good, really good two years great running back. See it’s hardiness in those games, you know, turning it over, got some things not working. Protecting our running back that was the goal. This is kind of what I probably would’ve predicted. The other 48 rushes or 24 passes probably would have predicted that happened in a good way, so that was really good.”
Ole Miss Player Quotes
#2, Harrison Wallace lll
On the big fourth and short play…
“You know it’s a play. We practiced the play in practice all the time, just for whenever it comes up. So, once we saw that look, I kind of had a feeling the ball was going my way.”
On the momentum shift in the fourth …
“I definitely felt there was a swing of momentum, you know just always trying to make a play for the tea.”
On Austin Simmons mental toughness…
“No, definitely feel like that’s something hard to do, so I had to give him props for that because, you know, just him doing that second start on the road as a young guy, he kept his composure. So he did a great job.”
#13, Austin Simmons
On his baseball background helping him shake those starts…
“Yeah I’d definitely say that, you know baseball comes with a lot of adversity so being able to bounce back from those mistakes early in the game and really focus on the next play.”
On the huge fourth and one play by Tre Wallace…
“He’s definitely a playmaker right there, he’s just in the moment and I’m thinking somethings going to pop on this play.”
On his connection with Tre Wallace…
“For me it all started from his visit, coming here to ole mis, really just meeting him and getting to meet his family.”
#57, TJ Hedrick
On the key to getting stops in the fourth quarter…
“Just the mentality of the defense. Just showing those flats.”
On physical Kentucky runners…
“Yes sir, definitely. We knew coming in in was going to be a physical blood bath being able to fight and dominate fight back.”
On supporting Austin Simmons after an interception…
“Like I said we got his back through everything and for the defense man, our mentality is always stop the ball regardless and get it back to the offense.”
