Mark Stoops Press Conference
Mark Stoops News Conference
Post-Auburn, Pre-Florida
Kroger Field Media Room
November 3, 2025
Opening statement (note: volleyball coach Craig Skinner had a news conference before Stoops and began his session by standing on the interview desk) …
“Looking forward to getting back home. To follow Craig Skinner should I maybe get on the desk? (laughter from media) Want me to get on the desk to see if we can fill up Kroger field this weekend? Yeah, you guys would love that, wouldn’t you? (laughter from media) Congratulations to Craig. He’s an awesome human being and a great coach and fun to watch his team. So, congrats to him.
“Proud of our team, as I mentioned, postgame Saturday, very good victory for us. Not an easy place to go play. I know with them last week and playing for this week, people look at the records and think they are not very good football teams. They are, they’ve recruited well for a long time. (Coach) Hugh (Freeze) has done a really good job, and it’s a good win for us. I thought it was two teams that played extremely hard, that were doing anything we could to get a victory and proud of our players for pulling that out.
“The same thing, playing this week, playing Florida. I know Billy’s (Coach Billy Napier) not there, but Billy’s assembled a very good football team, very talented, very physical, good team. And it’ll be another great challenge for us, and another opportunity. It’s each and every week. You can sit here and during the SEC schedule, and it’s brutal, one game after another. Very good teams, very physical, very talented.
“So, for us, it’s about continuing to build on the good things we’ve done. I know we’ve fallen short at times, and there’ve been other times when we played very good in spurts. I thought it was very good this past week to play good on offense, defense and special teams, put it all together and get a hard-fought victory on the road at night in the SEC. It’s never easy. I was completely impressed with their environment, during a tough year, and absolutely packed and as loud as just about any of the places we play, just an amazing environment during a difficult season. So credit to them. What a great atmosphere, and again, a very hard fought victory for our team and and proud of them and proud of our coaches.
“So, small victories for us. We’ve been getting better, doing some good things, and hopefully we’ll build on that. And that’s what we’re looking for. We’re looking for improvement again this week and a steady week of preparation and get prepared for another great game.”
On differences in Florida’s team following change of coach…
“Just slight, just slight. Nothing drastic, nothing I care to talk about right now that were obvious to us. I know they played very hard, they played very good, had every opportunity to beat Georgia in a hard-fought game.”
On how rewarding the plane ride back was…
“Yeah, it was a lot of fun. It was good for the players, as I mentioned, it was just fun for them to celebrate. They’ve worked hard and it means a lot to them. Sometimes when you go through that stretch and go a long time in-between victories, it was really good for them. They deserved it. As I mentioned, they worked really hard, and it was fun to celebrate. Yeah, it was some relief.”
On Nasir Addison’s return at cornerback, looked like he played well…
“Definitely – very, very pleased with Nasir. They had some weapons out there as well. And just like you saw all year some of those hitches and some plays he came up, really broke on the football, made good tackles, and limited them to the gains that they were – five, six yards, and we line up and play the next play.”
On Lorenzo Cowan seeing more playing time…
“He’s been getting better. He’s a guy that works really hard, we feel like has a bright future. He’s a guy that just – a lot of these young guys you could see starting to put it together and starting to play better as the year goes on.”
On the defensive line …
“Oh, definitely. The D-line in general played extremely hard, they were also very disciplined. They were very precise on the games we were running. A couple times we were light in the box and short with the quarterback draw, we hit it for a loss. Just things like that sometimes go unseen. They did a lot of things good but they played extremely hard but they also executed the little things. And you’re right, the guys you mentioned, Khalil (Saunders) has been disruptive and playing very good for a long time. I thought Sam (Greene) really stood out in this game, very disruptive, really just played very sudden, very sure, very strong, made good tackles, he executed the defense very well. Again, some things that are unseen, he played well. Not only the disruption because I think he had seven tackles, a sack, TFL, quarterback pressure. He did a lot of things.”
On the touchdown drive and Fred Farrier II making two big catches…
“Yeah, just very pleased with Fred. In the last two/three weeks some of these receivers, some younger guys (are earning more playing time) but it takes a group effort and a guy like Fred keeping his head in the game, and maybe not getting a ton of snaps all the time, but when he comes in, he produces like that. He is a great teammate. It’s a great story, I just appreciate him, and the way he’s always positive, always into it. And when his number was called, he produced.”
On Sam Greene developing and ability to return for additional seasons…
“Yeah, it’s big for us, it’s big for continuity. But he’s a very good player and he’s been a great leader. He’s another great person. And just love his energy, I love the way he works, and he’s very passionate. And so he’s definitely a guy that we like to have here. He’s a great fit.”
On assessing Cutter Boley’s performance after watching the film…
“Yeah, Cutter definitely missed a few things, but I was so pleased because, that’s what it’s going to look like a lot of times on the road in the SEC against a great defense. They are a very good defense and I thought it just showed a lot of toughness, a lot of grit and a lot of resolve. I mean, he just hung in there. Maybe he missed a pass or two, but he didn’t flinch. After the interception at the end of the (second) quarter, what did he do? I think he completed 11 straight after that. That just says a lot about him, and the things we’ve been talking about with him, and the way he’s going to grow from this experience. You love it when maybe he’s not, you know, at his peak performance, but yet still has the resolve to get the victory and did enough. Offensively, I thought, outside of – obviously, there’s always going to be plays and a few things that stick out, that you can’t have – but I thought we moved the ball and changed field position. I want to say, every time we kicked the ball, whether it was a kickoff or a punt, their average starting field position was the 12-yard line. So, our kickoffs were on the money. Our punts were inside the 20 every time, six for six inside the 20. And that was the difference in the game.”
On what he appreciates most about Brad White calling plays…
“I thought we did a very good job. He did a very good job of mixing things up. When we have – It’s happened several times this year, we feel like we’re getting somebody off-balance, not getting too predictable. I think we mixed it up quite well. And our guys, you know, he did a remarkable job, and always does. But our players played extremely hard, and they executed.
“I could go back. I’ve told you that story. It’s been a while, but when I was a defensive coordinator and I was mad at the defense I’m like, basically, to hell with you, I don’t have a call. You know what I mean, calls don’t make it good all the time. Players make it good. And in this case, it was both, a really good plan, good execution. And the players played really hard. When things are going bad sometimes you’re searching for – there’s no magic calls, the players have to go execute.”
On Florida’s explosive offense…
“They (run) play-action, boots – they can create explosive plays and they have some elite athletes on the offensive side of the ball, well, across the board, on their team. But with DJ (quarterback DJ Lagway), he could throw the ball, he could hurt you with his legs, he buys time, and he has the strength to get the ball down the field. They certainly can hurt you at any time, so it’s about team defense again. I think probably the best running back we’ve played all year (Jadan Baugh) and that’s saying a lot, there’s a lot of good ones, but then the skill at wide receiver puts a lot of stress on you. ”
On Josaih Hayes…
“We’ve moved past him at this point, just guys playing better than him.”
On importance of trying to create turnovers.…
“It’s always important. Turnovers are a huge part of the game. We had to count on our offense to get our first fumble recovery of the year (laughter from media), so maybe we broke the seal there, open that up, get a few.”
On Cam Miller’s play to cause the fumble…
“I think I told you all, but I gave Cam the game ball after that. It was a huge play, it was an effort play, it’s an awareness. He has good football IQ, he plays really hard, and it was just a huge play in the game.”
On Daveren Rayner being the leading tackler…
“I thought he (Rayner) played really well. He’s been steady throughout the year but there is a lot on these guys, as we know we do a lot defensively, so there’s a lot on his plate. But, in this game I thought he played really fast and very sure of himself, and really did some good things.”
On recruiting Kendrick Law…
“I don’t know what the exact pitch was, but I think you could see he’s a dynamic player, and a player here that could be featured. He’s definitely a guy when you get the ball in his hands, he’s making some things happen. We’re glad we have him, again I’m not just saying this, but I absolutely love him as a person. He is just a great human, unbelievably passionate, just a great teammate, cares, I just can’t say enough good things about him, how tough he is and what he’s doing for us and the mentality that he has.”
On the team getting better, can Saturday’s result add momentum…
“Absolutely, you hope for that. Anytime, you see the getting paid off, you see the dividends for the hard work, it helps with a win. That’s like some of those hard losses we have. Yes, they hurt, because the guys invest so much, they work, they know they’re close, they know they’re getting better, but they’re not seeing the end result. To see the end result here, you hope it does. You hope it catapults you. I know this – they’ve been very steady in their approach. Win or lose, we want to come back in Monday and try to win this week and try to go 1-0.”
On why they have been able to stay locked in week to week…
“I think it’s been intentional by us and by them. As I mentioned, I’m not just saying that with the players that we’re talking about, they’re great people. They care, they care about this university, they care about their teammates and they’re invested. That’s all we can ask for. I appreciate the way they’ve approached it, and I think that the bottom line is, they’re tough and they have a tough mentality and they want to continue to grind.”
On Jordan Lovett becoming the first player in Kentucky history to have at least two interceptions in four straight seasons…
“That’s not an easy stat to get. The consistency of playing four years, you don’t see that a lot. You got injuries and a lot of things playing into it. But it’s a credit to him, obviously. J-Love is a guy that, another one, I just love his passion, love his energy, the way he plays. He’s been really steady for us but we’ve had some really good ones in the past. That’s just not an easy stat, four years in a row, but that says a lot about him.”
On the Maxwell Harrison interception…
“I did happen to see that. We were in the office and it was on the TVs and I had a chance to see it while it happened. Good for him. Big victory for them. Looks like Deone’s (Deone Walker) playing well also.”
On wanting to get a win at home…
“Definitely. Let’s be honest – we want to win every week, whether it’s home or away so I don’t think that’s anything to even discuss. There’s always a balance with being too high, being too low and we always try to find that slot (in the middle). I don’t think that needs to be discussed. We’ve won a game here this year. I know people will write or say whatever, but it’s not like we haven’t won a game in Kroger Field. We just got to go have a great week and do the things necessary to put ourselves in a position to win.”
