Stoops, Cats Hope to Carry Momentum Into Florida Week

Kentucky got its first Southeastern Conference win of the season Saturday night, beating Auburn 10-3 at Jordan-Hare Stadium. While it’s always good to win, UK head coach Mark Stoops relished this particular victory because of the reaction of his players.

“Yeah, it was a lot of fun. It was good for the players, as I mentioned, it was just fun for them to celebrate,” Stoops said. “They’ve worked hard, and it means a lot to them. Sometimes when you go through that stretch go a long time in between victories, it was really good for them. They deserved it. They worked really hard, and it was fun to celebrate, it was a relief.”

Stoops has mentioned several times this season just how hard his team has continued to work. Seeing that work pay off in a victory was rewarding for both Stoops and the UK players.

“Absolutely, you hope for that. Anytime, you see that getting paid off and you see the dividends for the hard work, it helps with the win,” Stoops said. “That’s like some of those hard losses we have. Yes, they hurt, because the guys invest so much 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 along.”

Stoops was especially pleased with his defense and the job done by defensive coordinator Brad White.

“I thought he did a very good job. He did a very good job of mixing things up,” Stoops said. “It’s happened several times this year, we feel like we’re getting somebody off balance. You know, not getting too predictable. I think we mixed it up quite well.

This week, the Cats return home to face Florida and the Gators’ dynamic quarterback, DJ Lagway. Stoops knows that the Gators have many offensive weapons, including the talented signal caller.

“They can create explosive plays and they have some elite athletes on the offensive side of the ball, and across the board, on their team,” Stoops said. “But with DJ, 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 can certainly hurt you at any time so it’s about team defense again.”

Hard work paid off on Saturday for the Cats. They hope that trend can continue this week against Florida.