UK Keeping Focus Internal Even with Outside Attention
On Monday, Kentucky released award campaign videos and websites for Benny Snell Jr. and Josh Allen, the two Wildcat stars who have been instrumental in their team’s 4-0 start.
Mark Stoops didn’t shoot and edit the videos, but he certainly knew they were coming. He gave his blessing to the promotional effort for one reason and one reason only: He knows Snell, Allen and the entire UK team can handle it.
“When I was approached…about doing some of these things it didn’t bother me because I know Josh and I know Benny and I know the type of players they are and the maturity they have, and I know what’s important to them,” Stoops said. “Again, with the success of the team, the individual accolades will come, and I don’t anticipate anything different from those guys and their approach.”
Snell and Allen aren’t the only subjects of hype in the Kentucky locker room, as the Wildcats have garnered more national attention than any time in recent memory after a resounding 28-7 win over then-No. 14 Mississippi State. The victory carried UK to its first national ranking – No. 17 in both polls – and excitement has surged.
Stoops sees that in two ways. On one hand, he’s pleased to see hard work paying off. On the other, he doesn’t want the Cats to abandon that hard work.
“As far as the recognition and all that, I’m good with it,” Stoops said. “The players have earned it; they’ve worked hard. That’s fine, but it can’t detract from us. It could not and it will not. But they do deserve to get some recognition because they’ve put a lot of time in and it’s about the production they’ve done this year. They didn’t get that in preseason, you know what I mean? They’ve earned that through the work that they’ve done.”
That has been very much a collective effort, an effort that has benefitted from the overall chemistry of the team.
“I think it has everything to do with our success,” Stoops said. “Again, the team and the way they feel about each other, the sacrifice they have to make, it’s really hard to describe the amount of work these guys do. It’s not always easy and there’s going to be very emotional times and hard times. These guys put in an unbelievable amount of work and you have to be unified. You have to have a tight group and you have to have great leadership to have the team success.”
That leadership will be counted on to steer UK’s focus away from the praise and toward the task at hand: hosting South Carolina at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday at Kroger Field.
“I’m proud of the process that’s going on with the team and with the staff and the players buying in, and some things we’ve been talking and preaching and working for years have come to fruition and just want to stay the course,” Stoops said. “As I say every week, I don’t ever get too far ahead of myself. Gotta prove it again this Saturday.”
Saturday will of course be a challenge. The Gamecocks are 2-1 on the season after gaining more than 530 yards in a 37-14 win at Vanderbilt last Saturday. South Carolina’s two biggest names are wide receiver Deebo Samuel and quarterback Jake Bentley, and for good reason.
“South Carolina is a very good football team across the board,” Stoops said. “They’re very balanced as far as being a good special teams, offense, defense. It does present a challenge – you’re correct – especially with their quarterback and their wide receivers. They’re very good players.”
Samuel and Bentley surely had something to do with the fact that South Carolina was tabbed an early favorite in the game, but Stoops isn’t paying attention to all that.
“We’re just going to go about our business and do the best we can,” Stoops said.
