UK Faces ‘Unique’ Challenge in UT Martin
Three years ago, almost to the day, Kentucky was on the precipice of bowl eligibility for the first time of the Mark Stoops era.
The Wildcats needed but one win as they lined up opposite Austin Peay on Nov. 19, 2016. The Governors were winless and UK was expected to roll en route to its sixth win.
Instead, the Cats had to dig their way out of a 13-0 second-quarter hole before winning 49-13.
“I remember it just being a very aggravating game,” Stoops said.
Aggravating as it might have been back then, the game is instructive today.
The Wildcats (5-5), just as they did in 2016, find themselves a win away from bowl eligibility with an FCS opponent coming to town. This time, Kentucky will host UT Martin at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. Stoops expects the Skyhawks’ approach to be similar to the Governors’.
“It is a big game for them,” Stoops said. “(UT Martin is) 7-4 and this is their last game of the year. You are playing a team that is coming in here with nothing to lose, it is their last game and they are going to throw caution to the wind and take some gambles and some shots and again, they are good, they’re well-coached, and present some problems. They are unique in certain ways.”
UT Martin has won six of its last eight games and has held opponents to 17 or fewer points six times in that stretch.
“I will say, UT Martin, they’re a good football team,” Stoops said. “Defensively, they present some problems. They are very different than anybody we play and can be very multiple and do some things that are kind of unique. In that regard, it will be very different for us. When you play a team like that, they can create some negative plays because they are very much kind of all over. We will have to be very detailed in what we are doing.”
It’s no coincidence that Stoops shifted the focus back to his own team after praising UT Martin.
“It’s about us and the way we play and we keep the same mentality we had a week ago then we will be OK,” Stoops said. “It is about us and our prep and the way we play.”
The Cats delivered on that front last time out. Though they fell into an early hole at Vanderbilt, the way they bounced back from it in a 38-14 win only served to highlight how locked in Kentucky is with two weeks to go in the regular season.
“We went down 14-3 and I was very proud of our team, and their response, and they were coached to do that all week and they responded that way,” Stoops said. “This week, it’s about us and our preparation and how good we can be and being very detailed in our prep and our mindset.”
Saturday’s win was one of the best examples to date of how focused the Cats have been over the last seven weeks, even through trying circumstances. They will be looking to deliver another this weekend.
“It’s about us right now and our preparation and seeing how good we can be,” Stoops said. “We’re interested in playing good this week but also interested in continuing to grow as a program and organization to get better. That’s always the message with us. I don’t care if we are playing a team where we are a favorite or if we’re an underdog, there’s no difference. It’s about respecting the game and respecting the preparation and challenging ourselves.”
