Cats Not Letting Hype Get in the Way of Work
The buzz ahead of Saturday night’s game between Kentucky and No. 20 Florida is both wide-ranging and all consuming.
There’s the Gators’ blowout win over the Wildcats last year to talk about, not to mention the sellout crowd that will be attendance. Though it’s only September, the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division race is already a subject of conversation too. And oh yeah, that 30-year streak.
So, how is UK reacting to all that? With a lot more of what got the Cats to 3-0 in the first place.
“We really don’t change it all,” quarterback Stephen Johnson said. “We really just try to tune all that out and come in Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and just work. Do what we’ve been doing these last three or four weeks and just keep on grinding.”
With Saturday set to be the first sold-out home game for Kentucky since 2015, fans will be raring to go come 7:30 p.m. at Kroger Field. The Cats will be too, but the difference is they’ve had to be sharp all week.
“Emotion is big in this game, but it’s daily,” head coach Mark Stoops said. “It’s not on Saturdays. It’s the will to prepare to win. That’s what we’re trying to instill in our guys. Our guys, it’s about the preparation and getting in position to win games and having the confidence that you’re gonna do it. That doesn’t mean you’re gonna win every time, but that’s what we’re striving for.”
The Cats have come a long way on that front since last year’s 45-7 loss at Florida. Since then, UK is 10-4 and hardly looks like the same team.
“We knew what happened last year,” Johnson said. “Wasn’t too good of a game last year, but we’ve definitely come a ways since then. Everybody’s really grown since that last game, so we’re all really excited for this upcoming Saturday.”
Cornerback Derrick Baity, a Tampa, Florida, native, feels the same way, and the sting of last year’s loss keenly. What hurt him most was that the Cats didn’t put up a true fight, but that sort of mentality is long gone.
“This is a different team, different players,” Baity said. “We’re all in. That’s all I can say. We’re all in.”
Baity himself admits he wasn’t all the way there a year ago. Recognizing what UK is now capable of, he’s there now.
“I see all the potential that we have,” Baity said. “We’re a different team and you see it. I want to see everything with this team. All the different adventures we’re going to go on, the different highs and the different lows. I want to see us go up.”
Saturday marks a chance for the Cats to take a big step up, not mention to end UK’s 30-game losing streak at the hands of the Gators. Stoops doesn’t hide from the fact that he wants that to happen for fans and is motivated by it, but he doesn’t even know if it’ll come up before kickoff with his team.
“Every week is a new week,” Stoops said. “I’ve never addressed it before. I know these guys hear because the media, social media and everything that’s out there. There’s so much information now. It’s not like you can hide it. They know what’s going on. But I have great confidence in our team that that won’t affect us at all. If it gives somebody a little bit of motivation, I hope it gives them motivation on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. I want them getting motivation to prepare. If that does something for you, then good.”
Whether it’s the streak, the division race or something else, the Cats have approached the week exactly as they were supposed to.
“We’re really ready,” Courtney Love said. “We just want to get to the game. We know it takes preparation throughout the week. We had a good Monday, good Tuesday and a great Wednesday. We gotta put it together (Thursday) and then have a great Friday and get ready to go.”
Then it’s Saturday, and the Cats will take the field in front of that sellout crowd.
“I think that’s going to be a factor,” Baity said. “Our crowd’s just going to keep us alive and keep us alive and we’re going to keep fighting and keep fighting. Sold-out stadium.”
