On to Mississippi State after Bye-Week Reset
Last week was a bye for the Kentucky football team.
If you think that meant the Wildcats didn’t get anything done, think again.
“It’s been a good off week, the players needed it,” Mark Stoops said on Monday. “We needed some rest. We got healthy and were able to do some self-scouting and get ahead on Mississippi State. So it’s been a good week and we’re going to need to play our best this week, that’s for sure.”
Even (and perhaps especially) UK’s rest was purposeful after the Cats took down Missouri to move to 5-1 through the first half of the season.
“We were banged up and there were probably a few guys that probably wouldn’t have been able to play last week,” Stoops said. “I think it was helpful. I really don’t want to get into the specifics on those guys, but there were a couple of starters that probably wouldn’t have played last week. So that’s good, but overall we were down and beat up a little bit.”
After six games in six weeks, some bumps and bruises are inevitable, particularly considering every one of those games was not decided until the fourth quarter.
The two players Stoops did mention as belonging to that group that may not have played had the Cats had a game last weekend were offensive lineman Nick Haynes and linebacker Jordan Jones. Jones is recovering from a shoulder injury and targeting a return in Starkville, Mississippi, on Saturday for UK’s 4 p.m. game against the 4-2 Bulldogs, while Haynes is trying keep his weight up while playing with diabetes.
“I had the opportunity to see Nick this weekend and spend some time with him Saturday afternoon and he looked rested,” Stoops said. “Feeling good. It’s still one thing to be rested, but to put on the weight that’s necessary. It’s hard.”
That doesn’t even account for mental fatigue, of which there was plenty for Haynes and the Cats as well. For everyone involved, the season is a grind.
“It feels good because it’s not only nice to have a day off on Saturday – it’s the first one since the beginning of July, which is nice – but, I think just mentally last week going back and looking at yourself and examining the things you did good and bad, what areas you can improve, and come up with a game plan for Mississippi State,” Stoops said. “Getting away from the mental stress for a few days is good for the entire staff.”
The hope is that the work done last week will help cut down on some of that stress during preparations this week. That’s due in part to the self-evaluation UK was able to do during the bye. The two positional groups fans are surely wondering about above all others are the offensive line and secondary, which have struggled for stretches this season. Stoops sees reason for optimism with both though.
For the offensive line, the stability that Drake Jackson’s presence at center has added is a major reason why.
“I think we’re starting to find a good mixture the way we have it now with Drake playing at center and Bunchy (Stallings) playing more guard,” Stoops said. “I think that helps. I think Nick’s situation and his health is a big key to us as we move forward trying to get his weight and his strength back up.”
In the secondary, which has given up 288.7 yards passing per game so far this season, Stoops also expects improvement.
“I think it was a good week for us last week,” Stoops said. “No. 1, to just get a little bit of rest and get their legs back underneath them so they can play fast and finish this season strong. I think it was good fundamentally to look at some of the issues we have had and try to get them corrected. It was also good to get some fast work against our offense and go good vs. good to get the speed that we need to see in practice.”
UK will see plenty of speed Saturday against Mississippi State, which used its own bye to rebound from back-to-back losses with a 35-10 win over BYU last weekend. The Bulldogs are led by dynamic junior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald, who has thrown for 1,024 yards, rushed for 446 and accounted for 17 touchdowns.
“He’s a dual threat,” Stoops said. “He’s just so physical. He’s a big, strong guy, and can throw the ball. He certainly can handle designed quarterback run. I think he’s just a very tough runner and puts a lot of pressure on you.”
UK has dealt with pressure before. Nonetheless, the Cats have kept on moving. They’ll try to do it again Saturday.
“The bottom line is that we have won five games, which is very good,” Stoops said. “We are doing very good in turnover margin and I think the team has found ways to win when maybe the other side is not playing its best. Finding ways to win, and putting yourself in a position to win football games is bottom line and I think this team has done that very well.”
