University of Kentucky Football Media Conference
Saturday, November 20, 2021
Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Head Coach Mark Stoops
Press Conference
Kentucky 56, New Mexico State 16
MARK STOOPS: …I’m really pleased that we were in control for the entire game offensively. I thought we really moved the ball well.
Again, the turnovers. With Will, I think there was a bit of a missed communication on that. I think the ball came on him a little quicker than he was anticipating with the communication with him and Luke. So, it turned into a fumble and a pick — or scoop and score. That was a rough way to start, but I’m really pleased with the way the team bounced back and had a dominant half.
Again, we had an opportunity to really put it away and put the ball on the ground on the 2. That can’t happen and hasn’t happened much lately, and we’ve got to get back to the basics on working on that.
I challenged the team at half time because I wanted to see some younger players in the game. I wanted to see players that had been around here for a long time that may be playing their last game in this stadium. They deserved the opportunity to get some reps. That’s fun and that’s joyous for all of us to watch those guys play that work so hard that don’t get an opportunity to play. So, it was important to take charge and be dominant in the second half, and they did that defensively.
I think that’s what always aggravates me. It wasn’t like they were scoring a lot, but the drives, the possession in the first half. I want to say three drives led to three field goals. You know, they kept ball away from us a little bit.
So, in the second half, we got off the field especially early on some third downs and created the separation that we had.
I’m so happy for the seniors. Happy for the guys that played that don’t normally get to play and really happy that our team finished really strong.
So, we have a big game coming up this next week and that’s our concentration.
Q. About that game, Mark. It seems like for fans maybe that game is going to define how that season is perceived. (Question regarding pressure.)
MARK STOOPS: I mean, if we’re affected by that pressure, we have problems. We have a little bit of pressure all year, don’t we? I mean, every game. We live in that world. I thought I heard that every day for the, you know, first five years. Every game was so important. We live there all the time. It’s about our preparation.
I really appreciate the way our team’s been practicing. We weren’t always perfect out there today, but as I mentioned, our prep has been really good. I feel like the guys are really getting focused, really dialed in and really committed to becoming a better football team down the stretch and finishing strong, and we need to have that same week this week.
Q. The last couple — going into this week, you had a big — you get this big win, get some young guys out there, get some reps and get some rest for the guys too.
MARK STOOPS: You know, it’s nice. We’ve had some late games, as I’ve mentioned in the press conference, and when you’re on the road or at home, the late games can beat you up as the year goes on.
It’s nice to get done early, you know, let our guys try to get a little bit of rest and feel good. I challenged them to get that rest that they need so we start our prep on Monday.
Q. Today was senior day. I know on senior day a lot of seniors made big plays. What is it like for them to have some success coming in there? Josh, DeAndre.
MARK STOOPS: Yeah, Josh Ali and Josh Paschal both had big games. Josh started the game with a big tackle for loss. Josh Ali had a big game. All those guys did: Luke, Darian, you name it. They’ve done an awful lot for our program. They’ve won a lot of games and we appreciate them. So, it’s important to send them off this way.
Q. How much attention have you been able to pay to Louisville? The last few weeks, they seem to have hit their stride after a difficult season.
MARK STOOPS: Yeah. I caught some of that game the other night and looked very good obviously just on the TV, catching them putting up a lot of points.
So, you know, they’ll have my full attention as soon as we get done with this press conference.
Q. (Question about Wan’Dale)
MARK STOOPS: How many does he need?
Q. Six to tie, six to break even and he’s kind of in range for the receiving yards record. He’s been what I think you thought he would be, but what does he bring to the table every week?
MARK STOOPS: Well, as I mentioned, I think the biggest thing that you notice with Wan’Dale is that if he has an opportunity to do that (get the record), that would be great, but that’s not his focus or ours. ”’he’s a very unselfish player.
He plays better than you think away from the ball when he’s not getting the ball. He plays hard. He’s selfless and he’s a good teammate and practices hard and plays hard. So, I think that’s the biggest takeaway. He’s created explosive plays.
You know, Josh really stepped up tonight. I thought Josh really played a big game, being strong. They were bringing all kinds of pressure, you know, getting the ball out. Josh made some people miss, creating some first downs, making some good catches. He bounced back. He had the one drop early, and then he responded and played well the rest of the second half.
Q. Having both of those guys out there, what has it done recruiting-wise?
MARK STOOPS: It’s going to help us. It’s definitely going to help us. I mean, obviously, having Will is going to help us with throwing the football — what did he throw for today? I don’t know.
Q. 419.
MARK STOOPS: Yeah. I mean, throwing the ball like that is going to help us recruit receivers. We needed to. With that, there’s some give and take. As I mentioned early on, I was committed to moving the program forward, and there’s going to be some ups and downs with that. We’re seeing some of that with some turnovers and, you know, interceptions and things.
But Will just bounces back. He’s very confident. Guys just go right back on the field and they’re creating big plays. So, we’re definitely getting better.
I feel like we’ve gotten better the last two, three, four weeks, and it’s because of the way they’re preparing and the way they’re practicing.
Q. You talked about how you’re okay with aggressive mistakes on defense and a PI here and there. Do you feel the same way about Will when he’s trying to fit a ball into a tight window there?
MARK STOOPS: Yeah. It was a tight window. There was another throw earlier where maybe there was some separation, and he needed to put it on him. So, he carried that over and he was trying to put that on him. The DB undercut it and made a nice play.
So, it’s just constantly getting reps, and every play is different. It’s hard to simulate where they’re at all the time and how they’re going to respond.
But, you know, I like the way he shakes it off and goes back out there and it continues to play.
Q. (No microphone.)
MARK STOOPS: I mentioned that to the team. That was part of the reason why I jumped them at half time because I wanted to see a dominant performance and I wanted to see some guys out there. And D’Eryk was a great example. Here is a guy that is coming back from a serious injury — and we were joking about it, and I challenged them. Jason brought this to my attention. It’s the first time I’ve seen him smile in about seven to nine months. So, the young man needed some reps and that’s why we have to take care of business so guys like that could get back in there, get the rust off and have some joy for what he’s doing and how hard he’s worked to get back on the field.
Q. Him and J.J., they looked pretty good for guys coming off pretty rough injury. What is it you’ve got to do — (question regarding conditioning.)
MARK STOOPS: Yeah. I think both our trainers and our doctors do a great job, and our strength and conditioning team. The players have to work exceptionally hard.
When we played last week at Vandy, I mentioned that I’d spent some time with Bud Dupree. Bud is coming off the same injury J.J. has.
I have to stay on J.J. because Bud is a professional. He’s mature and he’s on it, and he was telling me the things that he does, how hard he works to continue to rehab and continue to strengthen.
Obviously, J.J.’s done that as well. He’s had a few little setbacks, nothing major, nothing structurally, but you’ve got to continue to strengthen that and continue to rehab it.
Q. Mark, only one player in program history has had more hundred-yard games than Chris Rodriguez this season. But the fumble issue seems to be this cloud. How do you evaluate how he’s played?
MARK STOOPS: Obviously, it’s unacceptable because he’s a better player than that. You see that when he’s locked in. Chris has been practicing very good. He’s dialed in. He’s working hard.
It happened. I don’t want to over-think this one. There was definitely an issue early. It’s not acceptable. It’s not okay. I feel like interceptions are going to happen but there’s no excuse for fumbles.
I can’t give him an excuse for this one, but I know he’ll get it corrected and he’ll be dialed in, have a great week of practice. I know him. That’s the competitor in him.
There’s really no excuse. I can’t give him one. There’s no reason to fumble the ball at the two-yard line.
Q. Their quarterback got loose on a few scrambles, the next quarterback ran all over the place. How do you coach your guys up on defending quarterback scrambles?
MARK STOOPS: It’s true. The discipline of it tonight that — there was a few early and nothing that got crazy, but it did buy him some time and get some seven to eight-to-10-yard runs.
The next guy we’re going to play, those 10-yard runs can turn into 20 or 30 in a hurry. I’ve seen extremely athletic on the things on the TV when I’ve seen him.
So, we have to be very disciplined in our rush lanes and we have to change some things up. There are times when you have to pressure. There are times when you have to make sure we’re disciplined in our rush lanes.
You’ve got to mix up how many you bring. Whether it’s three, four, five, six — seven if you have to. Bring them all. So, you’ve got to mix it up because he’s a very talented player and we have to be very disciplined on our end.
Q. (No microphone.)
MARK STOOPS: It’s not as easy as that, Lonnie. I know it’s easy watching TV. Hey, spy that guy. I don’t know why we work so many hours. (Laughter.)
You know, what I’m saying? Just spy them. There’s a lot of issues. Believe me. That is part of it. It’s part of it, but it’s not the end all be all.
Q. Getting those young guys in, which one of those really popped off?
MARK STOOPS: I can’t tell. You know, I can’t tell just from watching it. D Jack (D’Eryk Jackson), seeing him and the physicality of a few of his tackles, I felt like he jumped out a little bit, which was good to see.
Q. (Question regarding young guys.)
MARK STOOPS: I think it’s positive. It’s always a confidence builder. It’s just good for young men to get reps. You know, as they get plays, as they get game reps, they get better. Experience matters and all that out there because we practice so much against each other. You know, some of the down-the-line guys, they don’t get as much scout work either. So, just seeing plays live, seeing different teams, you get better with the experience.
Q. I know you mentioned a lot of guys were happy to see people play, but there were a lot of smiles when Beau got that touchdown.
MARK STOOPS: Yeah. It was good. He made a really nice throw early, I believe it was on a third down, may have been a second and long or third down. He anticipated, threw a back shoulder completion. Just to get him reps.
Once again, it’s just important to get him out there. He’s one play away from playing a bunch of snaps.
It was nice to see Nick get some at the end. I didn’t want to throw it — you know. When Beau got in there, I had to get a few throws in there, just for what I was just talking about, just getting game reps and seeing him throw and catch.
At that point, it was getting away from us and we always want to respect the game and not abuse that situation.
KENTUCKY FOOTBALL POSTGAME QUOTES
KENTUCKY VS. NEW MEXICO STATE
KROGER FIELD – LEXINGTON, KY.
NOV. 20, 2021
UK Student-Athletes
#6, Josh Ali, WR
On if senior day could have gone any better …
“No, it really couldn’t. We came out a bit slow, but in the second half everyone got in the groove. We came out and we handled business.”
On what was it like to get a couple of those big, 50- 60- yard plays …
“Oh, it felt great. I wish I didn’t get hurt, so I could have gotten more of those this year, but I did what I could today so that I could have a good last game here at Kroger Field .”
On what the big offensive performance does for the offense heading into the Louisville game …
“It showed that we can do it, and I believe that we can do a lot more. I feel like we had a few mistakes and left a few mistakes out there. I feel like next week is going to be a very good game.”
On if his time in Lexington went by quickly …
“Oh, yeah. It flew by. I try to tell the young guys, take advantage of the opportunities you get, because it’s going to fly by before you know it.”
On the rivalry with Louisville …
“It means a lot. Just seeing how fan base feels about it is crazy, and them being an hour away. I thought the Tennessee would be bigger, but I think this one is the biggest of the whole year. It’s a big deal. I’m really grateful for it.”
On how the Louisville game is different …
“This one is more personal. I feel like there’s a little bit more hatred toward the two. This is the game you look forward to at the end of the year. This is the game you come out and dominate.”
On watching Louisville on Thursday night …
“Yeah. I feel like they did pretty good, 300 in the air, 200 on the ground from their quarterback, he had a good game. But I don’t think our defense is going to be the same as Duke’s defense. Not throwing anything on Duke, but I feel like we’re going to come out there and give them a better challenge.”
#7, Will Levis, QB
On the first 400-yard game in 15 years …
“Yeah, good game, I mean it was the first time for me in my college career. We still have a lot of things to clean up, could have been more, should have been more but hey, it’s positive and exciting and I’m glad I was able to get the ball to a lot of people and as an offense, I thought we did a pretty good job.”
On how well the team is playing going into the Louisville game …
“I think that we’re playing well but we still have a lot of things to clean up. We still have yet to play our most complete game of football I think LSU was the closest we got to that, but we just need to be cleaner. Today we shouldn’t have that many points for them on the board and we should have had more for us so obviously never perfect we always strive to be a little bit better. I think just being clean, the pre-snap penalties and stuff that we can avoid just up here and making sure that we’re locked in during practice. We have had a really good couple of weeks of practice and we have to make sure that continues through the next week and carries on to the Louisville game.”
On how it feels to have weapons …
“Yeah, they’re great. I mean, they work their tails off and they know that I trust them by throwing them the ball and putting them in a spot for them to catch and make a play. Good things are going to happen when you get the ball in their hands. As long as they do get the balls in their hands, we know that they’re able to make plays, which is important for any offense.”
On Beau Allen’s performance…
“I love it. Beau should have had a lot more opportunities throughout the year that weren’t able to kind of finish off the end of that game and let the guys that worked so hard and deserve to get a lot more snaps than they have throughout the season. And he’s one of those guys. I’m so happy for him to get in there and get those couple drives. Also, Nick (Scalzo) to get in there and get some burns. So that was awesome. I mean, everyone’s team works just as hard as the guy next to them and a lot of it goes unnoticed. But it’s great when you get to see those guys on the field and play.”
On what he is thankful for…
“Thankful for my relationship with God first and foremost. I mean, it’s something that I have made a point of emphasis for me in my life throughout the season. Just something that I’m able to always turn to and improve and at the end of the day, no matter how hard things get, just know that it all comes down to me serving him and knowing that I’m making him proud no matter what I do. So that’s what I’d say first and foremost, and then my relationship with my family. Obviously, since I’ve been playing college football, I haven’t been able to spend many Thanksgivings with them, but I have such great memories with them on my Thanksgiving in years past. I’m upset that I can’t spend it with them again, but I signed up for it. So, you know, so hoping they have a good Thanksgiving. Thankful for all the sacrifices they’ve made for me. And then lastly, thankful for my brothers in the program. Thankful for Kentucky for welcoming me into open arms and giving me an opportunity to shine. And I just can’t thank the community, the town, the program enough for everything they’ve done for me so far. But the job’s not over. And I look forward to next week”
#21, Quandre Mosely, DB
On what it’s like to get a big play in his final home game …
“Felt good, I was praying for this, that I want to make a play in my last game in Kroger Field. I haven’t made many plays since I’ve been here. It was a relief.”
On reading the quarter back’s eyes on his interception …
“Yeah, when he looked my way, I knew it was coming. I thought he was going to throw it to number two but I saw him keep coming, so, oh yeah, this is it. I just got happy and I was like I’ve just got to finish the play and catch it and make sure I got it first.”
On allowing nine points in the first half and big drives …
“We just had blown covers, just misalignments or something simple and they just kept moving the ball. We knew we were going to stop them we just had to lock in and hold them for downs and get them off the field.”
