Mark Stoops Monday Press Conference (Nov. 6)
Mark Stoops News Conference
Post-Mississippi State, Pre-Alabama
Nov. 6, 2023
Opening Statement…
“Once again, pleased with a victory, going on the road and getting a win in a game that we desperately needed to get back in the winning ways. Proud of our team and the way that we prepped and the way that we went down there and played. It’s not the easiest road game as far how we stay and where we stay and all that, but the players handled it very well. Pleased to get the victory. Again, I felt like we improved in certain areas. This team—we haven’t put it all together yet, but definitely improved in certain ways.
“Obviously, very excited for this week’s game. Let me start by recognizing veterans—thank you for all of you that served and everyone who does. We will honor them on Saturday. (It will) Also be our Senior Day and another very, very good, high quality opponent here in the SEC, hosting Alabama. Once again, I will call on our fans to wake up at Noon and ‘you know what’ (laughter) and they should be ready to roll, big game. We need a great atmosphere. They have responded all year and we greatly appreciate that. We’re looking forward to getting out there, getting to practice this week, getting better, and preparing for Alabama.
“Alabama is a team that you can see that is getting better and better. A typical Nick Saban team that is very big, very physical, very talented, and extremely well coached. They seem to be getting better and stronger as the year goes on and that will be a big challenge for us, just to match their physicality and improve and have a little better, more disciplined execution here this week, in particular, offensively in the second half. It’s going to take a total team effort and we will be ready to have a great week of practice and get ready for a great game. “
On if Kentucky will be “all hands on deck”…
“We should be [all hands on deck]. It’s Monday. There’s always some bumps and bruises, but everybody is this time of year. We’ll see where we’re at.”
On snapping a three-game losing streak, winning at Mississippi State for the first time since 2008, and becoming bowl eligible – which makes you most happy?…
“All of the above. As I mentioned, I really didn’t think too much in the past, anything like that. We’re in the current moment. I didn’t deny that we needed a victory. We just needed to play well. Our players have been working hard and practicing hard. Eventually, you want to see those results in the win column. I’ve been preaching and preaching to them to be single-minded in their focus—really focused on what they have to do in the particular moment. It is much the same for us (the coaching staff).”
On Devin Leary’s injury status…
“I already commented on that once (after the game). I will stay away from that. He was having a hard time reading off the wristband at that particular moment. He can read it now.”
On Devin Leary’s performance against Mississippi State and Tennessee, the way he has turned the corner…
“He really has. I thought, in that [Mississippi State] game, there were some frustrating moments and there is, maybe, a few plays, a few reads, a few plays out there that even Devin would say he had some better options and we missed it. But overall, he did a really good job. He withstood a bunch of pressure. Again, you know that going into it. They [Mississippi State] make it tough, the way they disguise and bring pressures and mix up their looks. He really did a nice job. He stood in there very strong, he escaped, he made plays when he had to, he made some really good passes—even a couple that were incomplete while under some duress. We had a couple drops in there. So, overall, I thought he played pretty good. We did back off late in the game. We were getting inefficient, we were ahead. We probably backed off a bit late.”
On planning for Alabama’s speed, such as receivers Jermaine Burton and Isaiah Bond…
“That’s typical. When you’re playing a great team—as a defensive coach, you always look at teams, they’re physical, very big, physical offensive line, great backs, physical backs. Their quarterback is a monster, and then great speed, great talent outside. That is what makes it difficult to defend because you have to play with numbers. You have to be able to win some one-on-ones against some super-talented receivers.”
On trying to contain Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe…
“He, obviously, is tough to defend. When he is off-schedule, just like last week, you can see his confidence is getting better and better. He throws a very pretty ball down the field, very strong arm and getting better and better. You can tell they are gaining a lot of confidence and he is as well.”
On the level of excitement for the Kentucky defense…
“We’re going to have to [be excited], absolutely. You know what you’re getting when you play Bama. You have to put a few extra pads under their shoulder pads and buckle them up because it it’s going to be tough, it’s going to be physical. They are going to keep on coming at you and we have to be able to match that.”
On JuTahn McClain’s injury…
“I did not see it during the game, I did not know he was hurt after the play. I didn’t know that during the game and really didn’t know until after the game. I saw the video on the plane and I obviously was very alarmed by that. You never want to see a young man hurt in general, let alone while the game is not being played. We sent that into the league and it is out of my hands.”
On adjustments made after the Tennessee loss…
“I think we just played better and obviously defensively we played better, not perfect, still missed a couple tackles and plays on the perimeter, but overall met a lot of goals and played very well. Quite a few three-and-outs and basically felt like, outside of the one drive, we played pretty clean defensively. Offensively, there’s plays we are leaving out there and we have to continue to execute at a higher level and there’s a lot of little details in there. You knew there were going to be some problems going into the game that create some negative yardage plays, and they did, and we were able to overcome them at times and at times we weren’t.”
On the inconsistency of the run game…
“I talked about it postgame because it was probably on my mind, and it still wasn’t clean enough, but it was a little more efficient then I felt after the game. We did have some efficient runs in there and so it wasn’t quite as bad as I felt after the game. Still not good enough when we are stating a drive or first-and-10 and get zero or minus 1, that feels like that’s really stalling us. An efficient run for us is +4. but +0 is kind of what sticks in your mind. “
On preparing for the Alabama defense and defensive coordinator Kevin Steele…
“Kevin Steele has been around a long time, very good coach and what you see is a lot of what you see with Coach (Nick) Saban, a lot of staples that have been there, each coordinator might have a wrinkle here, a wrinkle there. But overall you see a defense that is very multiple, very physical and definitely create problems. They do a great job of mixing up their looks and subtle things that maybe not everybody sees with leverage and the way they are very complicated on the back end, they do a great job.”
On the development from defensive backs JQ Hardaway and Ty Bryant…
“Getting better, getting better, we need them to. JQ is a guy that we need to bring along, played some early, did some good things and is getting more snaps right now, he is doing good. Ty has been solid. Ty has been pretty solid the past couple weeks.”
On the injury status of Darrion Henry-Young…
“We will see when we get the results back from the MRI.”
On Tavion Gadson…
“He had two shoulders (injuries) in the offseason, he is a young man that I wanted to be very careful with. After going through a rotator cuff surgery myself in the off-season, for that young man going through two of them, I wouldn’t want to see him do that again. I want to make sure he is healed up very well and getting stronger and make sure he can get out there and protect himself. We feel like he has a bright future.”
On what makes Nick Saban so successful…
“That’s a great question. When I think of Nick, the first thing that comes to my mind is respect. I have a ton of respect for Coach. He has been successful for a long, long time. He has his methods and his way. From an outsider, my brother, Mike, did work for him for two years (2019-20) and has nothing but respect for Nick. Of course, I have known him or a long time but never worked with him but I think of respect and how he has down things consistently, he is like a machine.”
On keeping the team’s focus in the face on a big game…
“We play in a lot of big games. Playing in this league you have to get ready for big games, big names, big programs. I don’t think that they need to be distracted in any way, they need to stick to the things we’ve been really focusing on and that is our focus, taking care of business day by day and even playing that way. I think we have been playing smarter the past couple weeks, we’ve needed to. We talked about this past week disciplined execution, you saw that at times. We can improve, whether we are playing Alabama or anybody, it is truly about us and that’s the only thing we can control, is how we practice, how we prepare and make sure we have a good plan and put our players in position to be successful and then we have to go play.”
On the confidence that resulted from holding MSU to a field goal following a 20-play drive…
“I think that was a big play for us. Again, I talked about it after the game, that’s the resolve, the toughness that we need to have that we pride ourselves on here for a long time. They may get some first downs and move the ball, we don’t like that, we don’t love that, but we dug in and held them to a field goal. To them, it had to be a little bit tough or demoralizing in a way to only come away with three points after such an efficient drive.”
On if the play of the interior offensive line is where you want it…
“Probably not. Not probably, not. I don’t want to throw anybody under the bus, but we need to be better. I’m (going to) tell you the truth. I don’t like throwing any individuals under the bus but I’ve also told you when the quarterback, or receivers, or DBs, you name it, yeah, we need to play a little better. We need to be more consistent. I expect us to play better than that.”
On what is lacking from the offensive line – technique, communication, not finishing blocks, a combination of things…
“All of the above. But there’s some things — they presented some challenges [Mississippi State] but some of it was inexcusable, things that we have repped many times, not just in this week. That’s the communication part. It’s inexcusable with the amount of reps that we have on certain targets, and that leads to negative yardage runs when there’s no excuse for it whatsoever. There’s other parts where you’re getting beat or not physical enough or technique. So, a little bit of all of the above.”
On struggling with movement, does Alabama’s defensive line present the same challenges …
“Sure they do, sure they do. Everybody does, and they do it with really good players. The penetration, it’s going to be there ‘til we get it fixed, and we have at times. It wasn’t completely inefficient. But there’s just some things that I was talking about right there, that just aren’t excusable. I can’t defend it.”
On the speed of the offense…
“At times we still have to get the play … we have to get in and get it going. There’s some things there that we just have to work on. Just getting more efficient in calling playing, getting the plays called, and getting to the line of scrimmage. There’s a lot of plays where we have shifts and motions, and we’re in a bit of a hurry. The plays are getting called with plenty of time, so again, there’s room for improvement. Let’s just leave it at that. There’s room for improvement — being more efficient.”
On Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe’s confidence after winning the starting job back…
“I think that’s what we all want in our players is that toughness and that resolve. You can see that with that young man. You can just see the way he plays. I’m sure his coaches and his team respect him even more, because he handles it like a man and wants what’s best for his team. You can see him now taking full control and taking over at times.”
On his status alongside Nick Saban as the longest tenured coaches in the SEC…
“Again, I refer back to the earlier question about past experiences in Starkville or anywhere else. I really just stay in the present. I’m fortunate. I feel gratitude from a lot of people that have put a lot into it. I don’t take that for granted, but I’m really just kind of trying to get this victory right here.”
On the shifting role of the tight ends in the offense…
“I think one of the reasons is plays — 24 first downs (against Tennessee). I know that’s a simple reason, but it’s very accurate. We talked about it post-Tennessee. When you get 24 first downs, you’re going to spread the ball around, you’re going to get more plays. Guys are going to get more touches — hopefully you get more yards and things like that. You have to get it moving. Three three-and-outs don’t help. I think we had three (three-and-outs) and maybe one four-and-out. Four three-and-outs and one four-and-out. That’s not going to lead to a lot of touches for people.”
On emphasizing the importance of playing physical…
“I think you know what you’re going to get with Bama — big, strong dudes, big and physical, and they always are, not just in the trenches, across the board. That comes from great recruiting and great developing. They develop their players and work at it, and they’re very physical.”
On Ty Bryant…
“Ty, really — we could go back to last spring and sitting right in here and I think you could just hit repeat from what I said. Y’all can repeat what I said. He’s just been very solid, very consistent. He’s a young man, for a freshman, he goes about his business in a good way. I think even a lot of older guys can learn from that because he has the concentration. He’s really focused on what he needs to do. That doesn’t mean he’s perfect. He’s a freshman, he’s learning, he’s getting better. That’s one thing, you’ve have to be careful of. You don’t want to constantly put the cart before the horses, because you want to let people grow. But as far as his work ethic, his detail, and the way he goes about his business, he does a very good job. That translates to the field, again not always, not perfect. That’s what makes me hesitant to get in here and brag or talk about freshmen sometimes, because then everybody starts all hyping them up. Let the young men grow up the way they need to.”
On what Ty Bryant gained from an extra year of high school…
“Again, I just think some maturity, you know, some maturity. To me, he’s just been a very mature young man. He comes in, he handles the business, he works hard, does his job. He’ll find his voice as a leader as he grows within our program. But right now, the first part of leadership is handling oneself and he does that in a great way.”
On Zion Childress…
“Zion, this guy that has quite a bit of experience, played a lot of football and, he’s reliable for us. Again, not perfect, but I like the way he goes about his business as well. He is a bit more of a vocal leader now.”
