Football

Takeaways from Mark Stoops’ Monday Press-Conference

Published

2 years ago

September 28, 2020

Mark Stoops met with the media Monday afternoon to discuss last Saturday’s loss against Auburn and to preview this Saturday’s matchup against Ole Miss.

Here are some takeaways:

Mistakes cost the Cats a win

I know I’m not the only one that thought Kentucky was going to win the game after their opening possession. Marching it down the field and scoring was one helluva way to start the season.

But, it’s well documented that the Cats just made too many mistakes to beat the Tigers.

Stoops said:

“We did a lot of good things but too many mistakes. We can talk about it until you’re blue in the face but you can’t make critical errors in critical moments on the road in an SEC game, at home or on the road. Can’t make those kinds of mistakes and we did.”

They are trying to get the rule regarding transfers inside the SEC changed

If a player in the SEC transfers to a school in the SEC, that player has to sit out the year. That player for Kentucky is Joey Gatewood this year. A “gentleman’s agreement” was made this past week that Gatewood would not play against Auburn. However, he will be granted a waiver, and the decision probably will come this week.

However, the rule could change. Stoops said:

“I understand both sides. The commissioner was crystal clear on that and I agree with him. However, we are trying to get the rule changed. That’s above the head coach’s decision. It doesn’t matter what we think. We need to talk to our presidents and our presidents are voting on that and it’s my understanding we’ll have a decision relatively quick on that”

Could the rule change for this season?

“I think there is a possibility of that, yes I do.”

Even with a limited capacity, Jordan-Hare Stadium was still loud and Stoops once to create the same atmosphere this Saturday

With COVID-19 restrictions, SEC teams are only allowed 20% of their normal capacity. Jordan-Hare Stadium holds close to 90,000 fans, so only 20,000 were allowed to attend the actual game. It still sounded really loud on TV, and according to Stoops, it was pretty loud in-person.

“It felt like more than 20,000 (at Auburn). I don’t know what was in there, but it felt like a lot more. Hopefully we will have whatever we are able to have in there and those will create some noise.”

Stoops didn’t like the penalty on Kelvin Joseph, but liked his performance overall, and says the bad things can be “straightened out”

BossManFat didn’t have the best highlight reel Saturday, in fact, he’ll be on Seth Williams’ highlight reel. We all saw Joseph push the Auburn receiver after he jumped early. Stoops was asked about the penalty and his performance overall.

“The penalty is inexcusable. I show our players a football IQ film every Monday and silly, selfish penalties are on there every week and usually it is at the expense of another team, but it will be on there at the expense of our team this week and we cannot have that. But I will say this, he is a competitive son of a gun. I thought he did some really good things in the game and he is competitive. He’s going to be a bit rusty since he sat out a year. So for his first game in a long time, I thought he did really well. We will build on the good things and get the other stuff straightened out.”

For Terry Wilson’s first game in over a year, he played well

Terry Wilson had not played in an organized football game in over a year and had not played in an SEC game since dinosaurs were around. He gave us a mixed bag on Saturday, but for his first game in a long time, Stoops was pleased.

“Some good and some bad. Really, for the first time playing live action, I thought he threw the ball well.”

But, the fumble….

“There is no excuse for that fumble. The ball was loose, it actually hit his knee, they didn’t even cause it. He was a little bit loose with it.”

Stoops also said that Terry didn’t follow the design of the play and got “indecisive with it.”

Chris Rodriguez was a yard deep in the end zone

Kentucky fans will talk about this play all year, but how did the refs miss that call? I am honestly still dumbfounded by it. Even the announcers were. Stoops shared his comments on the play.

“I sent the film in and can never comment on what they tell me and I haven’t gotten that back yet. I will wait and hear what the official word is. but it doesn’t matter. Until something changes and somebody hold somebody accountable, we need to move on. What did it look like to me? It looked like he was a yard deep in the end zone”

I’ll say this, I’ve never known a job where you can be horrible and not have to take any responsibility for it. “I can’t comment on what they tell me”? Cmon. That’s ridiculous. If officials are going to make horrible calls, they should have to own it.

I’ll say it. That call sucked, really bad. Horrible. Awful. Terrible. Refs are the absolute worst. There, I said it.

Related Topics:Auburn Mark Stoops SEC Terry Wilson

Football

LOOK: Photos of Kentucky Football Facility Renovations, New Kroger Field Turf

Published

15 hours ago

March 28, 2023

Phoenix Stevens

UK Athletics

Plans for Nutter Field House renovation, new field Kroger turf and track facility

The Nutter Field House, which currently features an indoor practice football field and an indoor track, will be renovated in the near future. The facility will transition into a full-blown practice football facility, with the indoor track being moved to the Jim Green Indoor Track and Field Facility, which is currently being constructed for a cost of $20 million.

Constructed in 1992, Nutter Field House’s football field has been surrounded by a 290-meter track. As a result, the size of the end zones are nearly 10 yards shorter than the regulation size.

This has forced receivers and other skill players to make sudden and irregular changes in motion in order to prevent them from running onto the track. The design flaw’s potential for injuries and even damage to the track have been apparent for decades.

These issues have frustrated Mark Stoops, who expressed his relief last week with the media when talking about the new $5 million renovation that was announced in 2022. “I think it’s going to help us all, number one, with the function, being able to practice in here,” Stoops said.

Stoops added on, saying, “Just to be able to function and have the room and the space, it’s going to really help us. And obviously, cosmetically it’ll look a lot better and nicer. We’re really excited about that.”

Another exciting update for the Kentucky program is the new turf for both Nutter Field House and Kroger Field, with a total cost of $1.8 million.

Below are renderings of Nutter Field House, Kroger Field turf, and the outside of the Jim Green Indoor Track and Field Facility. Check them out!

Football

Vito Tisdale Dismissed from Kentucky Football Team for “Violation of Team Rules”

Published

7 days ago

March 22, 2023

Tristan Pharis

Jacob Noger | UK Football

Vito Tisdale committed to Kentucky in 2020 as a four-star safety, pledging to play for Wildcats over Alabama, Georgia, and LSU among others during the All-American game on NBC. A Bowling Green native and the son of Nappy Roots’ ‘Big V,’ Tisdale arrived in Lexington with high expectations.

As a freshman, Tisdale played the role of a playmaker on special teams, totaling 20 tackles. Entering his sophomore season, he was expected to take another step but was suspended for preseason training camp and the first month of the 2021 season for an off-campus fight with a fraternity, which resulted in charges for six Kentucky football players.

Tisdale was ultimately cleared of his charges and returned to the field to tally 21 tackles, including 1.5 for loss, on the season. This season would end up being his playing on the field for Kentucky.

In the opening days of 2022 spring practice, Tisdale suffered a season-ending ACL tear. After undergoing surgery and months of rehab, Tisalde was expected to be available for spring practice this week. Instead, his time at Kentucky is over.

On Tuesday afternoon, Kentucky football announced via Twitter that Tisdale was dismissed from the team for a “violation of team rules,” with no further comment.

Roster update: Vito Tisdale has been dismissed from the team for a violation of team rules. We have no additional comment on the matter.— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) March 21, 2023

In a since-deleted tweet, Tisdale confirmed that he is longer part of the team and showed appreciation for his time at Kentucky.

This loss will have an impact on the Wildcats, as they lose a talented defensive back, which also hurts depth. Fortunately, the Wildcats have proven players that are capable of filling that spot: Alex Afari, Zion Childress, and Andru Phillips.

Football

Mark Stoops Gives Promising Update on New Quarterback, Devin Leary, as He Recovers From Pectoral Tear

Published

3 weeks ago

March 6, 2023

Chris Beasmore

The News&Observer via IMAGN

After being projected as a top NFL prospect since the end of the 2021 season, it was well-known that last season would be Will Levis’ last at Kentucky.

With that being said, the staff knew they had to go find another high-level quarterback and that is exactly what they did. In December, the Wildcats made the decision to bring back Liam Coen who played a part in bringing in former N.C. State quarterback, Devin Leary, from the transfer portal.

While Leary set program and conference records at his old school, he is coming off a pectoral tear alongside his throwing arm that occurred back in October. While his commitment brought excitement, it also brought some questions, such as if Leary would be healthy enough to participate in Spring practice.

Kentucky fans should gain some confidence as Leary is participating in Spring practice, which started on Monday. According to Leary, he is ahead of his rehab process and has shown no arm pain after throwing but the staff wants to make sure, he is 100% healed before “ripping passes at 100%.” For that reason, he will be on a throw count.

On Monday, Stoops took to the stand in the Spring practice opening presser, providing an update on Kentucky’s new QB #1. “He looked really good… He was able to go for basically an entire practice,” Stoops said.

Even with the encouraging news on Leary, there is still the question surrounding the quarterback room, who is going to be the backup?

Obviously, Kentucky will have different options in Kaiya Sheron, Destin Wade, and Deuce Hogan, who have all been considered QB #2 at one time in their Kentucky career, which will make the battle that much more interesting.

Again, the main question has been answered and Leary is healthy enough to participate in Spring practice and get better accustomed to the team. Hopefully, with Offensive Coordinator Liam Coen coming back he can resonate Kentucky’s offense this year with new QB #1, Devin Leary.