Kentucky Wildcats Football: Mark Stoops Monday Presser

Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Q. How is Jalen’s ankle? Was it an AC joint and an ankle?

COACH STOOPS: Yeah, he should be fine. He should be fine.

Q. You sounded answering that question like a man who doesn’t see there being any other option after what happened last week.

COACH STOOPS: I see it as a guy that’s leading the program in the SEC and I see other SEC players banged up and leading their team to victory, don’t you? That’s what we need to do.

Q. The execution issues, is it more a mental thing or is it physical?

COACH STOOPS: It’s a little bit of everything, and listen, we all ‑‑ I think the question earlier is a fair question. We could put them in situations to do better. We could all do better. You know, there were some critical mistakes. The 3rd downs we need to improve. Even with all that, we gave ourselves a chance to win, which is surprising. You know, hey, you have to take some of that. You know, I do.
One of the 3rd downs that we blew an assignment, I thought, we can execute it, but we can’t. We’ve got to really spell things out. That’s your job as a coach, and so we take responsibility for some of that. They kept us off balance. We pressured early, went zero early. They pinned us, got outside and ran the ball and scored a touchdown. A guy comes ‑‑ again, it’s a game of inches; we come six inches under a block, pick off two and go for a touchdown; we go outside the block and contain, it’s a zero‑yard gain; we’re off the field with a pressure. Next time we play zone, he scrambles around, throws it down the field.
There’s all kinds of issues. We finally got them at the end with an all‑out zero blitz, but they kept you a little off balance with some of their runs, and that hurt us defensively on some of the 3rd downs.
Starting with the first 3rd down of the game, I think it was the first 3rd down, but the scramble and the touchdown pass. We got him sacked, we got him covered, and then we just leave ‑‑ we don’t stay on our guys. We’re going to have somebody go tackle the quarterback from 45 yards away and leave their man wide open.
That’s not exactly very sound football, but we had him tackled, too. You know, they were initial plays, done, covered, pressure, just can’t finish it.

Q. Where are you encouraged?

COACH STOOPS: There’s a lot of plays in the game, and so the frustration maybe that you’re sensing is from some of the plays that, again, I feel like we can control. The other parts of the game I think, like I said earlier, we’re starting to resemble a football team, and there’s quite a few plays in there that are pretty good.

Q. You talked about the losing culture maybe rubbing off. Is that something you’ve combatted at programs previously like when you were at Arizona and starting at Florida State?

COACH STOOPS: Yeah, it is. It’s difficult. There’s no gimmes in this league. So anybody that’s trying to rebuild a program will tell you that the best way to rebuild and get that confidence is get some wins. Well, they don’t exactly give those out in the SEC. Maybe some other leagues but not this one, and that’s what makes it hard and that’s what makes you have to be a good, sound, good football team, and we’re not there yet. We’re working on it.

Q. How important is a game like this Saturday when you look like on paper you could get a win?

COACH STOOPS: Well, it’s very important. I think if you’ve noticed us as a program each week, no matter who we’re playing, I think we gave ourselves a real chance to go out there and compete and win that game, and that’s what we’re looking for. The preparation, the effort, and go out and play and give yourself a chance to win. We’re never going to concede anything.
I think the Alabama game got away from us, and we went through that. That’s a tough match‑up for us right now, but everybody else we’ve played I think we can line up and you see signs and you see us improving. This is the next game for us, therefore it’s extremely important.
I think anybody that thinks that we can just roll out there because we’re an SEC team and think you’re going to roll out there and win this game, you’re sadly mistaken. This team won six games in a row, averaged over 40 points, very balanced, very well‑coached I think on all sides. They’ve got playmakers. They’ve got, like I told you earlier, Isaiah, I don’t know what he was ranked, but absolutely in our eyes when we were at Florida State one of the best players in the country coming out that year. He’s running very physical. Good player. They’ve got players who we’ve got to manage the things we can control, and that’s our preparation and how we’re doing things and getting better.

Q. (Question regarding injuries at the QB position and looking to clarify a third option at QB.)

COACH STOOPS: Absolutely.

Q. Do you know what that third option is?

COACH STOOPS: Yes. Yeah.

Q. What is it? (Laughter.)

COACH STOOPS: We will get Reese (Phillips) some reps in practice. Yeah.

Q. How tough has it been for you because of where you’ve been and the success you’ve had to step away from the losses and find positives? Does that kind of go against how you’ve been ‑‑

COACH STOOPS: I’m sorry, I was distracted.

Q. As you try to take away positives from the loss, is it tough for you having had success at Florida State, trying to find positives from that?

COACH STOOPS: It is. I mean, it’s tough. It’s just frustrating because we could do better, and that’s where ‑‑ that’s your job as the head coach, to get them in a position to make those plays and to win those games. I think we are getting closer. I think we give ourselves more and more opportunities by the way we play and the way we prepare, and that’s a good sign. You know, that’s all we’re worried about. Really, and I’ve said it before, I can’t even worry about all the things that have happened. It’s just where we’re going and what the future holds and our preparation in the next game.

Q. To be clear, is Reese your third option or your second option at this point?

COACH STOOPS: I don’t know. We’ll work on it this week. He’s definitely going to be an option.

Q. Can you talk about what you like in Reese?
COACH STOOPS: Reese, he’s always done a nice job of managing the game, going back to the spring game, all the scrimmages he’s been in, the scrimmages we did this year during the year. He takes care of the football. If nothing else, if we get ourselves with certain plays and checks and run‑pass options, if we just execute the call, we give ourselves a chance. We’re not even doing that at times, and that’s frustrating, let alone throws or different things. It’s just putting ourselves, putting our team in a position to be successful with decisions. I think he does a nice job of protecting the football, and I think he does a nice job with his decision making.

Q. You and Neal (Brown) both have talked about it’s not necessarily making a great play, it’s stacking one good play after another. Is Reese that type of player to do that?

COACH STOOPS: That’s right. We think so. He’s a true freshman, and we have other options. He didn’t get as many reps all along, but he has gotten reps and he has been impressive. We keep on waiting, and you know that; we all do. We wait for our other quarterbacks to take it and run. I think Jalen has been there. I think Jalen is the guy that has been very close to leading us, and then we get an injury and set us back, and that can’t happen. We’ve just got to stay healthy. We’ve got to be stronger, we have got to protect him better, and if he does go down we’ve got to be better prepared for somebody else to lead us.

Q. I just wanted to ask you, when you said you’re getting better as a football team and starting to look better as a football team, some of the offense is the best we’ve had in 10 years. You’ve got to give them compliments on that.

COACH STOOPS: I don’t know that. I mean, sure, that’s a good sign. I think we’re getting better. I do. As a coach you know when you put on film when you’re playing another team if they’re well coached and they play hard. I think we’re doing that. We’re not perfect but we’re doing that. I don’t think we play very smart, and that’s where we need ‑‑ you play smarter and you play hard, you give yourself a chance to win. And I do think our coaches are working hard to give us opportunities to move the ball and opportunities to stop the ball. You see what we’re doing on special teams. I thought we gave ourselves another opportunity to win the game last week with a special teams play. Coach Peev (Bradley Dale Peveto) had it set up; he worked it all week. It’s a game changer, and we’re six inches offsides, for no reason.
I addressed it personally on Thursday and Friday. That’s not very smart.