No one argues that Kentucky football took a big step back this year. There are clear arguments for whether it's part of a regression or simply one bad year. Either way, this year was awful and often embarrassing. A handful of moments defined it as such, bookmarks in the season that Big Blue Nation can look back on and roll their eyes. Here are the five that I think are the most season-defining in an embarrassing way.
1. Whooped by South Carolina and Florida
There were plenty of losses on the season, but these two are the ones that, looking back, show just how far away Kentucky actually is. Sure, we have the win over Ole Miss and the close call against Georgia, and those can give glimpses into the "what could be" and showcase how the talent may have been closer than we realize. Yet, it was the Gamecocks and the Gators who embarrassed Mark Stoops' Wildcats that really showed things can be really bad, really fast.
South Carolina is the team Mark Stoops says Kentucky can be, rebuilding through the portal and turning things around fast. However, South Carolina dominated the Wildcats early in the season to give Kentucky its first beatdown.
Florida was another program that was rumored to want its coach out, yet Billy Napier was able to turn it around in the same season. He knew he had talent and figured out a way to right the ship. Stoops has talent; it's his most talented roster ever on paper, and yet maybe one of his worst. It's not good when the teams you want to be like are also rebuilding, embarrassing you.
2. Flags and Penalties
Kentucky had 625 penalty yards on the season, good for 80th in the nation in "fewest penalties." The team was undisciplined and often shot itself in the foot. Many drives were stalled due to penalties, which shows the culture problem.
3. Starting QB was often not the ending QB
There's no official stat on how often the same starting QB makes it through the whole game. Kentucky has to lead the NCAA in one QB starts and one QB ends each game. That's not good. At times, it was injury, and at other times, it was poor play; Kentucky started three different quarterbacks. Towards the end of the year, the starter would be one player, and it would end with another. This is no way to get some offensive consistency, which shows how bad the offense was. A QB carousel never works.
3. Mincey at the concession stand
The season's final game gave Big Blue Nation a glimpse into how bad the culture was and how undisciplined things are in the football program. When injured offensive lineman Gerald Mincey, in the middle of the game, went to the concession stand to get some food.
Gerald Mincey walked from the sideline to the concession stand mid game…
— Tristan Pharis (@TristanUda) November 30, 2024
Reinvesting that NIL money back into the program.pic.twitter.com/1vCHNqavgN
This should be embarrassing for Mark Stoops. How does he let his player do this? And maybe he can say he didn't know about it, which he probably didn't. Yet, he's in charge of the staff, the coaches, and the assistants, and how did no one stop him? Or notice that he disappeared from the sideline? There's a lack of real accountability on the team, which is obvious from the above video.
5. Mark Stoops fake accountability
Finally, and maybe most importantly, is the fake accountability by Mark Stoops. He repeatedly said towards the end of the season (but all throughout), "You can blame me for that." Or some variation of that. However, he never took true accountability. He never explained how it happened or what he would do to fix it. He would simply say, "We will fix it." This is fake accountability for a guy who knows he isn't going to be fired, that he has tenure, and a huge buy-out protecting him. Therefore, it's easy to take the blame, especially when there's nothing anyone can do about it.