There are bad losses, and then there are losses that signal a broken culture. Getting run out of Nashville 45-17 by Vanderbilt was definitely the latter.
But what poured gasoline on the Big Blue Nation’s anger wasn't just the scoreboard. It was Mark Stoops’ refusal to read the room afterward.
In his postgame radio appearance, Stoops dropped a line that felt almost insulting to the fans who traveled and paid money to watch that debacle:
"We got our butt beat but it’s still one game."
Kentucky football has lost 5 of their last 7 by at least 20 points
If this was 2018 and Kentucky was 9-1, you could get away with that quote. In Year 13, when five of your last seven losses have been by at least 20 points? It sounds like delusion.
Fans aren't stupid. BBN knows the difference between a "bad day" and a pattern.
- Tennessee: L 56-34
- South Carolina: L 35-13
- Vanderbilt: L 45-17
That isn't "one game." That is a trend of getting physically dominated by your peers.
The comfort trap
When Stoops leans on "it’s just one game," it screams complacency. It sounds like a coach who is comfortable with his lifetime contract and doesn't feel the heat. I mean, it is just a loss after all. No one will remember the 45-3 score after 3 quarters. Oh, wait, yes they will.
Compare that to the energy coming from the Vanderbilt sideline. Clark Lea, with fewer resources when he took over and just as many limitations, looked like he was coaching for his life. Stoops looked like he was ready for the offseason. Or at the very least, looking like he accepted this loss and was ready for Louisville.
The bottom line
Kentucky fans don't expect to go undefeated, especially in football. But BBN does expect their head coach to be as furious as they are when they get humiliated by a program they used to own.
Dismissing this loss as a blip on the radar proves one of two things: Either Stoops doesn't realize how far the standard has fallen, or worse, he’s accepted it. Take your pick, but neither of them are good for a man entering year 13.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion