UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY FOOTBALL MEDIA CONFERENCE

December 5, 2020

Mark Stoops

Press Conference

Kentucky 41, South Carolina - 18

MARK STOOPS: Okay. Really grateful. I use that word a lot this week for our team, for our staff, and everybody really trying desperately to finish the correct way. I felt good about our preparation all week. I felt good about their attitude through a difficult, trying season. They really laid it on the line tonight and that's what I'm most proud of tonight's game is their mindset was right and their effort was right. We weren't perfect, but they really played hard and I really respect that from our team and appreciate that from our team and our staff.

So I think that's the big word is grateful. Grateful to the seniors, what they have done for us, what they've meant to this program for so long. Really, you can't say enough good things about those guys. They came here when we weren't going to bowl games every year and taking those for granted and thinking all that. So those guys won a lot of football games for us and laid it on the line and they didn't opt out and check it in like so many people are doing and it's so easy to do right now in this day and age.

And I just appreciate the way we finished up and the way we played tonight. Again, not perfect, but played really hard.

Q. I know -- congrats. I know you got still a big week and some decisions ahead with the bowl game and everything, but just how much of a relief is this? It's got to feel better after a win, I would think, but win or loss just to get through this schedule and to be at the end of it.

MARK STOOPS: I think that's a fair word right there. Relief. For coaches you really never want to feel that way, but this year I think that's a fair word, just to get through it and persevere through difficult times and so we'll see as we move forward.

Q. It's such a weird year to evaluate. I mean, you went 4-4 against the teams on the original schedule. Theoretically you could have had four more non-conference wins and been 8-4 and it's a completely different conversation. How do you kind of evaluate this year and what happened?

MARK STOOPS: That's a great point and that's for you to write and put that out there because I believe it too, but we have to deal with what it is. And so, it was difficult. It is difficult to play a 10 SEC schedule.

So there's really no point in me giving hypotheticals, but it's most certainly different. I can promise you that. Just mentally, the drain that it has on your team and the way you start and not having the ability to kind of get your confidence and just have some room for error. Playing a 10-game SEC schedule for us, it's just the pressure is immense and it's every day, all day. That's what people don't, aren't really always grasping, I don't think. It's not just these games. I mean, just the stress that it puts on you with the preparation and with our players, every day, all day. It takes its toll and I think you're seeing that throughout the league.

Q. For those guys on the offensive line, those seniors, for their final play from scrimmage at Kroger Field to be a 79-yard touchdown run by Chris Rodriguez, just how fitting did you think that was?

MARK STOOPS: I really didn't think about it. But just, again, just appreciate those guys. You can't say enough about that, that really special group. They just have done so much for us and I appreciate the way they played today.

Q. I just wonder, were you going to be able to get any sleep tonight? You got so many things to think about with bowl games, signing day, staff evaluation. Do you get time to breathe tonight?

MARK STOOPS: I will get my standard rest time tonight. Larry, don't you worry about that. It's only a couple hours, but I'll get a couple. No, I'm pretty beat up after these game, to be honest with you. I feel like I played.

But we'll, we're going to enjoy this tonight. You have to. They're too hard to come by. That's what a couple coaches, as I was getting aggravated on the sideline, and Coach Jags, he's been around a long time and been a lot of places. He's like, Coach, they're hard to come by. Enjoy it. And I'm like, that's a good point. So at that point, I took my headset off with about two-and-a-half minutes to go in the game and tried to take a breath.

Q. If you could talk a little bit about the balance, the offensive balance that you all struck tonight. I mean, for awhile there you were pretty much even passing and running and that's something you hadn't seen too much of this year.

MARK STOOPS: No, it was good to see. It really was. We felt like we can do that most of the year. We were, like I said, there's just many issues. It's hard to go back right now and think of all the what ifs, but it was nice to see that balance today.

Q. Just to clarify, have you made any final decisions on staff changes for next year?

MARK STOOPS: Out of respect, please, don't press me on any of that today. It's not right.

Q. It seemed like it was almost purposeful putting Terry out there to try to get that record and some of that stuff, and AJ crossed the milestone. Those guys, you reflect maybe on what they have done, you know, specifically this year especially, but just over their careers.

MARK STOOPS: Yeah, without a doubt. We were trying to get some touches in that game. Obviously, we wanted to try to put them away and we were kind of just letting them linger around there for a minute in the second half, but we definitely wanted to get a few touches. You wanted Terry to get some opportunities. I wanted AJ to get it in there and score.

And so, but we're grateful for all those guys. And, again, the receivers just continue to play exceptionally hard when, and being very unselfish. And everybody wants the football, but they all continue to buy in and do whatever's necessary and that was evident tonight and that's what I'll remember from this team.

Q. I was kind of going to ask the same thing, but more specifically about Terry and how you thought he played tonight.

MARK STOOPS: I really thought he did a good job. He managed the game well. I think, it's always easy to nitpick, but you're going to look back and you're going to want a few plays over.

And I thought late in the game, with the runs, with the two third down runs, just having a little more understanding of needing to get that extra half yard or the extra yard to keep some drives alive and really get into a position to maybe put them away and it took us awhile to do that.

I have to credit South Carolina. It was difficult not seeing Will. I have great respect for Will, but I know a lot of their coaches and they played an extremely hard. I mean, we're not used to getting 300 yards rushing on us. That's not a good feeling. I don't like that. It's probably why I have a humongous pain in my neck right now.

But that's a good staff, and again, I wish the best for Will. He'll land on his feet and many of those coaches over there are really good coaches.

Q. I apologize for not knowing this, but what even is the bowl process and how do you, going forward, balance what you think might be best for the program versus what might be best for the players for the next couple weeks?

MARK STOOPS: Well I think that will be a little bit of a balancing act there. I think our players are really, have left it all on our practice field and on this game field and have left it there for us this year, there's no question, they emptied the tank.

They need to go get revived a little bit, get some time off and I believe they're going to have a great mindset when they get a little bit of rest. I think it's difficult right now, I did bring it up and then I kind of stopped myself, I'm like, look, let these young people enjoy it for a minute and decompress for at least 12 hours before I have a meeting with them tomorrow.

But I think there's some obligation there for myself and our team and our league and if it's expected of us we'll do what I've done all year, we'll put one foot ahead forward and keep on pressing on and be excited about that opportunity. You can't take those things for granted.

That wasn't all the always the case when I walked in the door here and it does mean something to have maybe the first time in the history of this school to go to five straight bowls.

And say what you want about the four wins, but it was only a 10 game schedule in the SEC and, hey, this stuff's hard, Larry, it's hard.

So we'll evaluate it, I'll talk with Mitch, he and I discussed it briefly this afternoon and he was great, he's supportive either way, and we agreed to get together tomorrow and make the best decision for our program, for our players and our obligation for the league as well.

Q. You're talking about things that hadn't happened a lot before you got here. Your teams are responsible for almost half of the wins that this school's ever had against South Carolina. I know you don't care about streaks and that kind of stuff, but, I mean, I think that kind of, how do you put that in perspective with the four games, winning four games and just kind of maintaining that level of consistency?

MARK STOOPS: Well, I think that it is important to continue, you know, us progressing and continue to push. There's going to be bumps in the road. It's not always easy. But I have to continue to push that program.

And we're, again I'll use the word relieved, I guess, to get through this year, this difficult circumstance, but I'm also super excited, to be honest with you, to push and to get better and to continue to grow this program. I'm really excited about that.

Q. I did notice Davonte Robinson, during senior night, is he one of those guys that you're expecting back next season?

MARK STOOPS: I hope so. D-Rob and I did talk about that and that's the plan right now.