Kentucky Football is 1-0, but Mark Stoops says the real work starts now after an ‘ugly’ win over Toledo.
When Mark Stoops took the podium after the Kentucky Wildcats’ 24-16 season-opening victory, the mood was more relief than celebration. He offered a blunt dose of reality, admitting that despite the win, the team had “many things to improve on.” A day later, not much has changed in the coach’s mind at his weekly press conference.
While he praised his defense for making key plays when it mattered most, he acknowledged the sloppy moments that kept the game uncomfortably close. Stoops noted the team “overcame those bad plays and won the football game,” and was quick to express his gratitude for starting the season on the right foot.
“Very grateful to get the victory, great to be sitting here 1-0,” Stoops said today. But he didn’t linger on the positive outcome, immediately pivoting to the work that lies ahead. “We will take the victory at any time,” he added. “Our players are appreciative to be 1 and 0.”
In short, the Wildcats escaped Week 1 with a hard-fought win over a tough Toledo team that is receiving Top-25 votes, but the head coach’s message was clear: this performance won’t be good enough moving forward.
O-line dominance paves the way
One clear bright spot was Kentucky’s rushing attack, which consistently moved the chains and controlled the clock. Stoops gave full credit to the offensive line and backs for grinding out tough yards. The Wildcats piled up 220 rushing yards on the day, a performance Stoops called “good” and “a big improvement.”
The offensive line got a lot of push all day long. He pointed out that the tackles “did some good things” in opening up lanes for running backs Dante Dowdell and Seth McGowan, who combined for two of the three team’s only touchdowns.
This strong offensive line performance, which included allowing zero sacks, was a welcome contrast to the two turnovers that plagued the offense. Stoops emphasized that if the Wildcats can continue to win the battle in the trenches, it will make life much easier on quarterback Zach Calzada and the rest of the offense.
