After the bye week, cats prepare for Murray State – British Athletics

The Kentucky football team did not play Saturday, and the week off allowed the team to get healthy in preparation for the final three games of the season. On Monday, UK head coach Mark Stoops said he thought his team could do some of the things they needed to do this week.

“Good to come back after the bye week,” Stoops said. “I think it was really helpful for our team mentally and physically. Just an opportunity to get better. We still have a quarter of the season to go, so it’s up to us how we decide to finish. I trust our team, I believe in our team.”

Stoops has seen his team go on the road to beat a Top 10 Ole Miss team, but he has also seen them lose to teams that seemingly could have beaten the Cats. Does he use games like the Ole Miss win as motivation?

“I think they kind of know that. I don’t need it as motivation,” he said. “But as we talk about it today, it will be part of the choice we make about how we end the season.”

In their last game, Kentucky fought hard against a Top 10 team from Tennessee before falling 28-18 in Knoxville. Stoops liked the way his offense played against a stout UT defense.

“I was encouraged by the way they competed and played,” Stoops said. “Physically, I thought we could do a little bit well against high-level competition in a tough environment. I was encouraged by Brock’s performance in a very difficult environment and a strong defense. We always have to be able to compete at that level.”

Stoops and his Cats will take on rival Murray State on Saturday at Kroger Field. The British head coach and his team started preparing for the Racers on Monday and are going through the process needed to win.

“All we’re worried about is training today and this week and trying to get a win as best we can,” Stoops said. “I’ve already said it, but we have to leave the field with a victory.”

Murray State has struggled to a 1-9 record this season. The Racers lost to Southeastern Conference opponent Missouri 51-0 in week one. Despite this record, Stoops and his team know they can’t look past anyone.

“We never assume anything,” Stoops said. “I think you know our team. We have to go play. We showed that we can play with anyone, but we can also lose to anyone and there are a lot of teams like that. So we always respect our opponents.”

Stoops hopes the Cats will work on themselves and fix what needs to be fixed before Saturday.

“Anyone will tell you it’s really about us and our mentality and how we prepare and how we play,” he said.

The Cats will focus on getting better and preparing for Murray State on Saturday. Stoops and the Cats are hoping their preparation will lead to Great Britain getting back into the win column this week.