Kentucky rolls into Missouri with bowl eligibility on the line
Mark Stoops doesn’t want to make Saturday’s game bigger than it is, but trust that it’s a very big game for the Kentucky football program.
When the Wildcats roll into Columbia, Mo., to face the Tigers it won’t just be another SEC win on the line — the third in Stoops tenure — it will be the all important sixth win, the one that earns bowl eligibility.
“I look at it because we're sitting on five. So six is big because it's the next one,” Stoops said. “That's always my message, let's get this next victory, it just happens to be six. Yeah, sure, it would be nice, I'm not going to deny that, but it's important, it's our next game — what's important is our next game and that's how we think about it.”
Kentucky hasn’t been to a bowl game since losing to Pittsburgh in the BBVA Compass Bowl in 2010. Since then, the Wildcats have gone 5-7, 2-10, and 2-10. This year has already been a year of firsts for the Wildcats, including the first SEC win in Stoops’ tenure, a bowl game would just continue to solidify that the program is moving in the right direction.
“It's very anxious," senior defensive end Bud Dupree said. "Once we get this win it just lifts a lot off your shoulders. Right now we're just trying to get to it, just trying to get to the sixth win, just trying to get to a bowl game. We haven't done it in a while, as a program, so the whole team is anxious.
"The coaching staff is anxious, since they're new and they haven't been to one since they've been here. I know the fans of Kentucky are anxious. So we just gotta make it happen. We gotta find a (way) to win."
Missouri is the reigning SEC East champion and has just one loss in conference play this season. However, the offense has sputtered in recent weeks, which could create an advantage for a Kentucky team that’s inspired after playing close with No. 1 Mississippi State.
Quarterback Patrick Towles had the best game of his career last week by passing for 390 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 76 yards and two scores.
While the Missouri offense has struggled, its defense has thrived. It’s allowing just 350.9 yards per game and 20.5 points per game.
Kentucky has not won a road game since beating Louisville in the 2010 season opener, and technically, since that game was in Kentucky, it wasn’t a true road game. So Stoops understands that getting that sixth win will be an accomplishment on many levels.
“A lot of things comes down to what I talked about with the toughness and the mentality and the discipline that we have because there is no excuses, there is no reason not to play our very best and have that attitude about us,” Stoops said. “Nobody is going to hand you over any victories. You gotta go earn them and you gotta win them and you got to get on the road and get on the plane with a tough mentality about you, and our players have to play at the highest level they can.”
For more Kentucky news, CatsIllustrated.com.
- - - - - - -
Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday
And don’t forget to keep up with all of Graham’s thoughts, witty comments and college football discussions on Facebook
