{"id":18059,"date":"2018-11-01T11:00:44","date_gmt":"2018-11-01T15:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosoncfb.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=18059"},"modified":"2018-11-01T08:19:11","modified_gmt":"2018-11-01T12:19:11","slug":"how-patience-paid-off-for-kentucky-football","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2018\/11\/01\/how-patience-paid-off-for-kentucky-football\/","title":{"rendered":"How Patience Paid Off For Kentucky Football"},"content":{"rendered":"

On Saturday afternoon the Kentucky Wildcats play for the SEC East title against the Georgia Bulldogs. For many in the Big Blue Nation it is a day they never thought would come. One of the main reasons is the athletic department’s willingness to stand by Coach Mark Stoops<\/a>. It has taken six years to get to the this point but we are going to show how patience\u00a0paid off for Kentucky football.<\/p>\n

How Patience Paid Off For Kentucky Football<\/h2>\n

A Little History Lesson<\/h3>\n

Going back to 2012\u00a0Joker Phillips<\/a> was in his third season as Kentucky coach. Phillips\u00a0accomplished some good things while in Lexington.\u00a0In 2010 he became the first coach to\u00a0defeat a Steve Spurrier<\/a>\u00a0led team with a\u00a031-28 win<\/a> over South Carolina. That team finished 6-7 and made it to the Birmingham Bowl.<\/strong> The next season he\u00a0accomplished something even bigger, beating\u00a0Tennessee 10-7<\/a> to break a 26 game losing streak.<\/p>\n

However, by year three the wheels had completely come off. The Cats finished 2-10 on the season and 0-8 in the conference. Following a\u00a040-0 loss to Vanderbilt in a barely half full Commonwealth Stadium, athletic director Mitch Barnhart<\/strong> had seen\u00a0enough. Phillips was informed he would not be back and the quest was on for a new coach.<\/p>\n

The New\u00a0Man In Charge<\/h3>\n

After a nationwide search\u00a0Barnhart found his man in Stoops. At the time he was the defensive coordinator for\u00a0Jimbo Fisher<\/a> at Florida State. Year in and year out the Seminoles had one of the best units in college football. In addition, he came from a great coaching family. At the time, oldest brother Bob was winning championships at Oklahoma and middle brother Mike coached eight years at\u00a0Arizona.<\/p>\n

At his introductory press conference on December 2, 2012 Stoops said the goal is\u00a0“to play in the SEC title game. Correction: not\u00a0just to play but to play\u00a0and win.” He also said “we have to build that foundation with defense.” While many across the country laughed at that idea it isn’t so far fetched now.<\/p>\n

In 2018 under defensive coordinator Matt House<\/strong> the Wildcats rank number one in the nation is scoring defense. For the season, Kentucky is only allowing 13 points per game. Furthermore no opponent has scored more than 20 in a contest this year. Senior outside linebacker Josh Allen<\/a> leads the way on defense and is now projected as a top 10 pick in next year’s draft.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/PFF_AustinGayle\/status\/1057304151376478211<\/p>\n

A Rocky Start<\/h3>\n

As a result of taking over a program near rock bottom, Stoops struggled in his first season going 2-10.\u00a0Most True Blue Fans were willing to give him a pass due to what he had inherited. In 2014 Kentucky started the season 5-1 with the one loss coming in three overtimes at Florida. However the Cats faded down the stretch losing their final six to finish 5-7.<\/p>\n

The following season Kentucky again got off to a hot start at 4-1 with wins over South Carolina and Missouri. Unfortunately Stoops’ squad struggled in the second half of the season and again finished 5-7. The final game of the year was especially painful as the Cats blew a 21-0 lead to Louisville, falling 38-24. Even with the late season struggles, Barnhart stayed with Stoops. Though there were a coupe of watershed moments\u00a0you are going to see how patience paid off for Kentucky football.<\/p>\n

Finally Turning The Corner<\/h3>\n

In his fourth season and\u00a0with a team of almost\u00a0all his own recruits bigger things were expected of the Cats in 2016. However the team started 0-2 losing at home to Southern Miss and were blown out at Florida. After struggling to beat a bad New Mexico State squad there were rumblings Stoops could be out.<\/p>\n

Behind new quarterback Stephen Johnson<\/a>, who had replaced the injured Drew Barker<\/a>, Kentucky knocked off South Carolina 17-10 in a game Stoops had to have. Later in the season with a 3-3 record Kentucky defeated Mississippi State\u00a040-38 on a <\/a> last second field goal by\u00a0Austin MacGinnis<\/a>. Stoops later told the media he thought he was done had\u00a0the Cats not won that game.<\/p>\n

Following that win, the Wildcats finished the season strong making it to the TaxSlayer Bowl,<\/strong> the school’s first bowl\u00a0since 2009. Though they lost the game\u00a033-18 to Georgia Tech ,<\/a>Stoops and the Cats finally broke through. In addition to posting a 7-6 record the Cats finished at .500 for the first time in a decade in the SEC.<\/p>\n

Patience Shown By The Players<\/h3>\n

At the conclusion of a\u00a0second straight 7-6 season\u00a0several of the squad’s top players had decisions to make. After discussing it with family and the staff Allen, C.J. Conrad<\/a>,\u00a0Mike Edwards<\/a>\u00a0and Jordan Jones<\/a> all decided to return for their senior seasons. When asked why, they all said “we think we are on the verge of something big here.” They added “we want to play for an SEC Championship.”<\/p>\n

Over the last few years the\u00a0Big Blue Nation has had several players leave early or transfer to another school. By returning to school these players have become favorites showing\u00a0 their dedication to the program. While no one has helped their draft status more than Allen, look for all four to hear their names called in the 2019 NFL Draft.<\/p>\n

A True Rarity In Sports<\/h3>\n

“He was given the time to do it and he’s\u00a0done it the way he wanted.” Those were the words of Missouri coach Barry Odom <\/a>when asked about Stoops. In six seasons at Kentucky Stoops has either equaled or surpassed the previous year’s win total. In addition he is one of only three coaches to go bowling three straight years. The others are\u00a0Bear Bryant <\/a>and\u00a0Rich Brooks.<\/a> Last week they clinched their first winning record in the SEC since 1977.<\/p>\n

The “win now” mentality is more prevalent than ever in sports today. Despite huge buyouts coaching changes happen\u00a0at a rapid pace.\u00a0As an example\u00a0Wildcat fans need look no farther than down I-75 and the Tennessee Volunteers.\u00a0The firing of Butch Jones<\/a>\u00a0and the disastrous search for a new coach\u00a0was so bad they wrote a book about it. <\/a><\/p>\n

The fact is\u00a0Barnhart stayed with Stoops and now that patience has paid off for Kentucky football. When the first\u00a0playoff rankings were announced this week the Cats sat at number nine. This is Kentucky’s first\u00a0ever ranking.<\/p>\n

\n

The first #CFBPlayoff<\/a> poll is out and we are ranked No. 9 !
#GetUp<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/u3Ax36TnsL<\/a><\/p>\n

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) October 30, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n