A ranking and a Heisman candidate. How is UK handling the hype heading into USC game?
Kentucky has a perfect record, a national ranking and a darkhorse Heisman Trophy candidate. Yet quickly after the spread was revealed for the Wildcats’ upcoming game with South Carolina, UK was listed by the Vegas oddsmakers as a 2-point underdog.
Not that it bothered Mark Stoops all that much.
“I don’t care,” the Kentucky coach said Tuesday during a news conference in Lexington. “I think we were two-touchdown dogs last week, weren’t we? So I don’t know. We’re just going to go about our business and do the best we can.”
The No. 17 Wildcats (4-0, 2-0 SEC) have since moved to 1-point favorites for their 7:30 p.m. Saturday clash with the Gamecocks (2-1, 1-1) at Kroger Field. The initial slight likely has something to do with UK being in this rare a position. Kentucky is about to play a game as a team ranked in the AP Poll for the first time in 11 years.
That much, according to Stoops, has been applauded. After all, the Cats were picked to finish fifth in the SEC East Division preseason poll.
“As far as the recognition and all that, I’m good with it because the players earned it,” Stoops said. “They worked hard. That’s fine. But it cannot distract us, it should not, it will not. But they do deserve to get some recognition because they put a lot of time in.
“It’s about the production that they’ve done this year. They didn’t get that in the preseason. So they’ve earned that through the work that they’ve done.”
Kentucky upset No. 14 Mississippi State last Saturday. The poll debut came Sunday. On Monday, UK launched both Snellyeah.com and DraftJosh41len.com to help promote star running back Benny Snell and linebacker Josh Allen.
How are the Wildcats handling all the sudden hype? Stoops said they began the week with an “OK practice.”
“It starts with the respect we have for our preparation,” Stoops said. “It’s obedience. It’s being obedient and disciplined to do things that you have to do.
“There’s something about earning it, and you earn it with the way you prepare. Our players are starting to buy into that. They like the grind, the discipline that it takes to earn it throughout the week. The only thing we talk about all the time is a successful season comes from some successful weeks. Obviously successful weeks come about from each day. “
UK will be seeking a fifth consecutive win against USC.
“They’re what I expected, a good football team,” Stoops said after watching tape of the Gamecocks for the first time. “They’re good,they’re well-coached in all three phases and they’re sound at what they do.They really have some talent offensively at some skill positions that are real explosive guys.”