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Published Oct 4, 2019
How has UK fared after bye weeks under Mark Stoops?
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Justin Rowland  •  CatsIllustrated
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Kentucky fans will have to wait a little longer than usual to watch their Wildcats again.

While we still have time, let's look back in history at how the 'Cats have fared after bye weeks under Mark Stoops to find out if there are any good or bad trends.

10/20/2018 - Kentucky 14, Vanderbilt 7

This was far from one of Kentucky's more impressive performances of last season. This game following the bye was one game removed from Kentucky's 20-14 overtime loss against Texas A&M in College Station. This midseason lull, so to speak, was UK's offensive low point of last season. But in this game against Vanderbilt, the cold and windy conditions led the UK coaching staff to call a very conservative game plan -- more conservative than usual, attempting only nine passes and grinding out a game with almost entirely the run game and a strong defensive effort.

10/21/2017 - Mississippi State 45, Kentucky 7

This was Kentucky's worst game of the 2017 season. Before the bye weekend (10/14), Kentucky had defeated Missouri 40-34 in a shootout against a Tiger team that had just started to find its offensive footing. So going into the MSU game, Kentucky was 5-1 with only a one-point loss to Florida. Stephen Johnson completed less than 50-percent of his passes with two interceptions, the ground game couldn't get going at all, and the Bulldogs ran all over Kentucky. This game was close for most of the first half but the wheels started coming off in the second quarter.

10/22/2016 - Kentucky 40, Mississippi State 38

Coming into this game Kentucky was 3-3 and things had started to turn around. Started. UK had rallied from the Southern Miss and Florida debacles to beat South Carolina and Vanderbilt while playing Alabama respectably in Tuscaloosa. This was one of Mark Stoops' signature wins during the early part of his turnaround, sealed when Austin MacGinnis booted the ball through the uprights for the "W". UK would go on to finish the season well. In hindsight, this game was a seamless continuation of a turnaround that began before the bye week.

10/15/2015 - Auburn 30, Kentucky 27

Kentucky was 4-1 on Thursday night when Auburn rolled into town for a nationally televised game with the Wildcats. UK had chances to win this game but couldn't finish it off. The time off for this game was less than usual following a bye because it was a Thursday game. UK would go on to lose six consecutive games and seven of its final eight.

9/27/2014 - Kentucky 17, Vanderbilt 7

Mark Stoops' second Kentucky team had an early season bye week and made good use of it. The bye may have helped the team by providing it a little extra time to rebound emotionally following a controversial overtime loss to Florida, 36-30, during which the play clock had appeared to expire before a Florida scoring play. Kentucky would go on to win its next two games after the Vandy game to start 5-1, unexpectedly, but would lose its last six games of the year, sometimes in ugly fashion.

9/28/2013 - Florida 24, Kentucky 7

On the surface and in history this game may appear to be a solid showing for a two-win team in Stoops' first year. But this was in Lexington and Florida actually finished 4-8 in 2013.

10/24/2013 - Mississippi State 28, Kentucky 22

During a difficult year this close loss to Mississippi State may have been one of the highlights looking back. It was a road game on Thursday night and going into that matchup in Starkville the 'Cats were 1-6 with its most recent game a 48-7 home drubbing at the hands of No. 1 Alabama. Mississippi State would finish the season 7-6 and Kentucky would win only one game the rest of the way finishing 2-10 on the year.

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