Stoops: Cats need sense of urgency as SEC play begins

After suffering through an 0-2 start last season and the panic it elicited across the Commonwealth, Mark Stoops isn't going to spend too much time worrying about the cosmetic blemishes on the Wildcats' two victories to open the 2017 season.

"Nobody's going to make us apologize for being 2-0," the Kentucky head coach said Monday during his weekly press luncheon at Kroger Field. "We know there's work to be done."

The Cats did not inspire much confidence across Big Blue Nation with a surprisingly taxing 27-16 win over Eastern Kentucky this past week.

Now UK heads to South Carolina for the SEC opener on Saturday against a 2-0 Gamecocks squad coming off a 31-13 rout of Missouri.

"There's absolutely no reason to hit the panic button," Stoops said of his team, which has struggled with offensive inconsistency in both games this season. "But you have to have some urgency. We have to get some things cleaned up. That's just the little things, that's discipline. We're going to really beat that on them this week."

Kentucky enters Week 3 lagging behind most of the SEC's offensive leaders despite playing a game against an FCS opponent. The Cats are 11th in scoring (25.5), 10th in rushing offense (142.5 ypg), and seventh in passing offense (202.5 ypg).

On a positive note, UK has committed only one turnover this season. But Stoops said the Cats have made many errors of the less-glaring variety.

In the EKU game, a bad snap on a 4th-and-1 play in the first quarter thwarted a potential scoring drive in the first quarter. A pair of first-down penalties and subsequent sacks helped sabotage drives in the second quarter. Some questionable time management may have forced a longer-than-necessary field goal attempt, a miss, by Austin MacGinnis as the clock expired in the first half.

"We've got to get those cleaned up because the margin for error shrinks as you get into conference play," Stoops said.

The little mistakes are compounded when you're playing in games with limited possessions. UK had only 11 possessions and 63 plays run against EKU. The Cats got only 55 snaps in Week 1 against Southern Miss.

"That's why all 11 guys have to be doing what they're supposed to be doing at all times," Stoops said. "... We can't miss our opportunities."

NOTES:

* Stoops said that sophomore running back Benny Snell Jr. (ribs) and junior linebacker Jordan Jones (shoulder) will both be dealing with some pain this week in practice but are expected to be available for the South Carolina game.

* Sophomore Landon Young moved up to No. 1 at left tackle on the depth chart this week. UK entered last week's game with Kyle Meadows at left tackle and George Asafo-Adjei at right tackle. Meadows is now slotted as "OR" with Asafo-Adjei on the right side.

* Redshirt freshman running back A.J. Rose has struggled to get on the field early this season, puzzling some fans who heard strong reports on the Ohio native this summer, but Stoops said it's a matter of consistency. The UK boss noted that Rose did not hit a hole against EKU that would have gone for a big gain, and perhaps more egregiously, missed a blitz pick-up in pass protection that led to a sack.

* Kentucky has won three straight games over South Carolina, but Stoops downplayed the significance of that streak. "At the time, they were big wins, of course. I don't think they mean much going into this game... This is a new year."

* Stoops praised the atmosphere at South Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium, saying he was surprised the first trip he ever made there. "Pretty amazed, really, the first time I played down there. The atmosphere was fantastic. Great venue. It will be a real challenge, but we have to embrace that."