Kentucky head coach met with the media on Monday to give his final thoughts on the 27-24 loss to Georgia and preview Saturday’s matchup with Tennessee. Here are three takeaways from the presser.

Stoops thought the team and coaching staff had a plan to put themselves in a position to win against the Bulldogs. In his near-30 minute press conference, Stoops said the team had the right recipe to win five different times.

“We had our big shot when we had it,” Stoops said. “We were about ready to get into grind mode at times. It was there. We just missed on a few plays. We’ll continue to work at it. Again, I think we had the right recipe and we’ll continue to work in all areas to do better. That starts with me, but I’ve been very proud of the coaches prep and I’ve been very proud of the team’s effort.”

Stoops said he never looks at one specific play to determine the outcome of the game, but Stephen Johnson’s perfect deep ball to Jeff Badet that could’ve been a touchdown but was dropped and landed in Deandre Baker’s lap was a huge momentum swing. That turnover came just one play after Garrett Johnson fumbled on a 20-yard completion.

Stoops expects Badet to come back strong against the Volunteers.

“(Johnson) threw a beautiful pass,” Stoops said. “Jeff has made some big plays and he does a good job of getting open. He’s made some big plays and we need him to continue to make big plays. We missed that one. It’s on to the next game and he’ll bounce back and so will the rest of our guys.”

Drew Barker hasn’t taken a snap since the first series of the New Mexico State game and that won’t change this week. Stoops said Barker won’t practice this week and isn’t sure if he’s any closer to returning. The original timetable for Barker was three-to-five weeks, but during Kentucky’s bye week Stoops said Barker would be week-to-week.

“I think we’re still in the midst of that timetable,” Stoops said. “There’s no denying when I made the announcement that it was going to be a significant amount of time. I don’t know how many weeks that is. That’s a good amount of time.”

Freshman quarterback Gunnar Hoak is listed as Kentucky’s backup and would’ve gone into the game had Stephen Johnson been injured, but that might not be the case anymore. Burning Hoak’s redshirt seems less likely with a bowl game almost assuredly locked up. Luke Wright, a sophomore transfer from Cincinnati, has been improving in practice.

“I feel like Luke Wright has really gotten better and is a good quarterback,” Stoops said. “I like what I’m seeing out of him. So, I’m unsure (on if he’ll play Hoak). We’ll continue to look at that and see what the situation is. I’d like to see what Luke can do in a game, because I feel like he’s playing well and practicing well and I have some confidence in him.”

Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett has a whopping 28 sacks in his career, just one behind former South Carolina defensive end Eric Norwood for most sacks in the SEC since 2005. Kentucky left tackle Cole Mosier injured his ankle against Georgia and Mark Stoops expects him back, but it will be a difficult matchup for Mosier or freshman Landon Young.

Stoops called Barnett a difference maker and someone that will present a real issue for Kentucky’s left tackles.

“He’s a guy that has relentless effort and ability to create pressure without blitzing,” Stoops said. “He’s a guy that can get to the quarterback at any moment.”