Wildcats Putting Ole Miss Loss in Past as South Carolina Matchup Approaches

Kentucky isn't letting its first loss of the season linger into other matchups down the stretch this year

The first loss of a season for Kentucky football as of late has normally spiraled into another couple of defeats in quick succession. 

In nine, going on 10 seasons under head coach Mark Stoops, the Wildcats are yet to have a campaign where they haven't lost multiple games in a row. Following the 22-19 loss to Ole Miss in Oxford last Saturday, Stoops made sure to drive home the message of putting the loss behind the team as they move into the heart of SEC play: 

"One of the first things I said in the locker room was 'one can't become two.' Everybody's heated and emotional in a big game like that," he said. "Our guys know the belief is there, I think the intensity needs to come back."

Now with three days until the conference home-opener against South Carolina, it sounds like the Wildcats have officially turned the page on the defeat, putting full focus towards the Gamecocks.  

"The character of this team, to me, is tremendous," offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello said on Tuesday. "Unbelievably good energy, positive, I thought it was one of our best Tuesdays, I thought that they were very detailed. I could see how much faster we could get ready."

Part of what cost the Cats on Saturday against the Rebels was uncharacteristic mistakes, such as pre-snap penalties or getting gashed on run plays. 

"We're just gonna do a better job staying locked in, staying detailed, putting everything together and just eliminate those stupid, silly mistakes," tight end Brenden Bates said. "I truly believe that we were a better team, but we kept shooting ourselves in the foot. We're gonna approach practice differently, keep doing our thing, we're gonna show that we're a truly physical team and we're just gonna be detailed."

It's easy for one loss to turn into a couple, especially in a conference as talented as the SEC. Opponents never let up, making each week just as challenging as the last. 

Though the Wildcats have owned the Gamecocks since Stoops took over as head coach, players are using the negative emotion they felt from the loss to Ole Miss, and turning it into positive energy in practice as they prepare for this Saturday.

"The feeling sucked, we just don't want to have it again," junior cornerback Carrington Valentine said. "It stings, so you just feed off of it, it's just anger. So, you go out there, you play physical, fast and you just play hard leading up to Saturday."

Valentine knows just as well as anyone on the roster about what those losing skids feel like. Just last season, Kentucky went on a three-game losing streak after beginning the year 6-0.

The experienced DB is able to look back on that bad run of games and acknowledge what went right and wrong, but use all of it for bettering his play as a football player moving forward.

"What happened? What did we do? What were the pros, the cons of what led to that," Valentine said. "You know, you just want to take the pros from that and listen to the cons to make sure that they don't repeat itself." 

Coaches and players alike are all confident that the loss is firmly in the past of the team. Saturday night in Lexington will provide an opportunity to showcase just that. 

Kentucky Football News

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Kentucky vs. Mississippi State will kickoff at 7:30 p.m EST next weekend

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