Will Mark Stoops Finally Kick Road SEC West Skid?

UK's head coach is looking for his first win on the road against an SEC West opponent this Saturday in Oxford

Mark Stoops has turned Kentucky's football program from the laughing stock of the SEC into a top-10 contender over the span of what it is now his 10th year at the helm in Lexington. 

Along the way, Stoops has ended some nasty losing streaks against rivals, even creating winning streaks against other SEC foes along the way. 

This Saturday, he'll have another opportunity to finally put an end to another glaring losing streak. 

In 10 games against SEC West opponents on the road, Kentucky is a whopping 0-10 under Stoops. The games haven't been very close, either, as the Wildcats are just 2-8 against the spread in those matchups. 

No. 14 Ole Miss is currently a 7-point favorite, according to the Action Network. 

These occasional road games against west opponents normally see the Cats turn in that clunker performance, where nothing goes right and the game is filled with turnovers and uncharacteristic plays. 

As of late, however, Stoops and his team have thrived as an underdog, winning six of their last 13 games when the other team is favored, as noted here by ESPN's Chris Fallica: 

Kentucky has won 6 of its last 13 games outright as an underdog. Four of those wins came as at least a six-point dog...

— Chris Fallica (@chrisfallica) September 29, 2022

No. 7 Kentucky is coming off of back-to-back performances where yes, they won, but no one was exactly satisfied with how they played on the field. 

Luckily for UK, there are plenty of reasons to get up for this game in Oxford. 

Running back Chris Rodriguez is making his 2022 season debut, giving offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello a new dynamic layer to his offense. 

Linebacker Jacquez Jones and cornerback Keidron Smith are both returning to the school they once called home, as each player transferred from Ole Miss to Kentucky. 

Amongst all else, both squads are undefeated and in the top 15, and will be looking to stay that way in what's sure to be an electric SEC atmosphere at the sold out Vaught Hemingway Stadium. 

The all-time winningest football coach in program history had this to say when asked about his record against SEC West teams: 

“I don’t even know what it is, I’m sure you’ll point it out for me (laughter). So no, I mean it’s a new game, new opportunity. When it’s on the right side of something it doesn’t mean anything either, right? So, I mean it really doesn’t.”

Sure, Stoops doesn't care about long-standing records, he made that abundantly clear when he passed Bear Bryant on the all-time wins list. That doesn't mean it wouldn't be nice to get on the right side of history every once in a while...

Kentucky Football News

Kentucky released its week five depth chart on Monday, welcoming back Chris Rodriguez Jr

Outside linebacker J.J. Weaver is not expected to play this weekend against Ole Miss

SEC Nation will be in Oxford for the upcoming matchup between the No. 7 Wildcats and No. 14 Rebels

Kentucky vs. South Carolina will kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET on Oct. 8

Barion Brown has been named the SEC Co-Freshman of the Week

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.

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