Last Saturday, Kentucky hosted No. 20 Ole Miss at Kroger Field in Lexington. The stadium was packed, the crowd was roaring, and the Wildcats started hot. Ty Bryant intercepted Austin Simmons twice in the first quarter, setting up Kentucky for a touchdown and a field goal. But after jumping out to a 10 to 0 lead, the momentum completely flipped. The offense once again stalled with no passing game, a recurring theme this season, and the defense surrendered back to back touchdown drives, putting Ole Miss ahead 14 to 10. From there, the Wildcats looked lifeless. Once again, Kentucky football found itself in the same position it has been for the past several years: losing because of coaching incompetence and poor offensive play.
This loss was not just another close game against a ranked opponent. Normally, fans leave Kroger Field encouraged that the Wildcats at least competed. But this time was different. The energy was there, the atmosphere was electric, and the fans delivered. Yet the coaching staff and team let them down again. By the third quarter, with Kentucky trailing by just one score, thousands of fans began emptying the stadium. Not because the game was out of reach, but because they had lost faith in Mark Stoops. Years of offensive struggles, questionable coaching decisions, and the lack of SEC home wins finally boiled over. Kentucky has not won a conference game at Kroger Field since 2023, two full years. For many, this was the breaking point.
To Stoops’ credit, he has accomplished what no other coach has in Kentucky football history: multiple bowl wins, two 10 win seasons, and a stretch where the Wildcats were nationally relevant in the SEC. He took a program buried at the bottom of the conference and made it matter. But now, that same program feels like it is sinking back to square one. Last year’s 4 and 8 campaign was among the worst of his tenure, and to make matters worse, his right hand man Vince Marrow departed for in state rival Louisville, signaling that he saw the direction things were heading.
The bigger issue is not just wins and losses, but how Kentucky loses. Saturday against Ole Miss was another example of the same script fans have seen play out for two years. The belief is gone. And when fans stop believing, that is when it is time to make a change.
It is clear Kentucky needs to move on from Mark Stoops, the longest tenured coach in the SEC and the greatest coach in school history. For 12 years, he has been the face of Kentucky football. But after yet another crushing loss, with fans losing interest and belief in the program, it feels like the end of Kentucky football if changes to the coaching staff are not made soon.
