Mark Stoops’ team lost again at home to Vanderbilt

“We have to do everything right to win games, no matter who you’re playing,” Stoops said. “I think you see that across the league and it’s clearly not about winning football.”

Here are three takeaways from the Wildcats’ dramatic seven-point home loss to the Commodores:

Jamarion Wilcox, a redshirt freshman running back, carried just three times Saturday night. But every time he touched the football, there was a positive impact on the Wildcats’ offense. He finished with 35 rushing yards – an average of 11.7 yards per carry.

But this excellent average only gave him three quick attempts.

“Jamarion is a very good player,” Stoops said. “We’ll take him with us. I’m happy with him. It’s going very well, but there are a lot of other things that come into play.”

Although Great Britain ended up on the wrong side of the scoreboard for the third time in six games on Saturday, the defense once again put in a remarkable performance. The Commodores’ 20 points were a season low. They entered Saturday averaging 37.6 points per game, ranked 22nd nationally and fifth among SEC teams.

“It’s one of those games where it’s frustrating — (the defense is) doing a good job,” Stoops said. “We knew possessions would be key. Do you keep them at 20? I think that part is pretty good.”

The third phase of the game, special teams, has improved since Jay Boulware began coordinating the unit before last season. But the device didn’t shine on Saturday.

The Wildcats mismanaged a field goal and scored an extra point on a low snap. They also assessed a penalty for a potentially game-winning punt return. Barion Brown returned the ball 16 yards, giving UK first and 10 yards at midfield. But a block on defense called for freshman linebacker Steven Soles Jr. and caused the hosts to score 20 points.

“(Brown) made a great return and gave us a big spark when we needed it and we had a stupid penalty,” Stoops said. “There is no excuse for this. It’s a young man (Soles) who plays very hard, is a rookie and doesn’t have the ball. It was a stupid penalty.”

“And a very expensive one.”

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.