A Dive into Mark Stoops’ SEC Wins at Kentucky

Credit: University of Tennessee Athletics

By Tucker Harlin

#7 Tennessee (6-1, 3-1) is set to host Kentucky (3-5, 1-5) in Neyland Stadium Saturday. Neyland Stadium is a house of horrors for Kentucky in the last four decades with the only win coming in front of a 25% capacity crowd.

The SEC results under Mark Stoops are less than desired. Stoops has long been given credit for his success at Kentucky, but he’s middled at best in most seasons.

I’m not looking at the fact Georgia, South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Tennessee have as many SEC wins in Lexington as Kentucky since November 2021, although it is pretty telling of the state the program’s in.

Instead, I’m looking at the teams Mark Stoops has beaten in SEC play over his 12 years. What I’ve deduced from this little research project is big SEC wins are few and far between for the folks in Lexington since 2013.

2013: NONE

Considering what Stoops inherited from the Joker Phillips disaster, an SEC win was a lofty expectation.

The closest the Wildcats got to a win in 2013 was in a 28-22 loss to a six-win Mississippi State team. Kentucky also fell 35-28 to Steve Spurrier’s last good South Carolina team in Columbia.

2014: VANDERBILT, SOUTH CAROLINA

I remember watching that South Carolina game at my grandparents’ house and thinking it was a big step for Kentucky at the time.

The reality is both the Gamecocks and Commodores took steps to the rear in 2014 from their results in 2013.

Vandy had lost James Franklin to Penn State in the offseason, so Derek Mason was doing his best to pick up the pieces for the Commodores.

2014 was the beginning of a spin cycle for Steve Spurrier at South Carolina that led to his retirement the next season. The Gamecocks finished 7-6 without much optimism for the future.

2015: SOUTH CAROLINA, MISSOURI

Picking up where we left off with South Carolina, the ship collapsed as the Gamecocks finished 3-9 with a loss to The Citadel late in the season. Steve Spurrier retired after their loss to Missouri.

The win over Missouri was similar to the win over South Carolina the year before. It looked nice in the moment, but Mizzou fell from SEC East champion to 5-7 in the span of a year.

Gary Pinkel retired at the end of the season with a cancer diagnosis.

2016: SOUTH CAROLINA, VANDERBILT, MISSISSIPPI STATE, MISSOURI

None of these teams finished 2016 with more than six wins.

The Wildcats held on for a 17-10 win over South Carolina early in SEC play. Will Muschamp got his bearings straightened near the end of the season, but it took a 17-year old quarterback acquired midseason to do so.

Kentucky had actually lost to a four-win Vanderbilt team in 2015. The Wildcats held on against Kyle Shurmur and the Commodores in October.

Mississippi State is a new addition to the teams Stoops won against. The Bulldogs won five regular season games since they were let into a bowl due to Academic Progression Rate, one of two 5-win teams Dan Mullen coached in Starkville.

The last SEC win was a 35-21 win at Missouri. The Tigers finished 4-8 in Barry Odom’s first year on the job.

2017: SOUTH CAROLINA, MISSOURI, TENNESSEE, VANDERBILT

Tennessee is the obvious new add to the list. The Vols finished 4-8 and Butch Jones was fired two weeks later.

Vanderbilt also went under .500 in 2017. The Commodores were psychologically broken after their 59-0 loss to Alabama near the end of September.

South Carolina and Missouri both made bowls. Kentucky was fortunate to play both of those teams before they took off down the stretch as Mizzou in particular finished the regular season strong.

2018: FLORIDA, MISSISSIPPI STATE, SOUTH CAROLINA, VANDERBILT, MISSOURI

The win over Florida was Kentucky’s first since 1986, probably Stoops biggest win both because it ended the streak and it’s Stoops’ only win over a 10-win team.

Mississippi State and South Carolina both found their ways into bowls with eight and seven wins respectively, but both of those teams regressed as the year wore on.

The wins over Vanderbilt and Missouri were the two closest for the Wildcats. Both hit their apex with Derek Mason and Barry Odom at 6-7 and 8-5 before it all came crashing down the next season.

2019: ARKANSAS, MISSOURI, VANDERBILT

Two of these three teams fired coaches.

The Chad Morris Experience will go down as one of the worst coaching hires in SEC history. Barry Odom’s Tigers started the season 5-1 and finished it 1-5.

Derek Mason Vanderbilt after the Kyle Shurmur years crashed and burned. It went 3-9 in 2019.

2020: MISSISSIPPI STATE, TENNESSEE, VANDERBILT, SOUTH CAROLINA

We’re always going to put an asterisk next to 2020, but all of these teams were pretty bad that season.

Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina all fired a coach either in the midst of or after the 2020 season. Mississippi State was in its first year of the short-lived Mike Leach era, and this was before it made the switch from K.J. Costello to Will Rogers.

2021: MISSOURI, SOUTH CAROLINA, FLORIDA, LSU, VANDERBILT

Four of these five teams finished 6-7.

Of the 6-7 teams, Florida and LSU both fired coaches. Missouri was a let down under Drinkwitz while South Carolina was trying to figure itself out in Year 1 under Shane Beamer.

Vanderbilt was the lone team that didn’t finish 6-7, going 2-10 in Clark Lea’s first season.

2022: FLORIDA, MISSISSIPPI STATE, MISSOURI

The win over Mississippi State was one of just three against SEC teams with nine or more wins for Stoops at Kentucky. The other losses the Bulldogs suffered in Mike Leach’s final season were against much higher quality opponents.

Florida was 6-7 in Billy Napier’s first season while Eli Drinkwitz repeated 6-7 for a second straight season.

2023: VANDERBILT, FLORIDA, MISSISSIPPI STATE

None of these three made a bowl in 2023.

Vanderbilt was 2-10 in Clark Lea’s third season, Florida regressed to 5-7, and Mississippi State was also 5-7 in the Zach Arnett year.

2024 SO FAR: OLE MISS

This one was a trend breaker of sorts for the Kentucky football program, but it remains to be seen how Ole Miss fares the rest of the way.

Contests against Arkansas, Georgia, and possibly Florida could render tough battles for the Rebels down the stretch.