Fans might be hungry for win at UT, but for UK it’s not about ending streak

Longtime Kentucky fans might have high hopes that another nagging streak will end this season, but Mark Stoops won’t be bringing it up with his players.

The No. 12 Cats already ended one crazy streak — a 31-game losing skid to Florida earlier this season — and they have an opportunity to end another at Tennessee on Saturday.

Kentucky hasn’t won a game in Knoxville since 1984 and has a chance to do that against the Volunteers (4-5, 1-5 Southeastern Conference) this weekend.

That doesn’t make it worth mentioning to Kentucky’s coach.

“Just beating Tennessee is important to us,” Stoops said on Monday after the Cats (7-2, 5-2) fell to Georgia in the game that determined the winner of the SEC East Division.

“Whether there’s a streak involved or not, why would that make a difference to our team? They don’t know anything about 34 years ago. To be honest with you, they really don’t care,” he continued.

“They want to win for their team this year. I think that’s very important and that’s motivation for us. ... I acknowledge the importance to our fans, I acknowledge the importance to our state and our community. But to our team, they’re hungry for each other and for this year.”

And while the Cats’ coach likes to discuss the idea of taking it one game at a time, he will mention to his players on Monday that UK still has a chance to do something special this season even though it won’t be playing in the conference championship.

“I will talk about it briefly,” he said of UK having a chance at 10 wins and a high-prestige New Year’s Six bowl game.

Stoops added: “As you get toward the end of the year and as they’re starting to get mentally and physically beat up that they have to recharge themselves and refocus for these last three games.”

This story was originally published November 5, 2018 at 2:46 PM.