It was a disappointing start to the 2016 season for Mark Stoops and Kentucky Wildcats, and it doesn’t get any easier in Week 2.

After going up 35-17 at halftime against Southern Miss, the Wildcats were blanked 27-0 in the second half — losing the game (at home) by a score of 44-35. The loss irked Stoops so much, that he issued an apology after the game to the fans. He touched upon that during his Wednesday’s weekly press conference.

“That’s what I felt, it was on my heart at the time and I did what I did. Never thought I would say that [after a game].”

Fast-forward to this week, and the Wildcats are hoping it can get the proverbial Gators off of its back. Headed to ‘The Swamp’ in Gainesville this weekend, Kentucky hasn’t beaten Florida in football since 1986. This 29-game span has certainly been one-sided, to say the least.

Stoops said he’s using the streak to motivate his team. He also spoke a little bit about playing in a tough road venue — as well as some of the Florida personnel.

“The Gators offense is very good, just like you’d expect. They have some dangerous wide receivers, the running backs run hard, and [QB Luke Del Rio] looks efficient. They’re well coached and very balanced. It’s a challenge, we played 90 snaps on defense last week. Hopefully that won’t be the case [on Saturday]. We will get some backup defensive linemen in there this week. We have a freshman in T.J. Carter that we feel could impact the game.”

When it boils down to it, expectations for this program are higher than they’ve been in quite some time. Kentucky is expected to push for a bowl berth this season, and anything short of that could result in a coaching change. With the added pressure of ‘the streak’ looming, this is a significant game early in the season.

“We will take a win by any means necessary, regardless of how the opponent plays,” said Stoops. “If we win a game that’s all that really matters.”