It was just one week, and even though the Kentucky Wildcats dazzled in a 59-14 win over UT Martin to open the 2014 season, head coach Mark Stoops isn’t letting it get to his players’ heads.

Stoops addressed the media at his weekly press conference Monday afternoon, and among the topics he discussed was Kentucky’s next opponent: the Ohio University Bobcats.

Ohio squeaked past Kent State 17-14 in its opener Saturday to also begin its season 1-0.

Stoops began his press conference by acknowledging his team’s solid play in a convincing victory. He also wasted no time reminding the media how far the Cats have to go to get to where they want to be as a program in the future.

“Obviously we did a lot of good things. Very happy about the effort, the attitude,” Stoops said Monday. “There’s also a lot to improve on. There’s a lot of things we can do better that we will do better.”

Among the areas Stoops said still need improvement was UK’s run defense, which allowed 183 yards on the ground to the Skyhawks last week. To add some perspective, the Bobcats racked up 175 yards on the ground against Kent State, making run defense a priority for the Cats in the coming week.

The head coach also discussed his team making the adjustment from playing an FCS opponent to playing its first FBS foe of the year in Ohio, stating “we will have our hands full this week.” It’s not the usual coach-speak one would expect following a 45-point win, but it is an indicator of the respect Stoops has for the Bobcats, and the high standards to which he holds his own team.

“It’s obviously going to be a much bigger challenge for us with Ohio,” Stoops said. “Coach (Frank) Solich has been around for a long time and been extremely successful. He’s building a very consistent program there at Ohio. … They’re a team that’s not going to beat themselves. They’re just good and sound.”

Stoops will also have to maintain the effort and energy of the more than 20 new faces to debut for Kentucky against UT Martin. For most of those players, Saturday’s game was their first collegiate experience of any kind, but the UK head coach knows most games do not go as well as the Cats’ opener went.

His plan to keep the new guys sharp? Humble them in the film room early in the week.

“It won’t be a pleasant film session today, I can promise you that,” Stoops said while chuckling with the media.

But at the end of the day, Stoops knows his team needs wins. Regardless of how a win is earned or who it is against, he knows the Cats have a shot at six W’s and a bowl berth for the first time since 2010. He knows games like Ohio are must-win games in his teams progression from doormat to respectable program.

He knows Ohio is not a program to be overlooked, even after a blowout win in front of more than 50,000 home fans.

“You know how desperately we need wins,” Stoops reminded reporters Monday. “I’d take them against anybody, so… They’re all important.”