Kentucky notched a 48-10 win over Murray State on Saturday to improve to 3-0 after previously earning victories over Central Michigan and Florida.

Now, things will get more difficult for the Wildcats as they enter a stretch of seven consecutive games against SEC opponents, beginning with next week’s matchup against Mississippi State.

“We’re pleased with where we’re at and we’re excited to get back to work after this week,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said at Saturday’s postgame press conference. “It’s a great opportunity and we’ll be excited to play.”

The Wildcats had a 17-0 halftime lead against Murray State and stretched it to 34-3 by the end of the third quarter. The wide margin allowed Kentucky to sit some starters late and give young players the opportunity to play.

Stoops said he took off his headset late when the young backups came in, enjoying some “stress-free” situations late.

“There’s so many guys that work hard, we are deeper than we’ve ever been. Guys want to play,” Stoops said. “We’re going to need every one of them to stay the course.”

Although the young players made some mistakes, as to be expected, Stoops said he was pleased with their efforts.

“We take pride in playing the game the right way. We talked about that all week, and playing to our standard,” Stoops said. “They played hard. They were incredibly scrambled and made some plays.”

Despite the Wildcats opening the season with three consecutive wins, Stoops said there is still room for improvement in several areas entering conference play.

“There are things we could’ve done better to start, but it does show the team and the strength of the team,” Stoops said. “There are always things to learn from.”

For more of Stoops’ postgame press conference, watch below: