What Mark Stoops said after a chippy victory over NC State in the Gator Bowl
By Adam Spencer
Published:
The Kentucky Wildcats commanded the first half of Saturday’s Gator Bowl against NC State. But, in the second half, the Wolfpack battled back.
Ultimately, the Wildcats held on for a narrow 23-21 victory, their third bowl victory in a row.
After the game, coach Mark Stoops had plenty of praise for his players who stuck it out during a tough, emotional year.
On holding on for a narrow win:
Says winning three straight bowl games is "a very big accomplishment"
— Kernel Sports (@KYKernelSports) January 2, 2021
On several unsportsmanlike conduct penalties:
Says the unsportsmanlike penalties "are not us." Mentions the officials were ones the team wasn't used to.
— Kernel Sports (@KYKernelSports) January 2, 2021
On ending a tough year with a victory:
On ending the season with a celebration after all the team has been through:
"To see our players want to do that, travel back and forth on their break, it says a lot… very emotional year, but great to cap it off."
— Kernel Sports (@KYKernelSports) January 2, 2021
On only playing Terry Wilson at quarterback:
On why Terry was the only QB that played:
"I wanted to play [the others], and probably should have, but it was important to get the win."
— Kernel Sports (@KYKernelSports) January 2, 2021
On Jamin Davis and AJ Rose’s big games:
On Jamin Davis:
"I appreciate the way he went out and played today… I noticed him showing up many times"
— Kernel Sports (@KYKernelSports) January 2, 2021
On the passing game moving forward:
On how the passing game could develop from here:
"I'll address that after a few days off."
— Kernel Sports (@KYKernelSports) January 2, 2021
On Max Duffy’s interesting move before a punt:
On Duffy's move, and overall importance:
"That was a big time play… it shows the confidence he has."
— Kernel Sports (@KYKernelSports) January 2, 2021
Now, we’ll see how Kentucky comes back in 2021. There are some important decisions that need to be made this offseason.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
