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Keith Taylor: Giving their all for Stoops, Kentucky holds off South Carolina for first SEC win


Mark Stoops has been feeling the heat since the Wildcats opened the season with two straight losses, but the Kentucky coach is breathing somewhat of a sigh of relief following back-to-back wins, the latest a 17-10 triumph over South Carolina Saturday night at Commonwealth Stadium.

Although a 62-42 shootout win over New Mexico State was expected last week, it wasn’t enough to stop criticism from mounting for Stoops and his staff. However, defeating the Gamecocks provided evidence Kentucky is capable of delivering under pressure.

 Stanley "Boom" Williams led UK's rushing attack in a 17-10 win over South Carolina Saturday night (UK Athletics Photo)

Stanley “Boom” Williams led UK’s rushing attack in a 17-10 win over South Carolina Saturday night (UK Athletics Photo)

The seven-point victory was the third in a row for Kentucky over its Southeastern Conference Eastern division foe. It helped stop the bleeding at last for now, but the proverbial wounds are still visible as the Wildcats delve into crucial six-week conference stretch that will determine if the Wildcats have turned the corner enough to earn a bowl bid for the first time in five years.

Stoops admitted all wins are “tough” but he has grown accustomed to the critics who have questioned his ability to lead the Wildcats back to the postseason.

“It’s not an easy business,” Stoops said. “That’s OK, we know what we’re in for and it’s a big win. I guess you could say that. We’re in year No. 4 and we all know what comes with it. The heat is always on and so it comes with the territory. It was a needed win.”

That squeaker over South Carolina came within days after Stoops lost his starting quarterback Drew Barker for a “significant amount of time” because of a back injury and after he lashed out at his defense for poor performances in practice last week.

The defense responded to Stoops’ plea for improvement, limiting the Gamecocks to their lowest scoring output of the season. The highlight was a Denzil Ware sack with less than two minutes remaining put an exclamation point on Kentucky’s performance and Ware said his heroic play provided a “sigh of relief.”

“We needed it,” he said. “We had a lot to prove for coach Stoops. He has nothing to worry about, we’re going to have his back, no matter what. This game was just to show him that we’ve got his back.”

Although not an easy task, the players are aware of the outside noise that has been infiltrating the program since blowing a big lead in a 44-35 loss to Southern Mississippi in the season opener a month ago.

Stephen Johnson, Barker’s replacement in the pocket, hasn’t paid much attention to the critics and has focused on the task at hand instead of the negativity. With the exception of a second-quarter interception, Johnson was nearly flawless in his first start with the Wildcats. He completed 11-of-19 passes for 135 yards, but managed the game more efficiently, especially in the backfield.

“I try not to focus on it too much and just play football,” Johnson said. “That’s all I really want to do.”

While the passing game was hit and miss, the team’s running backs supplied a bulk of the offense against the Gamecocks. Stanley “Boom” Williams led the attack with 123 yards, while backup Benny Snell added 73 yards, with most of those carries coming in the fourth quarter. It was Snell’s fourth-quarter touchdown that broke a 10-10 deadlock and provided the decisive score with 10 minutes remaining.

Johnson said having Williams and Snell in the backfield has made his transition from backup to starter less stressful during the past two weeks.

“It makes my job a whole lot easier, handing the ball off and watching them run for 10- to 12-yards from that line of scrimmage,” Johnson said. “It’s definitely fantastic. It helps the offense a lot.”

Like Johnson, Williams is focused on the field and not outside the lines.

“I just want to be the leader that I am, to be able to help the offense and put us in a position to score,” Williams said. “The offensive line and Stephen came in and did a good job. It feels good to be able to get a good, collective team win.”

Williams also heaped praised on the defense for their efforts, especially in the first half when the Wildcats mustered just a field goal in the first two quarters.

“The defense responded well,” Williams said. “We weren’t able to get anything going for a while. It was 7-3 for the longest and those guys played their butts off. Our defense came out and played a great game. It’s major for those guys to come out (and have a good game).”

For Stoops, he’s just glad to get to .500 and help ease the disappointment of his team’s first two setbacks.

“That’s the way this football team needs to play, with great passion and energy that every fan expects, that we expect and what we will do. We had work to do and have work to do and we’ll continue to work at it,” he said. “They come to work. They have accepted it (criticism) and they looked in the mirror. You can’t change the past, but we can certainly change our future and push forward.”

Gametracker: Kentucky at Alabama, 7 p.m., Saturday. TV/Radio: ESPN, 98.1 FM WBUL.

Keith Taylor is a senior sports writer for KyForward, where he primarily covers University of Kentucky sports. Reach him at keith.taylor@kyforward.com or @keithtaylor21 on Twitter


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