AUBURN, Ala. — Mark Stoops understands the equation his team must satisfy to win when it faces any of the SEC teams that pass the Blue Chip Ratio cutline. The margin for error is miniscule.
“There are critical moments in games that you have to execute,” Stoops said Saturday. “Our players know that. You can play 95 percent of the game right, and if you play five percent of it wrong in certain critical areas, you’re not going to win.”
Saturday’s 29-13 loss at Auburn felt like one of those five percent games. Against about half of the opponents on its schedule, Kentucky played well enough to win. The Wildcats showed barely any of the mental or organizational sloppiness that plagued most of the league on its opening weekend. They committed only four penalties. They had no major coverage busts. For the most part, their players were where they were supposed to be when they were supposed to be there.
Unfortunately for…
