Mark Stoops ‘furious... outraged’ over UK RB’s win guarantee

Earlier today, we noted that Kentucky running back Jojo Kemp went all bulletin-board material in guaranteeing a win Saturday over a Florida team that’s beat the Wildcats 27 straight times.

“A couple of my [high school] teammates actually went to Florida, so I’m familiar with a lot of those guys,” Kemp said. “It’s going to be fun walking out with a victory and rubbing it in their faces.”

Suffice to say, the guarantee, for a conference game on the road no less, didn’t sit well with Mark Stoops. During the SEC teleconference Wednesday afternoon, Stoops (mostly) minced no words when discussing the situation created by his leading rusher last season. The coach also allowed, however, that the words may have been taken out of context a little, even as he very firmly stated that’s not how he wants his football team portrayed.

I was furious. The thing is – I was outraged; I talked to him about it – but the thing is, he was trying to make light of some friends that he has on this program. But like I told him yesterday, ‘You think they’re gonna hear all that? They’re gonna hear the last five seconds of what you said.’ And I know the great pride of the players in that locker room at Florida. I’ve been all through Florida. I’ve been at Miami, been at South Florida and been at Florida State. I know personally quite a few of those players and the pride that they have, and one thing: it’s not very smart to try to challenge their pride before you play them. Believe me, I know them. And so I don’t think that was very smart. It’s not something that I teach. It’s not how we talk. And really, if you listen to his whole conversation, he was quite humble and really handled himself the right way until the end. But again, that’s just not very smart on our part, and we’ll get that fixed.

Stops may have been miffed, but a former UF great was as well -- at the big, bad media.

So wat was JoJo Kemp suppose to say? " Florida is going to drill us" #stupidmedia #SEC #nobigdeal

— 𝕁𝔸ℂℚ𝕌𝔼ℤ 𝔾ℝ𝔼𝔼ℕ (@JacquezGreen) September 10, 2014

[/wanking motion]

Anyway, at the very least Kemp’s words should add a little bit of spice to what’s been a historically lopsided “rivalry.”

(Tip O’ the Cap: SaturdayDownSouth.com)