LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- You can't sell a T-shirt that says "Almost Beat Texas." And "Moral Victory Monday" is never going to be a thing.
And yet, somewhere in the Kentucky football complex, you could still detect a faint whiff of ... success.
Yes, the scoreboard still said Loss No. 4, and the SEC standings still said 0-for-2025 after Saturday's 16-13 overtime loss to Texas. But Mark Stoops saw wildflowers in the wreckage. And it wasn't a hallucination.
He saw fight. He saw progress. He saw a quarterback complete nearly 80% of his passes. He saw a defense frustrate a nationally-ranked power into near-submission.
Louisville | Kentucky | Indiana | Eric Crawford
He saw, in short, something to build on.
"Lot of mixed emotions after this past week," Stoops said. "Really encouraged with the way our team played. Really set up well for us, I appreciate the fans and ex-players, and so many people around and excited about that game and encouraged with the way our kids played. Disappointed with the outcome and that's what's heartbreaking. Our fans deserve it. Our players deserve it, and our team has worked extremely hard to improve, and that I greatly appreciate. We need a different result, and we're going to go back to work."
That may sound like Zen therapy for a team stuck in the SEC cellar, but Kentucky genuinely believes it has something brewing. The Wildcats ran 86 plays to Texas' 55, dominated time of possession, and still came up short. But there's something to be said for a team that seizes the good and keeps clinging to the rope.
In fact, in Kentucky's situation, that's exactly what you're supposed to do. It's the only way out. I've covered losing teams. Louisville football in the last days of Petrino. Louisville basketball almost every day under Kenny Payne. Some teams lose and stay engaged. Some don't. Those teams didn't.
Bellarmine's basketball team lost last season but never quit. They stayed engaged. They pulled off a couple of big upsets late in the season.
This Kentucky team is losing. It's also playing one of the best schedules in the nation. Put them up against a schedule ranked in the 40s or 50s, instead of No. 5, and the discussion might be different.
Cutter Boley, the second-year quarterback with the composure of a graduate assistant, completed 31-39 passes for 258 yards. He added 45 yards on the ground and the first rushing touchdown of his career — and did it against one of the nation's better defenses.
Stoops called it a sign of maturity. Others called it a sign that Kentucky still can't finish a drive inside the 5 without a séance and a lucky rabbit's foot.
"We were literally 2 inches from that ball crossing the plane," Stoops said of Kentucky's overtime goal-line plunges. "Three inches. His head was across. The ball was probably on his chest. I'm not saying it was a bad call, but I mean, it was either in or inches."
Kentucky fans have seen this movie before. Heck, they saw it against Ole Miss. After that game, Stoops said they were 6 inches away. See? They're getting closer.
The Cats have had success moving the ball, only to find the end zone guarded like Fort Knox. Stoops didn't deny it.
"That is fair criticism," Stoops said, referring to the team's red zone struggles. "Obviously we need to be better in the red zone. The short yards on the first possession, and the goal line."
What has improved is the passing game. For the first time in what feels like a presidential term, Kentucky's wide receivers are winning one-on-ones. Kendrick Law is emerging as a go-to. Freshman DJ Miller had a couple of catches against Texas. And Stoops credited the ripple effect to Boley's command.
"I feel like Cutter's playing at a high level," Stoops said. "That changes things."
Of course, it won't mean much unless things change on the scoreboard. And here comes No. 17 Tennessee, a team whose offense plays like it's getting paid by the snap. Stoops knows what's coming.
"They stretch you. They win a lot of one-on-ones," he said. "They put a lot of pressure on you."
The Vols have beaten Kentucky four straight. The last time Kentucky beat a ranked Tennessee team in Lexington? Dwight Eisenhower was president. And yet, there's a stubborn belief inside this program that a corner is being turned.
Whether it leads to a win — or just another lesson in heartbreak — you have to respect the perseverance.
Quick Sips
KELSEY ONE-ON-ONE: WDRB's Tom Lane sat down with Pat Kelsey on Monday. If you missed that interview, catch up here.
BAT BIRTHDAY: The giant bat at Louisville Slugger Field is 30 years old. I feel like I covered it when it was a sapling. More here.
The Last Drop
"Whatever we focus on will determine how we feel and what we do."
-- Kentucky coach Mark Stoops
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