Mark Stoops previews Missouri, gives QB update

The No. 12 Kentucky Wildcats are two short days away from taking the field in Columbia, Missouri for a matchup with the Missouri Tigers.

Against one of the nation’s top offenses, led by NFL quarterback prospect Drew Lock, Kentucky’s second-ranked scoring defense will be put to the test.

On Thursday, Mark Stoops seemed pleased with his team’s week of preparation.

“Good week of preparation and we’re excited, and we’re ready to go up and play a good football team,” he said.

The biggest question, of course, was Kentucky’s quarterback situation. On Monday, Stoops said the team would stick with Wilson but all quarterbacks would get extra work in practice this week.

After this week’s evaluation, Stoops was satisfied with what he saw.

“They all had a good week this week,” he said.

When asked specifically about Wilson, Stoops stood firm in regards to his confidence in the first-year starter.

“Like I said to him and like I said to the media, that was not his best performance [against Vanderbilt], but we still have a lot of confidence in him, and we expect him to play like he’s been,” Stoops said.

The Wildcats are once again underdogs for the upcoming match-up. However, Stoops didn’t think it led to any extra motivation this week.

“I think we’re pretty motivated, in general, just to get another victory,” Stoops said. “We know what it’s like to go on the road and win against a team on your side (SEC East), not only in the league but in your division.”

Overall, Stoops feels his team is ready to rock on Saturday.

“We’re going to have to play better in a lot of areas to win this game, and I feel like we will,” he said.

The Wildcats will have one final walkthrough Friday before boarding their flight for Columbia, Missouri, where they will face the Tigers at 4 pm EST on Saturday.