HOUSTON – On the heels of leading the Kentucky Wildcats to an upset win over sixth-ranked Ole Miss on Saturday, head coach Mark Stoops has been named the Bear Bryant Awards Fan Favorite Coach of the Week presented by Accenture. The 20-17 win by Kentucky marks just the fifth time in program history that the Wildcats have beaten a team in the nation’s top six.
The Kentucky defense matched up against an Ole Miss offense that entered play averaging 55 points and 670 yards of offense per game and held the Rebels to 17 points and just 353 yards of offense. The Wildcats’ defense continued its trend of stellar play just two weeks after holding the then-top ranked Georgia Bulldogs to 13 points and 262 yards of offense.
The Rebels struck first with a touchdown on the opening drive of the game, but the Wildcats used a 27-yard field goal by Alex Raynor and a short pass from Brock Vandagriff to Dane Key to take a 10-7 lead into the half.
The two teams traded leads in the second half, but Kentucky claimed the lead for good with 2:25 to play when Josh Kattus recovered a fumble and fell into the end zone for the score.
Kentucky moved to 3-2 on the season and 1-2 in Southeastern Conference play.
The win is Kentucky’s first in Oxford since the 1978 season and is the highest AP-ranked triumph of the Mark Stoops era – the 12th year head coach is currently the longest-tenured coach in the SEC and he is the longest-serving head coach in Kentucky history.
Stoops is the third winner of the 2024 season, following Tennessee’s Josh Heupel and Washington State’s Jake Dickert. Continuing through the remainder of the regular season, the Paul “Bear” Bryant Awards will recognize a coach weekly for leading their team to an exceptional victory.
The American Heart Association, a global force for healthier lives for all, presents the Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Awards annually to celebrate excellence in coaching, to honor Coach Bryant’s legacy and to raise awareness and critical funds for their mission. The coaching legend died from a heart attack in 1983, just 28 days after his final victory and retirement.
Fans can follow the action online at facebook.com/bryantawards, twitter.com/bryantawards or Instagram.com/bryantawards or the hashtag #BryantAwards. To attend the exclusive, VIP experience visit bryantawards.org.
###