By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
When Mark Stoops arrived more than three years ago, he was more interested in turning around Kentucky’s football program than upgrading the team’s facilities.
Although not a priority at the time, Stoops knew improvements to Commonwealth Stadium and other football facilities were on the radar. Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart and his staff didn’t waste time fulfilling an obligation and made a commitment to making the first significant upgrades to a venue that opened in 1973.
Now that the $120 million upgrades are almost complete, Stoops and his team are ready to stop admiring and begin competing.
“Our players know that a lot of people have invested a lot in (the stadium),” Stoops said. “We asked for support and they’ve given it to us. This is the first opportunity to go out and show everybody what our team is like this year. The guys will be energetic, fired up and ready to go.”
Kentucky’s opening opponent — University of Louisiana-Lafayette — is no stronger to success and has won at least nine games in each of the past four seasons. Only Oregon has emulated similar success during that same time frame.
Stoops is aware of the Rajin Cajuns’ success and knows his team can’t take Lafayette lightly.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Stoops said. “But we’re excited and optimistic to get going.”
Lafayette will center its offense around junior running back Elijah McGuire has rushed for 2.127 yards in his first two seasons with the Ragin’ Cajuns. He gained 1,264 yards a year ago and is the preseason Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the year.
“He’s a fantastic player. He’s just a very dynamic player,” Stoops said. “He gets an awful lot of yards and averages almost eight yards per carry. He’s just a fantastic football player. I think they do a nice job of creating space.”
Kentucky’s defensive unit, which struggled against the run last year, has made the transition from a 4-3 front to a 3-4 alignment in hopes of faring better against teams that rely on running the football.
“Their offense presents some problems, obviously they’ll be breaking in a new quarterback,” Stoops said. “But I think what they do and the pressure they put on you with some of their quarterback run game and creating some space with him puts some problems on you. (McGuire) is just a very good player. They’ve done a nice job.”
Stoops “anticipates” his team will be better this season on the defensive side even with the early absence of senior linebacker Ryan Flannigan, who will miss the opener while recovering from a shoulder injury. Veteran Khalid Henderson and newcomers Jordan Jones and Eli Brown will help fill the void in Flannigan’s absence.
Stoops has been impressed with Jones, who missed several days because of an undisclosed illness that required “rest.” Stoops said Jones has been a pleasant surprise since his return to the field.
“He’s a different bird,” Stoops said. “He’s got good instincts. I’m anxious to see him play.”
Although Lafayette isn’t an average opening opponent, Stoops wants his team to make a statement as the Wildcats open a new era in a renovated stadium.
“We get one opportunity for a first impression,” he said.
Notables: Lafayette defensive coordinator Melvin Smith is no stranger to the SEC, having spent the past two seasons at Auburn. He also coached at Mississippi State for seven seasons. … The Ragin Cajuns are 1-61 all-time against SEC schools, defeating Texas A&M 29-22 in 1996.
Keith Taylor is a columnist and senior sports reporter for KyForward.com