Everything Mark Stoops Said on Wednesday's SEC Teleconference Ahead of Matchup With No.12 Florida

No.20 Kentucky will travel South to Gainesville for a highly anticipated SEC East Matchup against No.12 Florida for a 7 pm ET kickoff Saturday. Stoops spoke on the Gators and his program during Wednesday's SEC Teleconference. Below is everything he had to say.

Opening Statement

It is really good to get game one under the belt and get a victory. There is always a lot of unknowns going into the first game of the year. I thought we did a lot of good things in all three phases of the game. Special teams had some excellent moments, which was great to see. Excited about that and where we are at. Offensively and defensively, had some good things and some areas where we need to improve like most people. Excited about this opportunity. We know it is a challenge. SEC opponent on the road at a very good Florida team, and we know we will have our hands full. Just excited about this preparation here and taking care of business this week to go play well.

On One Thing to Describe Anthony Richardson

"That is tough to single out any one thing. Heck, he has a talented arm. I think everyone is going to say what an athlete he is, but the guy can rip it as well. He can throw the football.

On What Stands Out about Ricky Pearsall

I think they definitely brought a guy in that is most polished. A lot like us with Tayvion and bringing him in. Just the experience of Ricky, along with Tayvion when we brought him in, we feel like we have some very talented players around him that are inexperienced. Maybe you can say the same thing with Florida. Their outside receivers, you can see their speed and the upside they have. Ricky is definitely a guy that is maybe most polished at this point.

On Billy Napier Improving to 17-3 in One Possession Games and What Goes Into That

I am not sure (what that says about him). I haven't paid attention, you can understand, to that stat as you have or whose those games were against. I think something that comes to mind is how smart of a play-caller he is. You can tell with the way he calls a game that he is smart and not going to beat himself. He isn't going to take risks that are unnecessary. He is a good play-caller and keeps you off-balance. I think that probably has something to do with it.

On Him Having Success in Close Games

I think there is a belief in your program that all of us like to have and that you are going to make a play and do the things necessary. Staying in the moment is a big thing. We have had our fair share, lately, of winning those games as well. There is a new challenge each and every week, but I think having the ability to be physical, play good defense, and run the ball at times is helpful. Just that strong belief system within your team that you are going to win.

On Pass Protection Needing to Improve Ahead of Florida

Definitely, I think, without question, it is the most visible concern to the naked eye. As I mentioned a couple of times this week, there were a couple of things that were very easily correctable; then there are things we need to work on. We have some inexperience at certain positions. We feel like we have a really good crew. One of them, we made a personnel change on, the others, whether it was a lack of communication, very few times we were flat out beat. So that makes you feel better. We just have to get the guys in the right spot and making plays.

On Injury Status of Trevin Wallace and Jordan Wright

"At this point, I can't comment on Jordan because I'm not sure. With Trevin, he should be good to go. He was questionable this last game, and we're going to try to get him ready to play here."

On Teams Trying to Confuse Will Levis

"With Will, just like with any great quarterback against the teams that we are playing, they are going to change it up on him and give him different looks. Give him different pre-snap reads and different pressures to try and pick their spots. Just try to give a lot of different looks and play good, sound defense. We expect that here again this week. He will see a variety of things, but Will is playing at a very, very high level. He made some incredible throws this last week under pressure. We give a little bit of time, and he can be very dangerous. We want to continue to grow there.

More on the Offensive Line

Again, the sacks stand out. A couple of them are communication and very easily fixable, the others are things we have to work at. Really as a group, they all get lumped together, but we felt four of the five played at a winning level and strained and played physical like we are used to. We have to get back to that.

On Florida Scheme Wise from Last Year to This Year

Very different. To be totally honest, I don't know if its just getting so locked in or focused on what you have to do, but I really don't think back to how they looked a year ago. You are really just so concentrated on how they look this year and this game. Of course, watching Billy's offenses the past couple of years. We locked on what they are doing this year, but they are a very good offensive that gives you a lot of deception. They are balanced. They have a quarterback that can run, so they put a lot of pressure on you across the board.

On Tackling Against Miami (OH)

We were pretty solid for the most part. Generally, great tackling comes from great position on the football and playing great team defense. We were pretty solid for the most part, and we realize this group we are playing this week will put a lot more stress on you. They have extremely physical backs, and some athletes, when you get them in space that it gets difficult.