Stoops Ready for Homecoming Showdown Against Youngstown State

Kentucky's upcoming matchup against Youngstown State will be a homecoming of sorts for UK head coach Mark Stoops.

The 10th-year skipper hails from Youngstown, Ohio, a place that he says molded him into the man and football coach he is today:

"Pretty well documented after X amount of years coaching...i'm getting very old now, I think growing up in Youngstown has as much to do with the identity of myself and anybody that comes from there, it's a very unique place," Stoops said. "Great pride in coming from that area, and a toughness, it's the rust belt, it's a blue collar, steel mill town. Very fortunate to grow up there, fantastic place, football was extremely important, sports were important and competitive. Fortunately, my father was a high school coach and I got to spend time watching him, the way he influenced others."

On Saturday, Stoops will welcome his hometown team to Kroger Field, as both programs look for 3-0 starts to their 2022 seasons.

"My uncle Bob being a long time assistant coach there, winning many national championships with coach (Jim) Tressell. it's a program that I have a lot of respect for, looking forward to the opportunity to compete against them this Saturday," Stoops said.

The Penguins have defeated Duquense and Dayton to open their season. Head Coach Doug Phillips is in his third year at the helm, and currently owns a 6-13 record since taking over in 2020. While the deck may be stacked against the FCS school, Stoops knows the fight that his team is in for come Saturday.

"I'm really proud that they're coming in, i'm looking forward to it. Again, I know how tough they are and what type of program, the history that they have, they're not going to be intimidated," Stoops said. "That's all good, there's a connection there, but at the end of the day, they're coming in here to beat us and play well and we have a job to do, and it's our job to keep that intensity and keep that focus and keep on improving."

There have been talks with getting rid of playing non-Division 1 schools upon the expansion of the SEC, as the conference slate would grow, not leaving room for those buy games.

Schools like Youngstown play bigger schools like Kentucky not just for the challenge, but for the financial benefit.

"This is a big game for them, they compete and they depend on these games as well, I like supporting them in that area," Stoops said.

While Kentucky supports the Penguins, there will be even more support in the stands for the UK coach. He said he hadn't heard much from his hometown troops before the Wildcats took on Florida, but afterwards, it's been quite the swarm.

Stoops said he received "around 300" messages following Kentucky's defeat of the Gators, and has had to make quite the amount of room for incoming Ohioans.

"All of the Youngstown people...there'll be hundreds," he said.

While Stoops welcomes the support, he's only around for so much of it. Even though Kentucky is expected to roll past the Penguins on Saturday, he's got to maintain the same focus that got him all 61 of his wins in blue and white.

"There's a time where I have to separate and focus on what I have to focus on, that'll be much the case here this week," he said. "I can't get distracted like that, it does pull you away. But through the years I've learned how to manage that...that'll be much the same here this week."

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