In the heady moments after Kentucky had recorded its first home-field victory over Florida in 35 years, Mark Stoops was asked about the significance of having finally "broken down this door."
"It's just the next one. I'm sure you'll tell me about some more," Stoops said to laughter.
Well, since Stoops asked.
When LSU (3-2, 1-1 SEC) visits Kroger Field on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. to face the No. 16 Wildcats (5-0, 3-0 SEC), the Tigers will represent multiple barriers that Stoops and troops have yet to crash through.
The elevation of Kentucky football that Stoops has engineered has been achieved largely against UK's SEC East foes — other than Georgia, against whom UK has lost 11 straight.
The Wildcats have won seven of their past eight games against South Carolina. They have beaten both Missouri and Vanderbilt six out of seven. Heck, the Cats have now broken even in their last four contests against both of their longtime nemeses, Florida and Tennessee.
However, against the West, Stoops is 4-14.
Take out Kentucky's 3-5 mark against permanent inter-division rival Mississippi State, and UK under Stoops is 1-9 against the rest of the West — and that victory came in 2019 over an Arkansas team that finished 2-10.
Under Stoops, Kentucky has not yet beaten Alabama (0-3), Auburn (0-2), LSU (0-1), Mississippi (0-2) or Texas A&M (0-1).
In the continuing quest for UK to earn football credibility, breaking through against SEC West powers is a step that needs to be taken.
On Saturday night, Kentucky is likely to encounter a desperate LSU.
Since Joe Burrow quarterbacked the Tigers to the national championship for the 2019 season, the Tigers are 8-7.
With remaining games with Florida, at Ole Miss, at Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas A&M plus ULM, it may be difficult for LSU to even reach bowl eligibility (six wins required) if Coach Ed Orgeron's Tigers don't win at Kroger Field.
Given the sky-high expectations and history of coaching volatility that accompany the LSU head-coaching job, it is not crazy to wonder how secure Orgeron's hold on employment will be if the Tigers lose to UK.
"Always a great football team with tons of talent," said Stoops of LSU on Monday at his weekly news conference at Kroger Field. "... They have (good) players at every position."
Learning the lesson from last week's "Dan Mullen/Wan'Dale Robinson's name" controversy, Stoops singled out LSU star wide receiver Kayshon Boutte (30 catches, 436 yards, nine touchdowns) for praise.
"Kayshon Boutte, he can hurt you at any given time," Stoops said.
The last two times LSU visited Lexington to play football produced iconic moments.
In 2002, the Tigers, then coached by Nick Saban, seized victory from what had seemed certain defeat when Marcus Randall hit Devery Henderson with a 74-yard, Hail Mary touchdown as time expired that yielded a 33-30 win.
The play lives in LSU lore as "The Bluegrass Miracle."
Five years later, Kentucky exacted a sweet revenge on the Tigers. Coach Rich Brooks' Wildcats stunned No. 1 — and eventual national champion — LSU 43-37 in triple overtime.
For my money, that upset of Les Miles and crew is the second-greatest victory ever recorded by a Kentucky football team.
With its 20-13 win over Florida in the bank, Kentucky has another "door to be broken down" available to it Saturday against LSU.
Along with Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia and Tennessee, LSU is one of the six traditional Southeastern Conference football heavyweights.
UK has not beaten two of those six in one season since 2009. That year, Rich Brooks, Randall Cobb, Derrick Locke and Co. went on the road to vanquish both Auburn and Georgia.
No Kentucky football team has beaten two of the six old-line SEC football titans in back-to-back weeks in 44 years.
In 1977, Fran Curci's 10-1 Cats did it twice. UK whacked LSU (33-13) and Georgia (33-0) in consecutive weeks on their home fields, then finished the '77 season with a road win at Florida followed by a home victory over Tennessee.
Independent of the "big picture," Kentucky has a lot riding on beating LSU.
After the game with the Tigers, UK is looking at road trips to No. 2 Georgia (5-0, 3-0 SEC) and, following an open date, to SEC West permanent rival Mississippi State (3-2, 1-1 SEC).
In Athens, Kirby Smart's defense looks almost invincible — and, remember, Kentucky has not scored a touchdown against the Bulldogs since 2018.
Under Stoops, Starkville has not been a hospitable locale for Kentucky. UK is 0-4 vs. Mississippi State on the road since 2013 and has been outscored 143-58 in those four games.
If the Wildcats beat LSU on Saturday night, however, they would put themselves in position to potentially secure a "special season" even if the outcomes in Athens and Starkville are adverse.
With so much potentially at stake vs. LSU, Stoops expressed confidence that a Kroger Field crowd that played a substantial role in the upset of Florida will again rise to the challenge.
"They'll be back out there (to create) a great environment," Stoops said of the Big Blue Nation. "I can't wait."
