Kentucky Football - LIVE BREATHE BLUE - Pastor Stoops’ Life Lessons for Conquering Carolina

Ah, football season finally arrived in the Commonwealth last Saturday night—where the unrelenting roar of an amped-up crowd, the threat of severe weather, and the 31 – 0 pasting of an overmatched opponent left a nation of passionate fans thirsting for more.

Since the Kentucky football team missed out on over a quarter and a half of official play at Kroger Field due to the threat of lightning strikes, head coach Mark Stoops more than made up for lost opportunities at his weekly news conference on Monday.

Stoops, now in his twelfth season at the helm, delivered pearls of wisdom regarding his team’s play that could easily extend beyond the gridiron. His sage advice—disguised as game analysis—sounded to me more like pastoral advice.

“I’m a DB guy, I’m a defensive guy at heart, and I use it with the players,” Stoops told reporters, when asked about teaching moments versus Southern Mississippi. “They’re busy watching the game when they’re out there playing. They can’t watch the game when they’re out there playing ball. They have to read their keys and do their job.”

Stoops wasn’t just talking about defending against a Hail Mary pass or holding the Golden Eagles to a measly five net rushing yards. He was tapping into something deeper—something all of us could stand to remember. When you’re busy watching the game of life, you’re not really playing. You’re not in the moment, fully engaged, reading the situation and making the best play. You’re just...watching. And in life, as on the field, being a spectator can leave you lamenting and lost.

Consider this: How many times have we found ourselves caught up in the spectacle of life rather than actively participating in it? Maybe we’re mindlessly scrolling through social media, lost in the highlight reels of others, instead of focusing on our own game. Or perhaps we’re so consumed with planning our next big move—worrying or obsessing over the endgame—that we forget to play the down in front of us. The result? We miss the cues, the subtle shifts in the defense, the opportunities that pop up in real time. We end up reacting to catch up rather than acting to get ahead. Suddenly, the game is playing us.

The antidote to this passive existence is simple (but not often easy): Read your keys, do your job, and play the game in real time. Whether you’re in the middle of a big project at work, managing the chaos of family life, or navigating the emotional ups and downs of relationships, the principle remains the same. Stay engaged. Stay focused. Don’t just watch life go by—live it, one play at a time.

But there’s another pitfall that can be just as detrimental as passively watching: trying to do too much. Human nature is such that everyone nowadays wants to play superhero. Everyone wants to bring the juice—that unbridled enthusiasm, energy, and that intangible spark we all need to bring our A-game. Unfortunately, the reality in life is that steadfastness and perseverance—not juice—are the true superheroes. 

“I don’t know, is juice overrated?” Stoops responded when asked about the extra energy building up for the upcoming titanic clash with South Carolina. “We need to be prepared. We need to be prepared and our guys, after a two hour and 20-minute delay last week, they had juice. But it’s really about going out and executing and playing.”

Juice—whether it’s excitement for a new project, the thrill of a fresh relationship, or the adrenaline of a new challenge—is wonderful. It’s what gets us out of bed in the morning and makes us feel alive. But, as Mark Stoops wisely points out, juice isn’t everything. You can have all the juice in the world, but if you’re not prepared, if you’re not ready to execute when it counts, all that energy will just spill out, leaving you sticky and frustrated.

In life, just like in football, preparation is key. Sure, we all love the moments when we feel amped up and unstoppable, but those moments are fleeting. The true test of character, of skill, of mastery, comes when the juice runs low—when you’ve been waiting around for hours (or years) for your moment, and then, finally, it arrives. What do you do? Do you let the delay sap your strength, or do you use that time to sharpen your focus, review your game plan, and prepare for execution?

The lesson here is that juice—energy, enthusiasm, excitement—is a wonderful starting point, but it’s not enough on its own. It needs to be channeled through preparation and discipline. You need to have a plan, and when the time comes, you need to show up, and execute that plan with precision, regardless of how much juice you have left in the tank.

So, the next time you find yourself caught up in the whirlwind of life, remember the wise words of our head football coach turned counselor: Keep your eyes on the ball, read your keys, and don’t just watch—play. And when the juice is flowing, channel it through preparation and discipline, because that’s how you kick down doors on your way to a ten-win season.

Okay everyone, are you all paying attention? Time to refocus, get back to work, and prepare for the Gamecocks. And don’t forget to bring the juice.

Prediction: Kentucky 24 – South Carolina 14.

Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist, military veteran, and award-winning author. He currently serves as a columnist for Nolan Group Media. You can follow him on social media @KYHuangs and check out his debut novel, “Name, Image, and Murder” and all his books at https://www.Amazon.com/stores/Dr.-John-Huang/author/B092RKJBRD