HOOVER, Ala. -- Kentucky came close: a penalty here, a missed tackle there. One bounce of the ball might have been the difference between a disappointing season and a successful one. But that's what happens when you rocket out to a 5-1 record only to turn around and lose six straight and miss out on a bowl game.

That three-overtime loss at Florida was hard, but the 4-point loss against Louisville was a backbreaker. One minute they're ahead, on the verge of an upset on the road. Three minutes later, there's no tomorrow -- no more practices and no more games to look forward to.

Players don't like talking about it. Remembering the somber mood of the locker room that day isn't fun.

The way the second half of the season played out was difficult, safety A.J. Stamps said.

"It didn't go the way we expected it," he said at the SEC media days in Hoover on Wednesday. "Not that we're running from it or hiding from it. But we don't like to dwell on it. We use it as motivation."

That meant getting in the weight room the Monday after the loss at Louisville.

With the bruises still fresh and the season still nine months away, Stamps said they were already preparing.

"We were attacking it then and we're attacking it now," he said.

That ought to be music to coach Mark Stoops' ears.

He was just as disappointed as anyone with how last season played out, but he saw it as a learning opportunity.

"We need to find a way to capitalize on our opportunities," he said. "We had several opportunities, even if you look at the Louisville game. We need to learn how to make those three or four plays that are in that game. You've got to make them and push yourself over the top, and that comes with coaching and that comes from our players and continuing to educate these guys and continue to work on the details."

Getting to a bowl game this time around is everything.

"That's Coach Stoops' plan for us," offensive tackle Jordan Swindle said. "Our goal is to get six wins and from that keep winning more."

Though the Wildcats don't necessarily enjoy being reminded of last season, at least there's some solace in knowing they've come close before.

"That opened our eyes a little bit and let us know we can go out and compete with any team we want to," Stamps said. "That let us know that with a little bit more effort, a little bit more something, that we can get there. That's what we're working on throughout the offseason: that little bit extra."