Kentucky's Will Stein Rolls to Historic 45-13 Debut Victory
- 59 minutes ago
- 4 min read
By Jamie H. Vaught
KySportsStyle.com Magazine
The Will Stein era is off to a magnificent start.
Unlike Coach Mark Stoops' unsuccessful UK debut in 2013 when the Wildcats dropped to Western Kentucky 35-26 in Nashville, Will Stein's coaching debut at Kentucky was impressive as he guided his Cats to a very nice 45-13 win over Youngstown State at Kroger Field on a very hot Saturday afternoon.
The 45 points scored are the most by a Kentucky head coach in his debut since A.D. Kirwan's Wildcats defeated Maryville 46-7 in 1938.
"Offensively, we started very fast, very strong. We were able to run the ball, " said Stein, who moments earlier had a cold Gatorade bath on the field. "We had 301 (yards) passing, 205 rushing, so that’s very balanced. We had a great plan. I thought (offensive coordinator) Joe (Sloan) called a great game. Our staff did a great job with substitutions. I thought we did a pretty good job on defense in terms of stopping the run, especially. They had 28 rushes for 59 yards."
Youngstown State, which is ranked No. 7 in the latest Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Coaches' poll, has an elite quarterback by the name of Beau Brungard. In 2025, he was named the Walter Payton Player of the Year.
Stein praised Brungard, who finished with 23-for-35 passing for 243 yards, including one touchdown pass against the Wildcats.
"(Youngstown State) is a team that has a quarterback that is elite. I told you all of that, and I was not joking around," said Stein. "I told him after the game, I think he is one of the best players in the country, I really do. I think that guy can play a lot of different places. Not just in this league, but all over the country. He can run it, he can throw it, and for the most part we stopped him running the ball, which was a big part of the plan. What you take away, sometimes you give up."
Ex-Notre Dame QB Shines for Cats
UK senior quarterback Kenny Minchey, who spent three years at ND as a backup. For the Fighting Irish, he saw action in 10 career games, completing 23 of 29 passes for 212 yards. He also had nine carries for 96 yards and two TDs.
And Minchey made his first collegiate start, completing 18 of 27 passes for 301 yards and four TDs.
Interestingly, he is the third Kentucky QB in school history to have 300 passing yards, four TDs and at least 65 percent completion in a season opener, joining Will Levis in 2021 and Tim Couch in 1997 and '98.
"I thought Kenny played well," said Stein. "I thought the majority of the game he managed extremely well. He had a lot of checks and kills built-in. He was able to elude some rushers on nakeds. I think for his first start I was very pleased with his performance. Definitely things to improve on. But for the most part, I’m happy with how he played."
Minchey said having an offensive line which is projected to be among the best in the nation was helpful. "It felt great seeing our O line handle guys off the line of scrimmage," he said.
Senior offensive lineman Malachi Wood, a 6-foot-8, 329-pounder from Richmond, Ky., didn't play in the season opener, but Stein said he will be ready for Saturday's game against Alabama.
"He really could have played," said Stein of Wood. "He kind of got tangled up a little early and practice on Monday, which was a complete freak deal. Nothing structurally wrong. Just had some bruising in his calf. We feel like Olaus (Alinen, a 6-foot-6, 329-pounder) can go out and play this game and we don’t want to jeopardize Malachi for the future."
On his performance, Minchey concluded, “There was a few plays that I wanted back, I’ll learn from those on tape, but overall, obviously a pretty decent day, but definitely a few things we can work on.”
SEC Nation Coming to Kroger Field
Kentucky's spotlight will be much brighter Saturday when the Wildcats host the Crimson Tide. The 3:30 p.m. ET showdown will be televised by ABC network.
In addition, SEC Network's SEC Nation pregame show is coming to Lexington for the Alabama game. The show, from 9 a.m. to noon ET, will take place on the lawn in front of William T. Young Library on UK campus.
New host Matt Barrie leads the SEC Nation desk in 2026, joined by returning analysts Paul Finebaum, Tim Tebow and Roman Harper, along with newcomer Chase Daniel and reporter Marion Crowder. Marty Smith and Ryan McGee also play an expanded role throughout the morning’s coverage. Following SEC Nation, Marty & McGee will be shown, beginning at 12 noon.
The Paul Finebaum Show will also appear on UK campus Friday afternoon from 3 to 7 p.m. ET
No. 13 Alabama defeated East Carolina 48-10 Saturday with sophomore quarterback and five-star recruit Keelon Russell making his debut as a starter. Russell passed for 256 yards along with 86 rushing yards as well as a touchdown on the ground.
The last time Kentucky beat Alabama was in 1997 when the Cats, led by Tim Couch, won 40-34 in overtime at then-called Commonwealth Stadium. In the series, Alabama has won seven straight games against UK, including a 63-3 blowout victory in 2020.
Jamie H. Vaught, a longtime sports columnist in Kentucky, is the author of seven books about UK basketball, including recently published “Unforgettable Journey with the Cats: Inside Kentucky Hoops Madness.” Now a retired college professor who taught at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College in Middlesboro, he is the editor and founder of KySportsStyle.com Magazine. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @KySportsStyle or reach him via email at KySportsStyle44@gmail.com.
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