The Will Stein era began with a convincing victory Saturday afternoon at Kroger Field.
the Wildcats defeated Youngstown State 45-13, giving Stein his first win as a head coach. However, in his postgame press conference, he made very clear that Kentucky is already thinking about what needs to improve.
That mentality is exactly why he’s been successful since arriving in Lexington.
“I had some emotions coming over here on the ride from the hotel, and then you just get into game mode,” Stein said. “I am ready to watch this tape and get our team [even] better.”
For Stein, those emotions surrounding his first game as a head coach quickly changed once the game began.
“I’m focused on what we can do better and happy that we got a win, but I know there is a lot to improve on,” he said.
Kentucky’s offense showed plenty of promise in Will Steins debut as a head coach
Quarterback Kenny Minchey completed 18 of 27 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns in his first collegiate start.
Still, Stein can see the areas in where he could improve.
“I thought Kenny played well,” Stein said. “He got into, not a rut at all, but forced the ball down the field in a drive, trying to get DJ [Miller] a touch and that is not how you play quarterback.”
Stein highlighted how Minchey must trust the offense and take what the defensive gives him instead of forcing certain looks.
“How you play quarterback is you take the easy month, take what they give you,” he said.
Despite those minor corrections, Stein was proud of Minchey’s debut. He credited him for managing the game and escaping pressure when necessary.
“For his first start, I was very pleased with his performance.”
However, Stein was also critical of Kentucky’s pace during certain stretches of the game. He noticed a possession late in the first half when the Cats didn’t move with the urgency he expects.
“We broke the huddle slow, where we were slow back to the huddle,” Stein said. “That is there it pisses me off as a coach.”
Expectations don’t change because of the weather or uncontrollable situations
“You have to play at a certain standard every single snap, regardless of circumstances,” he said. “I don’t care if it is hot, I don’t care if it is freezing cold, raining, sleeting, snowing.”
That mentality was particularly relevant Saturday as Kentucky played through extreme heat in Lexington.
According to Stein, the Cats intentionally prepared for those conditions (as most coaches would) throughout fall camp. They practiced in the afternoons and held an early scrimmage when the temperature on the turf reached close to 120 degrees.
“This is why we practice in the heat,” Stein said. “That is why we practice three days a week in the afternoons during fall camp and not in the morning [when] it is convenient.”
He firmly believes that preparation gave Kentucky the upper hand on Saturday.
“I thought that we played to our advantage this game because we were acclimated to the heat.”
Kentuckys 45-point performance provided plenty for Stein and the Wildcats to celebrate. Yet, his first postgame press conference made one thing clear: With an incredibly difficult schedule ahead, they cannot afford to celebrate for too long and lose site of the work still ahead.
Will Stein earned his first victory Saturday, and with Kentucky preparing for its next challenge, there is still plenty of work to do.
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