By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
Will Stein spent all of his childhood watching the Kentucky Wildcats at Kroger Field.
He made his long-awaited debut as coach of the Wildcats on Saturday and collected his first victory as a collegiate head coach with a 45-13 triumph over Youngstown State.
An emotional day ended in jubilation for Stein and his family.
“I had some emotions coming over here on the ride from the hotel, and then just getting into game-mode,” he said. “Like ‘I’m ready to watch this tape and get our team better and let the emotions happen when I get home with my family.’ But right now, I’m just focused on what we can do better and happy that we got to win. But I know there’s a lot that we can improve on.”
Following the lopsided win, his family joined him on the field to celebrate the family milestone.
“It’s very exciting,” Stein said. “It’s something that I’ll cherish forever. My kids know that their dad and my wife knows that her husband’s got a job to do and we’ve got to continue to push, and we got stuff to improve on as a whole. I am really thankful that they’re here to support. They are my biggest fans. My wife’s my biggest cheerleader.”
It marked the first time in 13 years a new coach was in charge of the Wildcats. Stein’s first Kentucky provided a glimpse of what to expect as they brace for a nine-game Southeastern Conference schedule, starting with Saturday’s contest against No. 13 Alabama in Lexington.
Kentucky’s final tally was the most points scored by a first-year coach in UK history. Hal Mumme held the previous mark when the Wildcats opened the 1997 season with a 38-24 win over Louisville.
“Winning is what’s really fun,” Stein said. “I was happy for our guys after all the work they’ve done over the last eight months. We had a long fall camp and to go out there and reap all of the benefits of all of your hard work.”
As expected, Stein didn’t open his entire playbook against the Penguins, but the team’s offense was efficient and on task throughout the game. Notre Dame transfer Kenny Minchey played like a seasoned veteran in his debut as a starting quarterback. Minchey directed the Wildcats to touchdowns in each of their first three possessions, all in seven plays in less than four minutes.
Overall, Minchey threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns. Behind Minchey, Kentucky finished with 506 total yards, a balance that featured 205 yards rushing and 301 passing. Minchey completed passes to eight different receivers, including seven passes of 10 yards or more. He launched a 33-yard strike to true freshman Kenny Darby on the team’s first drive of the season and added a 31-yard pass to Henry Boyer.
“I thought the majority of the game he managed extremely well,” Stein said. “We have a lot of checks and kills built in. He eluded some rushers. I think for his first start, I was very pleased with his performance.”
Darby, a heralded recruit who signed on with Kentucky after Stein was hired last December, hauled in three passes for 74 yards, including a 37-yard catch from Minchey in the fourth quarter.
“He’s done it since he showed up,” Stein said. “He’s a real deal.”
Kentucky’s revamped offense gave the tight ends a chance to make plays in addition to blocking for their teammates. Willie Rodriguez and Mikkel Skinner combined for eight catches for 109 yards and two scores.
“We want to use our best players, and those three are some of our best players,” he said. “We definitely want to expand that.”
Texas transfer C.J. Baxter and returnee Jason Patterson combined for 126 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns. Baxter scored Kentucky’s first two touchdowns of the season, tying a career-high that he achieved while playing for the Longhorns.
Kentucky built a 28-7 halftime lead and coasted in the second half.
Kentucky’s defense limited the Penguins to just 59 rushing yards but struggled in the passing game and surrendered 305 yards against Youngstown State standout quarterback Beau Brungard. A reigning Walter Payton Award winner, Brungard threw for 243 yards and one touchdown.
“I told him after the game, I think he’s one of the best players in the country, I really do,” Stein said. “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 (game) plan.”
In addition to the fast start, a fumble recovery on a punt return by Ty Bryant in the second quarter also helped set the tone for the blowout victory.
“That changed the game and got it wide open,” Stein said. “We talk about changing the game all of the time; special teams and owning the ball.”
It was indeed a successful debut Stein, but the Kentucky coach sees room for improvement as the Wildcats move past the Penguins and to back-to-back contests against Alabama and then the first road game at Texas A&M.
“I’m happy to get the win and ready to watch the tape to improve,” he said. “We’ve got to do a better job of getting off the field on third downs and a little bit tighter matches. But hey, that’s why you play the game, so you can figure out what you need to fix. Thankfully, it’s after a win.”
Afari plays
Alex Afari, Jr., a Kentucky linebacker seeking to play a fifth year, did play Saturday. He was one of several players who had sued the NCAA for eligibility after not being grandfathered into the NCAA’s new five-year eligibility system. A Jefferson County judge had granted a temporary restraining order making Afari eligible to play and the NCAA lost an appeal of that order on Friday.
“He’s been practicing, but it’s hard to be fully in on somebody if you don’t know he’s gonna be able to play,” Stein said. “We’ll continue to ramp him up, and we want him to be an impact player for us.”
‘Honoring Happy’
The Wildcats wore patches on the helmets in honor of late teammate Nic “Happy” Smith who died June 8. Smith was a redshirt defensive lineman from Augusta, Georgia.
“We’re playing for him,” Stein said earlier this week. “He’s on my mind a lot, and we’ve left his seat open in our team room, and it’s just a reminder that life is precious and nothing’s guaranteed.”