Kentucky, ranked No. 15, beat then-No. 10 LSU in overtime last weekend, sending fans onto the field. Coach Will Stein made the decisive call: a two-point conversion that secured the win.
“Nobody believes in us except us, honestly, that's the way we look at it, and that's the best part about it,” running back C.J. Baxter said. “The way we approach everything: games, practices, meetings, everything, you can just see it from everybody in the facility.” The players say they rely on their own belief, while Stein sets the schemes and makes calls that decide close games.
The coach calls the shots
Stein has guided Kentucky to a 5-1 start in his debut season, including upsets of top-10 teams Texas A&M and LSU. The LSU win came after a 35-34 overtime victory over South Carolina. Kentucky won both games by one point, with Stein opting for a two-point conversion to finish each one. CBS Sports reported that no team had previously won back-to-back overtime games by a single point.
“That's the SEC,” Stein said. “It's the closest thing to the NFL. It comes down to the last plays and the last possessions.” Kentucky's three conference wins have come by a combined 12 points. The Wildcats' only loss came in the Southeastern Conference opener, when they collapsed in the second half of a 45-17 defeat to then-No. 12 Alabama. They've won four straight since.
Stein said players had bought into the team's schemes. Kentucky hired him in part because of his work as Oregon's offensive coordinator and his reputation as one of college football's top offensive minds. His basic philosophy is “feed the studs.” Before the opener, Stein said he “felt like we had enough talent and enough players and full buy-in from this group to go out there and play really well.”
Players carry the plan
Quarterback Kenny Minchey credited Stein's trust and confidence for shaping the team's approach. “I think it's just always about his trust in us, his confidence, his swagger that he carries himself with, and he carries our team with,” Minchey said. “I feel like there was no surprise last weekend going for two (at South Carolina). We're here to win ballgames.”
Stein, 37, is taking on his first head coaching job after three seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oregon. A Louisville native, he won three Kentucky high school titles and walked on at Louisville to play quarterback. He went to Lake Travis High School in Texas to gain play-calling experience. His father, Matt, once played at Kentucky, and the family had stadium seats in section 128, row 13.
A narrow margin for error
Kentucky is tied with Alabama for second in the league standings before Saturday's game at Oklahoma. The Wildcats need one more win for bowl eligibility for the first time in three years and have already matched last season's final win total. Stein is the first UK coach to open league play 3-1. It's the best start for a first-year Kentucky coach since Alpha Brumage won five of his first six games in 1913.
Stein said he watches the team practice and make plays, and believes it can keep improving. He also said there are “plenty of things we have to clean up from (the LSU game).” Tight finishes and decisions from their coach have shaped the Wildcats' results. The players say they're bought in. Their next test is at Oklahoma.