Stein Shines Offensively in First Game on Kentucky Sideline

LEXINGTON- Kentucky kicked off a new era from Kroger Field on Saturday. Excitement around Lexington was tangible as the Big Blue Nation was ready to turn the page on the Mark Stoops era and welcome the new sheriff to town. Kentucky won the game decisively, 45-13 in the blistering bluegrass heat on Saturday. It was so hot in fact, that over 100 heat related calls were made to first responders at the game from fans that underestimated the power of the sun. (It’ll burn ya)

Photo: UK Athletics

Ultimately, this game will be forgotten. This will just be a small part of the Will Stein story at Kentucky. No one knows if it is going to end well or poorly yet, but alas the story has begun after a long offseason.

A few things stuck out to me in Kentucky’s commanding victory.

Kenny Minchey Jr., Kentucky’s new gunslinger from Notre Dame, had an impressive debut in his first college start. Minchey completed 18 of 27 passes for a grand total of 301 yards and 4 touchdowns. The guy also didn’t turn the ball over one time, which after the past couple of years of Kentucky football, is a breath of fresh air.

Not to be outdone however, Kentucky’s offensive line allowed zero sacks on their new golden boy and didn’t allow Minchey to see much pressure from the pass rush.

The ball did get spread around. CJ Baxter had two quick rushing touchdowns and four different receivers caught passes in the end zone for the Wildcats. I was most impressed with Willie Rodriguez, the Kentucky native. Rodriguez looked every bit of a guy that will be playing on Sunday’s in the not-so-distant future. His blocking prowess was as intriguing as his ability to catch passes in traffic. I expect we will be seeing A LOT of Willie Rod this season.

Photo: UK Athletics

(Who knew it was legal to throw to a Tight End at Kentucky?)

On 61 plays Kentucky finished with 501 yards of total offense. That’s an average of 8.3 yards per play. A far cry from the two-yard ground and pound gains that fans had become all too familiar with.

Am I ready to say Kentucky is headed to the college football playoff and is the next Indiana-type Cinderella story? No. I am not. But I am excited about the product on the field for the first time in two years and that matters.

Photo: UK Athletics

Now, Stein and the BBN don’t get too much time to enjoy this win. The Crimson Tide from Alabama lie in wait for Game Two on Saturday.  A game that will be nationally televised on ABC. But it is fun to play the “what if” game for a week while we eagerly anticipate the late afternoon kickoff.

Youngstown State isn’t Alabama. Saturday showed us the vision, but not definitive proof that Kentucky Football is fixed. Stein showed Kentucky had an offensive pulse for the first time in a while, and that is good with me.