LEXINGTON, Ky. — Will Stein has all the momentum a new head coach could ask for after earning his first career victory against Youngstown State on Saturday. Now comes the real test: hosting No. 13 Alabama in Kentucky’s Southeastern Conference opener this weekend, according to UK Athletics.
The Wildcats dominated their opener with a 45-13 victory, generating over 500 yards of offense led by senior quarterback Kenny Minchey, who threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns. But Stein has made clear that the leap in competition requires the same disciplined approach that produced Saturday’s dominant performance.
“Do your job. One play at a time, one-play focus, relentless effort, play connected, play tough, play to our standard,” Stein said, emphasizing his team’s philosophy. “It’s about us.”
Stein, who came to Kentucky from the University of Oregon, where he served as offensive coordinator before helping the Ducks reach the College Football Playoff, wants his players to focus only on what they can control. The first-year coach noted lapses late in Saturday’s second and early third quarters that he does not want repeated against Alabama.
“There was an instance, really late in the second quarter, early third where I felt like we just kind of had a lull and we weren’t executing to our potential,” Stein said. “To me, attack mode doesn’t stop.”
Stein, who grew up watching Kentucky football at what is now Kroger Field and whose father played quarterback for the Wildcats, has challenged the fanbase to create a hostile environment. Alabama last visited Lexington in 2023, when the Crimson Tide won 49-21.
“We have to make this the loudest game in the history of Kentucky football,” Stein said. “That’s my goal for our fans. The loudest it has ever been.”
The Wildcats hold just two victories in 42 all-time meetings with Alabama, with their last win occurring in 1997. Alabama enters Saturday with a 1-0 record after a 48-10 victory over East Carolina. The game will be broadcast on ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET.
Sources
This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from UK Athletics, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://ukathletics.com/news/2026/09/08/stein-cats-preparing-for-sec-opener-against-alabama/.
