Will Stein sparks a fast Kentucky turnaround, with a 5-1 start and 2 top-10 upsets

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Will Stein hasn’t wasted any time producing wins in his debut season at Kentucky back in his home state. Big ones, too.

Stein has the No. 15 Wildcats off to a 5-1 start, the best record for a first-year Kentucky coach since Alpha Brumage won five of his first six games in 1913. Stein has led the Wildcats to upsets of top 10 teams at Texas A&M and an overtime thriller over then-No. 10 LSU last weekend that had fans flooding the field in celebration.

The new coach has quickly instilled both a confidence and attitude of expectation not seen in Lexington since Hal Mumme’s “Air Raid” offense touched down in 1996.

“We expect to win every single game no matter the opponent, no matter the logo, no matter what players they have on their team; we expect to win every single game,” Stein said. “We practice that way and we play that way.”

The only blemish was a second-half meltdown in a 45-17 loss to then-No. 12 Alabama in the Southeastern Conference opener. Since then, the Wildcats have reeled off four straight victories, including back-to-back overtime wins over South Carolina and LSU by a single point — CBS Sports reported that had never happened before — and it happened to also be the same 35-34 score.

In both games, Stein clinched the win with two-point conversions, adding to the feeling that a magical season is underway. It has certainly been thrilling: Kentucky’s three conference wins have been by a combined margin of 12 points.

“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.”

Stein, who turned 37 last month, is off to a remarkable start in his first head coaching job after spending the last three seasons as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Oregon. The Louisville native won three Kentucky high school titles and walked on at Louisville to play quarterback. His coaching path included an unusual detour to Lake Travis High School in Texas to gain play-calling experience.

Now he is back at Kentucky, where his father, Matt, once played and the family had stadium seats in section 128, row 13.

Kentucky already has three SEC victories and is tied with Alabama for second in the league standings going into Saturday’s game at Oklahoma. The Wildcats are one win away from clinching bowl eligibility for the first time in three years and have already tied last year’s final win tally. Stein is the first UK coach to begin league play at 3-1.

Stein said the success has been because of his players’ ability to buy into the team’s schemes. One of the reasons Kentucky hired Stein was because of his work as offensive coordinator at Oregon and reputation as one of the top offensive minds in college football. His basic philosophy is called “feed the studs."

Prior to the opener, Stein “felt like we had enough talent and enough players and full buy-in from this group to go out there and play really well.”

The Wildcats have done that and Stein said the results speak for themselves.

“I’m very confident in our team because I see them practice all the time,” Stein said. “I see them make plays. I’ve been through six games with them now. I think we can continue to improve and get better. There’s plenty of things we have to clean up from (the LSU game). We just battled and kept playing hard and that’s the sign of a team that really loves each other and is bought into the process.”

Despite the success, the Wildcats have also played with a chip on their shoulders, competing with something to prove on a weekly basis.

“Nobody believes in us except us, honestly, that’s the way we look at it, and that’s the best part about it,” said running back C.J. Baxter, a Texas transfer. “The way we approach everything: games, practices, meetings, everything, you can just see it from everybody in the facility.”

That belief comes from Stein, who has proven he isn’t afraid to take chances.

“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,” quarterback Kenny Minchey said. “I feel like there was no surprise last weekend going for two (at South Carolina). We’re here to win ballgames.” ___

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