Kentucky football’s new soundtrack may already be set, and Will Stein knows it.
After the Wildcats’ win over Vanderbilt on Saturday, fans at Kroger Field were once again singing along to Tyler Childers’ “All Your’n,” the song that has quickly taken on a life of its own in Lexington. It first caught fire when Kentucky beat LSU and fans rushed the field after Stein’s first signature home win, then came back around during Saturday’s 34-17 victory as the music played during a fourth-quarter timeout.
Stein heard it all unfold.
“I heard it. It was a four minute drive and I love that song,” Stein said after the win.
“It is one of my favorite songs. But in my head I was thinking more like Metallica for me.
“Like we’ve got to run the ball, you know. It’s great whenever you can involve fans and stuff like that.
And make it something special. Especially from a guy from Kentucky, that was cool.”
Right now, plenty about Kentucky football feels special. The Cats moved to 7-1 overall and 5-1 in SEC play, and they’ve climbed into the top 10 in multiple polls, including No. 9 in the AP Top 25 and No. 8 in the coaches poll.
The fan base has matched the moment. Kroger Field was sold out for Vanderbilt, a rarity.
Thousands poured onto the field after the LSU win. And in Lexington, playoff chatter is everywhere.
“Yeah, it’s amazing. And what, we’re eight games in and we have four games left, so we have to continue to improve as a team, as a coaching staff to keep finding ways to win,” Stein said. “I’m very thankful for Big Blue Nation across our entire state and the entire country and what they mean to our team.”
Stein also made it clear that the energy from the stands mattered in the Vanderbilt game. He had been pushing fans to get louder in the fourth quarter, and he said the response went well beyond what he expected.
“We challenged our team to grow and improve and I challenged our fans and they exceeded all expectations. We have the best fans in the country and in that moment it is fourth-quarter back up, five minutes left, it’s time to get loud.
They are on offense, what happened? False start.
That was a big thing,” Stein said.
“Fans can impact the game, they really can. And how loud they get, especially when we are on defense, creates penalties on the offense. We want to continue to elevate our team and our fans and be the very best that we can be.”
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Braydon Hawthorne Just Gave Kentucky Fans A Real Early Question
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Kentucky's New-Look Team Already Has One Frustrating Problem
Kentuckys new roster got its first real tune-up Saturday night, and the result was encouraging even if it came with a reminder that exhibition games can still feel unfinished. The Wildcats outlasted UCF 90-76 in overtime, getting a strong showing from Mason Williams, who led the way with 18 points, while Malachi Moreno flashed the kind of all-around impact that can make this group interesting as the season gets rolling.
Moreno came close to a triple-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds and eight assists, a sign that Kentucky may have more than one player capable of shaping a game in different ways. Still, the tighter stretches and extra five minutes were a hint that theres work to do before the games count for real, and the Wildcats wont have long to sort it out with Manhattan coming to Rupp Arena on Tuesday to open the regular season. [Read more 🡒]