Kentucky’s backfield gave a pretty clear answer Saturday: this running game has real teeth when it’s healthy.
The Wildcats handled Youngstown State, and while Will Stein’s offense is usually discussed through the quarterback lens - with his track record alongside Bo Nix, Dillon Gabriel and Dante Moore - this one showed how much he wants the ground game woven into everything Kentucky does. The balance was there from the opening drive and it never really went away.
Kenny Minchey opened the game by completing all five of his passes on Kentucky’s first series, but the drive finished with CJ Baxter punching in a 15-yard touchdown run. The Texas transfer wasn’t done there. Baxter added another score and finished with 48 rushing yards, giving the Wildcats the kind of burst that can tilt a game.
Jason Patterson might have been the most encouraging part of the whole afternoon. The returning back led Kentucky with 78 rushing yards, and his longest run went for 22 yards.
That kind of production matters even more when questions linger around depth and the program’s recent injury history at the position. On Saturday, the room looked deeper and far more dangerous.
Stein made it clear after the game that this is the formula Kentucky wants to live by: keep defenses guessing, keep the pace varied, and stay balanced.
"Offensively, we started fast and strong," Stein said. "We were able to run the ball and to give them a bunch of different personnel groupings to keep them on their toes and different tempos.
So, I mean, we rushed the ball for what was it? We had 301 passing, 205 rushing.
So, it's very balanced."
That balance wasn’t just about one or two plays. Martels Carter also got work as a young sophomore, and Patterson’s showing offered another reminder of what he can do when the blocking opens up in front of him. Stein said the plan was to be careful with Patterson’s workload, and the staff stuck close to that idea.
"We really went into this game, saying, 'Hey, let's try to get him 12 to 15 carries max'. He had nine, which I thought was perfect, just to get him back. But Jason Patterson, I've talked him up and here to you guys multiple times, he's explosive and he's playing really well, and so we want to keep feeding him."
Kentucky got a useful snapshot of what this group can be. Baxter, Patterson and Carter all flashed, and the Wildcats still didn’t even have Jovontae Barnes available. Once he returns from injury, there’s another layer of production waiting to be added.
For now, Stein has to feel better about the room than he did before kickoff. The test gets tougher starting next week, but Saturday showed a backfield that can help carry the offense if it stays on the field.
In Other News...
Kentucky Gets Its First Real Chance To Back Up The Hype
Will Steins first game as Kentuckys head coach went about as well as the Wildcats could have hoped, with a season-opening win over Youngstown State giving the new staff a clean starting point. It also offered an early look at a roster that has talked plenty about its belief in the group, and the opener did enough to keep that optimism intact as Kentucky moved on to Alabama week.
Now comes the part that will tell the bigger story. Kentucky heads into this matchup as the underdog, facing a Crimson Tide team that brings a different level of talent and depth, and the Wildcats will have to translate the confidence they showed in Week 1 into something sturdier against a far sterner test. The opener featured encouraging performances from key players, but Alabama is the kind of opponent that quickly reveals whether the hype is real or just September noise. [Read more 🡒]
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The timing only sharpened the moment for Kentucky fans, with opening weekend across the SEC delivering the kind of conference-wide backdrop that makes every result feel bigger. While football headlines around the league centered on unbeaten starts and a slate of tight games, Kentucky was making its own statement in a different sport, and the Wildcats are still settling into a new weekly rhythm on the football side after moving press conferences and coach shows to different days. [Read more 🡒]
Alabama Heads Into Kentucky With One Big Problem Fans Will Notice
Kentuckys Week 2 meeting with Alabama comes with a strange kind of uncertainty for both staffs, the sort that only shows up this early in the season. Kalen DeBoer spent part of his press conference Wednesday talking through the usual mix of player evaluation, preparation and the challenges of jumping into an SEC game this quickly, while also acknowledging that the Crimson Tide are still trying to get a clear read on what Kentucky looks like under new head coach Will Stein.
The catch for Alabama is that the film bank is thin, and what is available does not offer much of a clean blueprint. DeBoer said the Tide are leaning heavily on fundamentals as they get ready for an early conference test, which makes this more of a game-plan-for-the-basics week than a deep-dive into tendencies. The matchup is set for ABC and Disney+, and for Kentucky, that kind of uncertainty can be a useful place to be when a heavyweight comes to town. [Read more 🡒]