Kentucky isn’t treating Vanderbilt like a rollover opponent, and offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan made sure that message came through loud and clear on Tuesday.
“(The) last time I checked, they embarrassed Kentucky last year and so we know what they are able to do in all three phases,” Stein said during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
That 45-17 loss in Nashville still hangs over the Wildcats’ prep for Saturday, especially with Vanderbilt carrying a two-game winning streak into the matchup. The Commodores beat Kentucky in three of the last four meetings and, despite a 3-4 overall record and 0-4 mark in the Southeastern Conference, Stein said the numbers on the page don’t tell the full story.
“Vanderbilt, I think, is a really good football team,” Stein said. “I don’t think any of us in this room or this organization need to be fooled by any type of record.
… They have an elite head coach in Clark Lee. Just being around him a little bit in some of these SEC meetings, he really drives home the message for us as coaches to the AFCA and throughout the country.
I think he’s extremely intelligent, really tough and one of the best head coaches in the country.”
Vanderbilt is coming off a 31-21 loss to Arkansas, a game that snapped the Razorbacks’ 14-game skid against SEC opponents. The Commodores have dropped their first four league games this season after a much stronger run last year.
Kentucky, meanwhile, arrives at Week 8 with plenty of momentum. The No.
12 Wildcats are 6-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play, riding a five-game winning streak that includes three straight SEC wins. Last Saturday’s 21-13 rally at Oklahoma kept them tied with Georgia atop the league standings.
Turnovers have driven that surge. Kentucky forced four interceptions against the Sooners and owns the SEC’s best turnover margin at plus 11. Stein said that kind of ball production has been a centerpiece of the run.
“Takeaways have literally got us to this point in the year, taking the ball away and protecting the football, and so we have to continue to work and find ways to get off the field on third down,” Stein said. “It’s not a ton of scheme. I think it’s just executing within the scheme and then getting the ball down.”
He also pointed to the Sept. 19 win at Texas A&M as a turning point for the program’s confidence. That 31-21 victory sparked the current five-game streak, and Stein said it gave the group proof that its daily habits were paying off.
“That showed our guys, and really everybody in our building, that you know what we do on a day-by-day basis,” he said. “This process that we’ve built does work. We just got to stick to it and we got to grow and evolve.
“These players have done an unbelievable job of buying into that process, which is not easy. It’s not easy even as a player and it’s just human nature to relax. These guys haven’t relaxed one bit and have continued to push and to get better.”
In Other News...
Will Stein Had The Perfect Response To Kentuckys Viral TV Moment
Kentuckys win over Oklahoma was already a notable one, but the postgame scene that followed quickly became its own talking point. In a clip that spread fast on social media, SEC Networks Tori Petry accidentally framed the Wildcats as the underdog in the matchup, asking Will Stein how it felt to beat a ranked team on the road when Kentucky was the ranked team.
Stein handled it exactly the way a coach would want, responding with grace in the moment and then making it clear he understands the work sideline reporters do. He stressed that everyone makes mistakes, a timely reminder in a sport where those exchanges are often dissected almost as closely as the game itself, and it also set the stage for Kentuckys next broadcast look as the Wildcats move on to their upcoming matchup. [Read more 🡒]
Bryce Underwood Just Became A Wild Kentucky QB Storyline
Bryce Underwoods sudden benching at Michigan has turned one of college footballs biggest young storylines into an immediate guessing game, and Kentucky naturally belongs in that conversation. The Wildcats have already been mentioned among the potential landing spots if Underwood chooses to explore a transfer, thanks in part to the kind of recruiting intrigue that tends to resurface fast when a high-profile quarterback situation changes.
There is still a long way between speculation and anything concrete, of course, and it is not even confirmed that Underwood will enter the portal. But with programs like LSU, Miami, Texas Tech, Georgia and Kentucky all floating around the discussion, the attention around his next move is only going to intensify, especially given the size of the NIL commitment he is already tied to at Michigan. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Fast Rise Is Making That Tennessee Showdown Even Bigger
Kentuckys quick climb through the first half of the season has turned an already interesting part of the schedule into one of the SECs most watched matchups. Brad Crawfords midseason grades underscored just how far the Wildcats have come, handing Kentucky an A+ after a start built on clean football and steady execution. The Wildcats lead the league in turnover margin and have been the SECs least penalized team, two signs of a program playing with discipline and a lot of confidence.
Tennessee earned an A from the same midseason review, thanks in large part to a defensive staff that has helped build the conferences top-ranked scoring defense. With both teams carrying strong grades into the next stretch, the stakes around their meeting only grow, especially with rankings and league positioning hanging in the balance. For Kentucky, it is the kind of game that can validate the rise or complicate it in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]