Will Stein isn’t letting Kentucky linger on the glow of a statement win.
That’s the message the first-year Wildcats head coach kept pushing on Tuesday, even with praise pouring in from all directions after the dominant road victory. Scott Van Pelt and Big Cat were posting during the game.
Greg McElroy and Todd McShay devoted plenty of attention to Kentucky on their podcast. And the recognition kept stacking up across the roster, with Sam Greene, Kenny Minchey, Coleton Price, Jordan Castell, Will Stein, and Cutter Leftwich all picking up honors within 48 hours of the win.
Stein knows how dangerous that kind of attention can be. The headlines can be flattering.
The temptation is to relax. His response is to keep the pressure on.
“I think now’s our opportunity to coach these guys even harder and double down on our process. There’s a reason why we were successful last game,” Stein said on Tuesday.
He added: “I know I keep saying this: We practiced really well. We practiced well all fall camp.
You can’t just kind of practice and show up and play well. I’m a firm believer in that.
I know our players are.”
Kentucky now turns from beating a Top 10 team on the road to hosting a South Alabama squad projected to finish near the bottom of the Sun Belt. That kind of setup can turn into a trap in a hurry, and Stein made clear he wants no part of a soft landing.
“You can’t go back. The scoreboard is 0-0,” said Stein.
“There’ll be 15 minutes on the clock starting the first quarter. We’re gonna kick it off, and we gotta go play well.
Major Applewhite can coach, like he can coach, and he’s got good players, and so we have to have that mindset. There’s plenty of people that chose against us, but I don’t even really care if people choose us or not.
I care about my team and how they how they perform on Saturdays.”
Stein also pointed back to the urgency that followed the loss to Alabama, saying that edge is still there. He sees a group that is connected, one that enjoys being around each other and buying into the program.
“We have a connected team. Guys love playing here.
They love UK. They love their coaches.
They love their teammates, and so I’m just happy for these guys, and we got a lot of work to do.”
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