Will Stein has never needed a crash course on what Kentucky-Tennessee means.
Some coaches arrive in Lexington and learn the rivalry on the fly. Stein grew up with it. On his weekly radio show with Tom Leach, he made it clear that beating the Vols has always been part of the picture for him.
“Historically for me as a Kentucky fan, it’s Louisville, it’s Tennessee, and it’s Duke,” said Stein on his weekly radio show with Tom Leach. “I’m just telling you how I felt growing up.
Those were the three games as a fan. This is not a coach talking.
This is young Will Stein at home cheering on the Cats. Those would be the three teams that always had to and wanted to beat.”
Now the Kentucky offensive coordinator gets his shot Saturday night in Knoxville, where Tennessee awaits with a 26-10 win over Alabama on its résumé and losses by just three points to Texas and South Carolina. The Vols are one of the teams sitting in the middle of the SEC race, with Kentucky and Georgia tied for the league lead at 5-1. Alabama and Ole Miss are both 4-2, while LSU, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas are all 3-2.
Stein knows the assignment won’t be simple. He said the Wildcats have to handle the basics and do them well if they want to leave with a win.
“There’s plenty of things that we have to do (to win),” Stein told Leach..” Obviously, protect the football is vital.
Owning the ball, having ball excellence on defense is huge. Playing clean in all three phases.
“I think this is going to be big going on the road. Obviously, got to be able to run the ball on the road and stop the run.
So this is a tough team. I know we’re up for the task, and our guys are really excited for the challenge.”
A major reason for that challenge is Tennessee’s defense, which is coordinated by Jim Knowles. Stein has seen Knowles up close before, when Knowles was at Ohio State in 2024 and Penn State in 2025 and Stein was Oregon’s offensive coordinator. Oregon split games with Ohio State and beat Penn State in overtime.
Knowles has put together five straight top-25 defenses, and Tennessee is currently top 20 in points per drive, yards per play and takeaways. Stein said the system isn’t static from year to year because Knowles adjusts it to the players he has.
“I think he’s one of the elite defensive minds in college football as well,” Stein said. “I have all the respect in the world for him.
What he’s able to do at every single stop that he goes. They have a very talented group.
It’s a top-20 defense in about every major statistical category on defense.”
In Other News...
Kentucky Fans Just Turned Tennessees Campus Into Rivalry Fuel
The buildup to Kentucky-Tennessee always finds a way to spill beyond the field, and this week it landed on one of the most recognizable spots on the Volunteers campus. Kentucky fans painted The Rock in blue with white lettering as a prank ahead of the football matchup, turning a campus landmark into a fresh flashpoint in a rivalry that has long thrived on any edge, any slight and any chance to get under the other sides skin.
Tennessee fans moved quickly to cover it back up, and the scene briefly escalated with a confrontation at the site before the paint was removed. It was a reminder that this series still carries the kind of heat that makes even a pregame prank feel like part of the main event, with kickoff looming and both fan bases already locked into the weeks latest round of bragging rights. [Read more 🡒]
College GameDay Just Handed Kentucky Fans A Tennessee Debate
With College GameDay rolling through the Week 10 slate, the usual crew of analysts and personalities spent the morning making their picks, and Kentucky fans had reason to pay close attention. Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit and guest Jason Sudeikis all weighed in on a busy board of matchups, turning the show into one more round of debate for fans who follow the sport as closely for the conversation as for the games themselves.
For Kentucky supporters, the most interesting part is how the discussion around Tennessee fit into the larger picture of the day. The picks came with the kind of quick reasoning and confidence that can fuel a week of back-and-forth, especially when a rival is involved and the stakes feel bigger than a single Saturday. It is still all projection, of course, but College GameDay once again gave Wildcats fans something to argue about before the results are even in. [Read more 🡒]
Kentucky Heads Into Knoxville With One Huge Tennessee Variable
Kentucky heads into Knoxville with plenty of momentum and a spot near the top of the rankings to protect, but this SEC matchup carries the kind of uncertainty that can change a game plan in a hurry. The Wildcats are 7-1, riding a six-game winning streak and sitting No. 6, while Tennessee comes in at 6-2 and No. 13 in a game with College Football Playoff implications on both sides.
The biggest variable, though, is still under center for the Volunteers. Josh Heupel has not named a starter, even with George MacIntyre having started recent games and dealing with turnover issues, leaving Kentucky to prepare for a Tennessee offense that could look different depending on who takes the first snap. For a Wildcats team trying to keep its surge rolling, that uncertainty is just as important as the rankings and records. [Read more 🡒]