Will Stein had already turned “Because of me,” into a national talking point at SEC Media Days. Then his Wildcats went into College Station and beat then No. 9 Texas A&M, and the phrase picked up even more force.
That win raised the obvious question: what, exactly, did Stein mean?
It could be the recruiting. It could be the staff he put together, with OC Joe Sloan and DC Jay Bateman helping shape the plan. It could be the energy and belief that came with his arrival, the kind that can wake up a program that looked like it was sliding.
But there was another answer on display in Kentucky’s 31-21 win over A&M, and it showed up in the first quarter.
True freshman wide receiver Kenny Darby had a shot at a deep touchdown from Kenny Minchey, the kind of play that can flip a game in a hurry. Instead, Darby dropped it. It was the sort of mistake freshmen make, but in a tight game it can hang over everything.
Stein’s response said plenty. On the broadcast, he was shown on the sideline calmly and energetically getting Darby right back in the moment instead of burying him for the error.
Some coaches would have yanked a freshman for the rest of the afternoon. Stein did the opposite.
Darby got more chances, and he made the most of them. He was targeted twice more, finished with 64 yards on 32 per catch, and caught a 42-yard touchdown. Of those yards, 37 came after the catch.
Afterward, Stein explained the message he sent to the freshman.
"Next game, one-play focus," Stein said. "I knew he would get an opportunity later in the game. Obviously, that stinks for our squad, but next play."
He also made it clear what he thinks of Darby as a player.
"That guy's an unbelievable football player," Stein said of Darby. "He's going to be really good here for a long time.
He's uber competitive. I knew he'd make another play for us, which he did."
That’s the part of coaching that gets talked about a lot but is harder to live out: the one-play mindset. It sounds simple.
It isn’t. Coaches are human, and emotion usually wants the first word.
Stein’s point of emphasis is stripping that away, and in this case it paid off.
Darby’s day also fit the bigger picture of how Kentucky is operating under Stein. The Wildcats aren’t walking into games hoping to steal one. They’re trying to handle each snap the right way and let the result follow.
"Do your job for one play at a time and the rest takes care of itself," Stein said. "I don't worry about the scoreboard.
I wanted to leave this game knowing that we finished the game, knowing that our guys showed up in the second half and competed to the very end. They did that."
It was one play in one game, but it felt like more than that. Stein’s handling of Darby helped a freshman bounce back and helped Kentucky keep rolling in a big road win. If that approach keeps showing up, the Wildcats have a strong case for believing what comes next could be even better.
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Kentucky Just Got An Early Answer On Will Steins New Staff
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For Stein, the move is about more than scheme. He has talked up Batemans coaching and his fit inside the staff, and Saturdays result offered an encouraging first look at how that partnership might work when the games start counting for real in Lexington. [Read more 🡒]