Cats 'Reap Benefits of Hard Work' on Saturday

New Kentucky head coach Will Stein got the first win of his young career on Saturday as his Cats dispatched Youngstown State 45-13 at Kroger Field.

It was a good start to the season, with the UK offense racking up 506 yards, including 301 passing yards from quarterback Kenny Minchey. The Cats also proved to be able to run the balls, gaining 205 yards on the ground and averaging six yards per carry. After the game, Stein was happy that his players could see their hard work pay off.

“I was really happy for our guys after all the work they’ve done the last eight months,” he said. “A long fall camp to go out there and reap the benefits of all their hard work.”

Stein thought his team played a fairly clean game.

“There wasn’t a ton of penalties, but there’s still a lot of stuff we’ve got to fix,” he said. “I am not mad at all. I’m just ready to keep rocking.”

Stein also liked how his team played on defense, especially against YSU quarterback Beau Brungard.

“They had 28 rushes for 59 yards, and that team has a quarterback who is elite,” Stein said. “For the most part, we stopped (Brungard) from running the ball, which was a big part of the plan.”

Stein was asked how he thought Minchey played in his first career start.

“I think for his first start, I was very pleased with his performance,” Stein said. “He forced the ball down the field a little and that’s not how you play quarterback. You take the easy money. You take what they give you. He was able to elude some rushers on naked (bootlegs). So, 18 of 27, 301 yards, four touchdowns. Definitely things to improve on but, for the most part, happy with how he played.”

Kentucky also got 78 yards rushing from Jason Patterson, a player who Stein had mentioned multiple times during fall camp.

“Jason Patterson, I’ve talked him up in here to you guys multiple times,” Stein said. “He’s explosive and he’s playing really well, and so we want to keep feeding him.”

Freshman Kenny Darby also had a big game, catching three passes for a team-high 74 yards and his first career touchdown. His performance did not surprise Stein.

“That guy can play football. You can just see it,” Stein said. “Got twitch. He loves the game. He never wants to come out.”

While there are things to get corrected, Kentucky opened the season by doing exactly what they are supposed to do – win its season opener.