Stein, Cats Moving Forward After Big Win at Texas A&M
Kentucky earned a huge road win on Saturday, beating then-ninth-ranked Texas A&M 31-21 at Kyle Field in College Station. On Tuesday, UK head coach Will Stein met the media and he discussed just how important getting that road win was to his program.
“It’s really hard to get road wins, no matter what league you’re in,” Stein said. “So that was really big to get (the win) on the road.”
Stein knows that his team’s preparation for Saturday’s game is what directly led to the performance on the field.
“Direct correlation with how we practice,” Stein said. “There’s no fluke about it. We practice hard, we play hard. Practice physical, play physical. Make plays in practice, make plays in the game.”
While he was pleased with Saturday’s outcome, Stein and his coaching staff know there are still lots of areas where the Cats can get better.
“We still have plenty to improve,” Stein said. “From these first three weeks, plenty to improve from today in practice. We truly are a one play, one game mentality type of team. There is really no looking back anymore. The past happened. We won. That was great. Now it’s about now.”
Does the win at Texas A&M change the way Stein and his staff approach practice this week?
“I think now is our opportunity to coach these guys even harder and double down on our process,” Stein said. “There’s a reason why we were successful last game. We practiced really well. You can’t just kind of practice and show up and play well. I’m a firm believer in that.”
Stein was asked how good this team can be and he gave an honest assessment.
“I think this team can be as good as we want to be,” Stein said. “It’s going to still take work and improvement and staying healthy.”
This weekend, Kentucky hosts South Alabama at Kroger Field (12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network). While they might not have the name that UK’s last two opponents have (Alabama and Texas A&M), Stein knows that the Jaguars are a very talented team.
“This is a really good football team,” Stein said. “They’re very physical. They have good players. They’re confident. I have a ton of respect for (USA head coach) Major Applewhite.”
The Cats are riding a wave of momentum after last week’s win at Texas A&M. Now, Stein and his staff will emphasize sticking with the process to produce similar results this weekend against South Alabama.
