Cats Focused on Present, Not Looking Ahead

After a weekend off, No. 8 Kentucky will be back in action on Saturday, visiting No. 16 Tennessee in a Southeastern Conference showdown.

Kentucky is 7-1 on the season and will be among the Top 10 teams in the first College Football Playoff rankings that will be announced on Tuesday night. UK head coach Will Stein understands where his team is currently, but he also knows that the Cats don’t need to be focused on the rankings.

“We haven’t talked about that, not that we shy away from the reality of where we are in terms of our conference rank and our conference record,” Stein said. “If you don’t handle your business this week, then nothing really matters.”

Saturday’s game against a long-time rival is obviously important, but Stein and his team are treating it the same way they have treated all of the games this season.

“Every game is important,” Stein said. “Our first game of the year was important. Second game, we learned a lot against Alabama. We’ve learned a lot each and every step. So, I think if you really focus on the future, you can’t be great in the present. You really can’t. So, our guys put together a really good week last week (and) started off this week great.”

Tennessee’s Neyland Stadium is one of the most hostile environments in college football. Stein and his Cats have already won at Texas A&M, South Carolina and Oklahoma this season, and Stein hopes that the preparation his team has put in will come through against the Vols.

“We’ve really practiced all of our shifts and movements and motions and snap counts from literally the minute we step foot on campus,” Stein said. “I think one thing that we do, as good as anybody as a coaching staff, is begin with the end in mind. You don’t just run your base plays from day one. You blend in stuff and things that you are going to utilize in the season. We don’t wait just because we’re trying to make it easy on our players early. We make it harder on our players. Therefore, when you get to these moments, they’ve done it so many times, it’s that space repetition, it’s the 10,000 rep rule.”

Being able to communicate in a loud environment is very important and Stein knows that his veteran offensive unit can handle any situation.

“Clear, concise communication from the quarterback can help in those situations,” Stein said. “So, I think there’s a lot of factors. I think we have a really smart offensive group. Kenny is extremely bright. You’ve got a lot of starts under the belt up front. So, I think veteran leadership helps.”

The Cats face another tough road trip this weekend and Stein believes that, once again, his team will be ready for the challenge.