Kentucky-Vanderbilt Postgame Quotes
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY MEDIA CONFERENCE
October 24, 2026
Lexington, Kentucky, USA
Coach Will Stein
Press Conference
Kentucky – 34 Vanderbilt – 17
Kentucky has won 5 SEC games in a row, first time since 1977. And coach Will Stein, first coach to be 7 and 1 in his first season in 117 years since E.R. Sweetland opened 7 and 1 in 1909. A couple of game notes. Wildcats went the middle 8, 14 to nothing. 79 and 27, 79 to 27 in the middle 8 after falling behind 14 to nothing scored on 6 straight possessions. Coach.
WILL STEIN: All that’s great. I love all of that stuff. But what really matters is our players. I’m really proud of them. Their grit, their toughness, their fight. Beat a good football team. Those guys have been in every single game that they’ve played in. But it shows again that we are a really good football team and find ways to win in all three phases. CJ went out with a shoulder, Wood was an ankle, and McMillan was a calf. So, we will evaluate those guys. I’m not anticipating it’s anything long-term. Heading into the work week, as what I like to call it. This next week to improve, to get better. Obviously, I like the start where we are at and there are still plenty of things we can clean up. Yeah, it was a really good win. I thought one of our best games.
Q Will, what has been the key to, you’ve seen all around the country, teams, good teams have let down games, having a win one week and then come out the next week and lose, those kind of situations. What has been the key that has not happened to this team yet?
WILL STEIN: We have good players that are connected and love this university and love their teammates. They play really hard and the coaching staff is one of the most elite in the country in terms of our preparation. And how we call games and how we adapt. We have complete buy-in. It’s not always perfect. But I think we are in a really good spot mentally right now.
Q Snapped at 5 different players today including – touchdowns. What about this game that diversified it?
WILL STEIN: Anytime you can get a +1 in the run game with quarterback driven runs. It can give you advantages in those moments. Kenny is not necessarily a snap it to him run kind of a guy. So I’m just trying to find other ways to get guys the ball.
Q Ty Bryant Seems like makes an interception in every game. How valuable has he been this year?
WILL STEIN: Extremely. He was one of the pieces we had to get back when we first got here. He’s a Lexington kid, Kentucky kid. Dad played here. He is vital to what we do defensively.
Q Obviously, huge play with the defense and 8 tackles for loss in this one. What are they bringing you guys at times, especially when the offense was kind of struggling?
WILL STEIN: Yeah, I think we only had 6 plays in the first two drives on offense. So, put the defense out there for long periods of time and listen, Jerry Curtis is going to be one of the elite players in college football. He made some plays and obviously, made some plays I’m sure he wants back. But they have tough scheme. They are kind of like us, they blamed the personnels, they do different formations, they have quarterback run game, they have really good pass game. And so it put us in a bind. I thought we made the right calls later in the game to get off the field and create takeaways.
Q Tony mentioned the middle 8 stat. What has help you be so successful in those critical moments before and after the half?
WILL STEIN: Obviously, the ability to run the football I think in the middle 8. You know, clock management is something I thought we did a really nice job at the end of the first half where people probably want you to take a timeout even though you have three. But all you are doing is giving them more time once you score to go back down the field and create a points opportunity for them. So, I think it is just knowledge of that part of the game as a coaching staff that bleeds into our players. And honestly, just execution in those moments.
Q Talked about Skinner and his verse totality, a lot of guys did not expect him to be coming out of the back field running the ball. But that last two weeks he’s made some really big plays.
WILL STEIN: Well, he’s one of the most dynamic players on our team and when the ball is in his hand, typically good things happen. So, we have to continue to find ways to get our best players the ball. Mikkel has shown the ability to be explosive in the run game and the pass game. And we had been working some stuff over the last two weeks that we felt like gave us some advantages in both of those parts of our offense.
Q Coach, you mentioned already the injuries they’ve had throughout the season. How impressive have you been with your depth so far this season and then going into the bye week. How excited are you for the bye week to get some of those guys back?
WILL STEIN: I mean, I think we still have to work on our depth here. But everybody across college football is dealing with a lot of these issues. The transfer portal and NIL has spread out the talent level across the country. And so, we are dealing with a lot of the same things. Especially in week 8 that everybody else is. I thought our guys have stepped up when they had to Enfield in spots to create wins. I’m excited to grow this next week and improve as a team. Obviously, try to get healthy as much as we can but it’s still about growth and improvement more than anything.
Q Will, that play where Willie scored. It looked like it was going to be a pass and then he just kind of improvised. Can you just comment on just him having peace of mind and just kind of make something out of nothing?
WILL STEIN: Well, I guess it’s out there, we tried to throw it right there. You know, that was good. It was a pop pass on that book, yeah, he saw grass to the right and that’s what good football players can do. Give them the ball and good things can happen.
Q Coach, earlier in the week you encourage the fans to show up again and you talked about how much you need them. And then in the fourth quarter, I even saw you a couple of times on the sidelines giving them the hands up as they were getting into it. How important has it been to have the fans, you know, show up the way they have at Kroger field? How cool is this ride for them as well as you?
WILL STEIN: Yeah, I mean it was awesome. We challenged our team to grow and improve and I challenged our fans and they exceeded all expectations. We have the best fans in the country and in that moment it is fourth-quarter back up, five minutes left, it’s time to get loud. They are on offense, what happened? False start. That was a big thing and that drives. Fans can impact the game, they really can. And how loud they get, especially when we are on defense, creates penalties on the offense. We want to continue to elevate our team and our fans and be the very best that we can be.
Q This is turned quite not just an event but almost a phenomenon. Are you aware the entire building is singing along with Tyler Childress in the game. Were you are so locked in you didn’t notice?
WILL STEIN: I heard it. It was a four minute drive and I love that song. It is one of my favorite songs. But in my head I was thinking more like Metallica for me. Like we’ve got to run the ball, you know. It’s great whenever you can involve fans and stuff like that. And make it something special. Especially from a guy from Kentucky, that was cool.
Q Will, you said earlier in the season that Brendan had given you valuable looks on scout teams. When did you decide you wanted to get involved in the actual –?
WILL STEIN: When I saw him beat Brumgard, LaNor Sellers, Keelon Russell, A&M’s quarterback. All the guys that we played that can run, and he’s running a lot of the same schemes. Jared Curtis running G, running pin pull. Like golly, he’s big, he’s physical, he can run, let’s get him out there. We’ve talked about it the last, you know, two or so weeks and this week I made it mandatory. I said, get him something that he can run the ball. I love what Joe came up with. It was great. Especially with two quarterbacks on the field. It was definitely an impressive run and play.
Q Going back to the fans. You are off to an historic start and there seems to be really a change in the atmosphere and expectations and the morale around this team and around this program. Can you talk about what that means to you as a member of BBN and Kentuckian?
WILL STEIN: Yeah, it’s amazing. And what, we were 8 games in and we had 4 games left, so we have to continue to improve as a team, as a coaching staff to keep finding ways to win. I’m very thankful for Big Blue nation across our entire state and the entire country and what they mean to our team.
Q It appears from the press box where I was sitting when Ty, you know, got the interception, you actually beat his teammates out there to celebrate with him. When did you first make that decision that you were going to do that and number two, what was going through your head at the end of that play?
WILL STEIN: What made the decision was when I saw Ty laying on his back and I was a little worried and he was just smiling on his back and so popped him up. But no, Ty has had a great run. He’s got 4 picks in the last three games, which is huge. So, he’s playing really well, as is a lot of people on our team. And yeah, he did a great job tonight.
Q Kinney Minchey talked at media day back in August and he watched a lot of Joe films. Tonight in the pocket, he took some vicious hits but showed tremendous poise. What can you say about his, just the ability to stay in there and make some big-time throws while getting hit a lot?
WILL STEIN: Yeah, that’s the sign of a really tough person. Quarterback, you know, you don’t think about them as tough guys. But when you are standing in a pocket and grown men are running full speed that you trying to destroy you and you make a pass and complete it, that shows great toughness. Not for himself, but also for our team. His teammates see that. His coaches see that. Yeah, it was real.
KENTUCKY FOOTBALL POSTGAME QUOTES
KENTUCKY VS. VANDERBILT
KROGER FIELD – LEXINGTON, KY.
OCTOBER 24, 2026
UK Student-Athletes
#90 Mi’Quise Humphrey-Grace, DL
On the play where he forced the sack and the fumble…
“Just speed, and strength and I was able to get the ball off, so that was good.”
On forcing turnovers …
“I prioritize turnovers. You know, we were trying to get them to turn the ball over every drive or whenever we can.”
On the team’s fourth quarter success…
“I just see how we practice. We practice really hard. That’s what makes the game easy. Go real hard and play a lot of plays.”
#14 Ty Bryant DB
On another interception …
“I mean, by the grace of God, I hope that continues. But I mean, yeah, it’s been a great past few games for me.”
On him and teammate Jordan Castell being tied for the lead in interceptions and if they have a competition …
“We do not, man. We do not. I think that we both want to see each other shine, and I mean that’s what we do throughout the week. We stay up here until 10pm most nights, preparing, bouncing ideas off each other. But I mean that’s my dog, and I know he wants to see me win, and I want to see him win.”
On the team forcing turnovers …
“It’s just how it happens. I don’t know what it is, man. It’s like you said. I mean, I think you put it perfect. The first half is not our brand of ball. If we come out second half, we have to make adjustments. So, yeah, I mean, if we can just start fast, we’re dangerous. I feel like we already are dangerous, but even more dangerous.”
#81 Willie Rodriguez TE
On whether or not this upcoming bye week will be good for the team …
“I think it’s a good rest week. We’ve played five straight SEC games, so it’s a good rest week for some guys that are banged up. So that’s good, but I think it’s not going to change much for us. We’re just going to keep working, and it’s just going to be another work week.”
On the poise Kenny Minchey has shown and their relationship …
“He’s just a really good commander of that offense, and that’s like his character on the field is just super commanding, and he doesn’t really get too juiced up. I mean you saw when his helmet came off on that sneak; he got juiced up. Like in the huddle, he’s very calm and just controls the offense really well. We have really good chemistry, and we might be yelling at each other sometimes, but it’s just out of love and just trying to get self-corrected. Ultimately, you know he’s a really, really good quarterback. I love playing with him.”
On how good the team has been in the middle eight …
“Yeah, I think the middle eight is a huge part of football, and like you said, we have been really good. That’s just making adjustments at halftime, coming out and then just finishing throughout the half. That’s obviously a huge part of the game, so I think we’ve down that really well.”
#3 Kenny Minchey
On how important it is to protect the ball …
“No doubt, to win football games, you have to win the turnover margin, field-position battle, third-down conversion. There’s a lot of different things. Protecting the ball is the biggest thing. So, I feel like the coaches put up a great scheme, so that way we can go out and play fast and play smart. We’ve been able to do that consistently. We plan to do that for the rest of the season, the future, for our next game. It also helps whenever the defense is getting a bunch of turnovers.”
On how important the play was in those middle eight minutes …
“I don’t know it was like 21 points straight or something like that. To be able to score those in that part of the game. Obviously, we want to score points before the half and after the half getting the ball back is great. Great football, and that’s what our coaches want us to do, that’s obviously the plan to score very time. It’s made a big difference in the outcome.”
On how comfortable he is taking hits from the other team …
“Long as my eyes are downfield, I feel like the stuff that’s happening right in front of me kind of fades out a little bit. Obviously, I don’t like getting hit and taking shots, but our coaches do a great job of knowing things and picking out things in my game that I need to get better at. That’s something that you know we’ve been working at throughout the season. You know to be able to stare down the barrel was defiantly good for my progression as a quarterback, and then obviously for the team.”
Vanderbilt Head Coach Clark Lea
Opening Statement…
“Obviously, you know, frustrated and I’m just disappointed. Disappointed in the result, I felt like the way the game started, it felt like we had gotten our identity back as a program. Honestly, you know, we were possessing the ball. We were converting on third down. We forced two three and outs to start the game, one of which was on a short field. I really liked where Jared (Curtis) was, early in the game too. I thought the game looked slow to him, you could see progress. It felt like we protected better, and so again, you jump out to a 10-point lead and you feel good. And it just felt like in that second quarter we were chasing the game defensively. I mean, credit Kentucky for getting to their adjustments, and just felt like we were behind them, and so they were able to find some plays. And then you know where we were so good, early on in the second quarter, we lost that. And you know, sandwiched between the two touchdown drives for Kentucky was a three and out drive where we went tempo, and we just didn’t eat up any clock, and so right there, you know, second to third quarter, it’s touchdown, touchdown, touchdown for them, and that’s going to be a challenging thing to overcome, and then in the third quarter, I felt like obviously the opening drive for the defense was disappointing. Loved the connection with Jared and Ja’Cory (Thomas) on the fourth down. I thought that was a courageous throw and a big play for us. But you know, the sack fumble was killer, and then you know the defense held two field goals there in a row, which I thought showed improvement. And then you know the interception again just kind of was too much for us to overcome. I think in the third and fourth quarters, it’s a little bit of the same story. You get turnovers and you get penalties, so we’re frustrated. We’re disappointed. There’s a better game for this team. We’re going to take advantage of this bye week. We’re going to rest. We’re going to get healthy and get refreshed and go hard at these last four and see how good we can make it. But I think in the end there are positive aspects of the first half that we can build upon. I think we got a young quarterback who showed flashes of what he could be. I’m really excited about that. So again, with every game, he gains experience. You see that talent surface. You know we’re going to start to learn a little bit more about him as a leader right now. But I was impressed with the fact he was the last guy off the field. Talking to his teammates, encouraging them. I mean, he can be a guy that can galvanize the room. And so, again, frustrated, disappointed, and yet, we’re going to look to build on the positive aspects and play better football in front of us.”
On Kentucky making adjustments …
“What it felt like to me tonight, and again to be fair, you know you want to watch it. What I experienced in the moment was they moved down their sheet faster than we moved down our sheet, and so that led us chasing a little bit. And I mean, they do a nice job formation, shift, motion, but it just felt like we needed to get to some answers sooner. And again, one of those drives is a stop. One of those drives is a field goal. I mean, and then sometimes the other thing that I feel is, it’s like with our defense, it’s like a wave that reaches the dam a little bit. You know, it’s like once they get past midfield or once we get on our heels, it’s like we don’t take a stand and so you know I need some time to think about that, and obviously I need to watch the game. I am encouraged by the fact that we turned around and forced consecutive field goal drives, one of which was off a turnover, because that we can build upon. That’s fighting for every blade of grass. ”
On aligning Vanderbilt’s offense around Jared Curtis’ strengths …
“I do think that I saw a system that was organized around the skills. I do also think that we need to run the ball, and so part of that organizing around his talents isn’t to abandon the run game. Now, I mean, the yards were hard earned in there, and again, credit Kentucky’s defense for that. But we can find the puncture points. I mean, we got to stay committed to it because that’s going to take pressure off him in times where the game’s moving a little fast for him. And I’m thinking particularly about the interception drive. We had some momentum going, and it would be a good time maybe to hand the ball off.”
