If we've learned anything this season of Kentucky football, it's that you just cannot count out Will Stein in any game, no matter what. Why? He has instilled so much grit and fight in his team this season. A confident coach, his attitude has really rubbed off on his players this season and it has showed.
Kentucky is now 6-1 and 4-1 in the SEC after a gritty win at Oklahoma. Down 13-7, the Wildcats needed a big moment to swing the game. They got one with an interception late in the third quarter that set up a touchdown to put them up 14-13. Then, Kentucky had a pick six the final minutes of the game to take a 21-13 lead before another interception iced the game. After an impressive second half at Texas A&M, a 17-point comeback at South Carolina, and a clutch overtime win against LSU, this team's resiliency is through the roof. Will Stein talked about his team's DNA after the game and what makes them able to deal with tough situations.
"Play harder for guys you love and actually have respect for. So that's one thing that shows a lot with our team is they're playing for each other. And then toughness, like, toughness wins in football --college football and the SEC. You've gotta be mentally and physically tough. When we watch our tape, our guys fight. They fly around, they hit. They strain on the perimeter, they block up front, we run the ball. Those are, I think, two of the biggest DNA traits of our team is our connection and toughness."
What kind of resliency did Stein see in his team's win at Oklahoma on Saturday? We ended up, you getting some big takeaways, which were critical to this win. Our guys just found a way. That's what great teams do. They just find ways to win, and that's what our guys did. ...I just love that our team has this type of connection that they can come out here and win these types of games."
Kentucky is now off to an historically great start to the season and have eyes on a potential playoff appearance if they can continue going strong. Will Stein has certainly showed why you shouldn't doubt him and people are buying in to what he's building in Lexington, in just year one.
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