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Photo Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (@ Lexington, KY 10-24-26)

Kentucky continued its historic start under head coach Will Stein with another SEC win over Vanderbilt, extending its conference winning streak to five games for the first time since 1977.

The Wildcats improved to 7-1, which is their best start by a first-year head coach in more than a century. After the win, Stein touched on Kentucky’s resilience, defensive playmakers, offensive adjustments and the advantage of a home atmosphere.

Will Stein’s Press Conference

Question: Will, all that’s great, but what really matters is our players. What has been the key to this team’s success?

Will Stein: Yeah. Well, all that’s great. I love all that stuff, but what really matters is our players. 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’re a really good football team and find ways to win in all three phases.

So, you know, CJ went out with a shoulder. Wood was an ankle and McMillan was a calf. So we’ll evaluate those guys. I’m not anticipating it’s anything long-term heading into the work week, is what I like to call it, this next week to improve, to get better.

But obviously, I like the start where we’re at, and there’s still plenty of things that we can clean up. It was a really good win. This was, I thought, one of our best games.

Question: What has been the key to this team avoiding letdowns after emotional wins, when other good teams around the country have struggled the following week?

Will Stein: We have good players that are connected, that love this university, that love their teammates, that play really hard, and a coaching staff that, to me, is one of the most elite in the country in terms of our preparation and how we call games and how we adapt.

So we have complete buy-in. It’s not always perfect, but I think we’re in a really good spot mentally right now.

Question: Five different players carried the ball today, including Brennan on the touchdown. What went into that decision?

Will Stein: Anytime you can get a plus-one in the run game with quarterback-driven runs, it can give you advantages in those moments. Kenny’s not necessarily a snap-it-to-him-and-run type of guy, so we’re just trying to find other ways to get guys the ball.

Question: Ty Bryant seems like he makes an interception in every game. How valuable has he been this year?

Will Stein: Extremely. He was one of the pieces that we had to get back when we first got here. He’s a Lexington kid, Kentucky kid. His dad played here, so he is vital to what we do defensively.

Question: Obviously, a huge play from the defense. I think eight tackles for loss in this one. What did they bring you guys, especially currently when the offense was struggling?

Will Stein: I think we only had like six plays in the first two drives on offense, so we put the defense out there for long periods of time.

Listen, Jared 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 a tough scheme. They’re kind of like us. They blend personnel, they do different formations, they have a quarterback run game and a really good pass game.

So they put us in a bind. I thought we made the right calls later in the game to get off the field and create takeaways.

Question: You know, Tony mentioned the middle-eight stat, but what has helped you be so successful in those critical moments before and after halftime?

Will Stein: Obviously, the ability to run the football helps in the middle eight. Clock management is something I thought we did a really nice job with at the end of the first half, where people probably want you to take a timeout even though you have three.

But all you’re 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’s just knowledge of that part of the game as a coaching staff that bleeds into our players, and honestly, just execution in those moments.

Question: We talk about Skinner and his versatility. A lot of people did not expect him to be coming out of the backfield running the ball, but the last two weeks he’s made some really big plays. What have you seen from him?

Will Stein: He’s one of the most dynamic players on our team. When the ball’s in his hand, typically good things happen. So we have to continue to find ways to get our best players the ball.

Mikuel has shown the ability to be explosive in the run game and the pass game. We’ve been working some stuff over the last two weeks that we felt gave us advantages in both those parts of our offense.

Question: Coach, you mentioned the injuries they’ve had throughout the season. How impressed have you been with your depth so far this season, and 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 have spread out the talent level across the country, and so we’re 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 and filled in spots to create wins. I’m excited to grow this next week and improve as a team. Obviously, we’ll try to get healthy as much as we can, but it’s still about growth and improvement more than anything.

Question: On that play where Willie scored, it looked like it was going to be a pass and then he just kind of improvised. Can you comment on him having that piece of mind and knowing how to make something out of nothing?

Will Stein: Well, yeah. I guess it’s out there that we tried to throw it right there. Yeah, that was good.

It did. No, you’re right. You’re totally right. It was a pop pass on that look, and he just, I guess, saw grass to the right. That’s what good football players tend to do. Give them the ball and good things can happen.

Question: Earlier in the week, you encouraged the fans to show up again and talked about how much you need them. In the fourth quarter, I 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 show up the way they have at Kroger Field? How cool is this ride for them as well as you?

Will Stein: 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.

In that moment, it’s the fourth quarter, backed up, five minutes left. It’s time to get loud. They’re on offense, and what happened? False start.

So that was a big thing in that drive. Fans can impact the game. They really can. How loud they get, especially when we’re on defense, creates penalties on the offense. So we want to continue to elevate our team and our fans and be the very best that we can be.

Question: Coach, it’s turned quite a lot into not just an event but almost a phenomenon. Are you even aware the entire building is singing along with Tyler Childers late in the game, or are you so locked in you don’t notice?

Will Stein: I mean, I heard it. It was a four-minute drive, and I love that song. It’s one of my favorite songs, but in my head I was thinking more like Metallica for me. We got to run the ball.

No, 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.

Question: Will, you said earlier in the season that Brennan had given you valuable looks on scout team. When did you decide you wanted to get him involved in the actual offense?

Will Stein: When I saw him be Breanguard, Lanoris Sellers, Keelon Russell, A&M’s quarterback, all the guys that we played that can run. He’s running a lot of the same schemes Jared Curtis is running, the pin-pull stuff.

You look at him and think, golly, he’s big, he’s physical, he can run. Let’s get him out there. We’ve talked about it the last 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, and it was definitely an impressive run and play.

Question: Going back to the fans, you’re off to a historic start. There seems to be a change in the atmosphere, expectations and morale around this team and program. Can you talk about what that means to you as a member of Big Blue Nation and as a Kentucky coach?

Will Stein: It’s amazing. Look, we’re eight games in, we have four games left, so we have to continue to improve as a team and 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.

Question: Will, it appeared from the press box that when Ty got the interception, you actually beat his teammates out there to celebrate with him. First, when did you make that decision? And second, what was going through your head at the end of that play?

Will Stein: I made the decision when I saw Ty laying on his back, and I was a little worried. Then he was just smiling on his back, so I popped him up.

But no, Ty’s had a great run. I think he’s got four picks in the last three games, which is huge. He’s playing really well, as is a lot of people on our team. He did a great job tonight.

Question: Kenny Minchey mentioned at media day back in August he watched a lot of Joe Burrow film. He took some vicious hits in the pocket but showed tremendous poise. What can you say about that and his ability to stay in there and make some big-time throws while getting hit a lot?

Will Stein: That’s a sign of a really tough person. Quarterbacks, you don’t think about them as tough guys, but when you’re standing in the pocket and grown men are running full speed at you, trying to destroy you, and you make a pass and complete it, that shows great toughness.

Not just for himself, but also for our team. His teammates see that, his coaches see that, and that shows great toughness.

Kentucky enters its bye week at 7-1, with four regular-season games remaining. The focus will be on getting healthy and preparing for Tennessee in two weeks.

Oct 24, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Will Stein looks at notes during the second quarter against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect