‘Will Stein Is a Star,’ ‘Building at Kentucky Is Special’ — CFB World Hails First-Year Coach After Wildcats Edge No. 10 LSU in Overtime

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Kentucky coach Will Stein faced the same overtime decision for the second straight Saturday, and he made the same call. Quarterback Kenny Minchey ran untouched on a draw for a two-point conversion, and the Wildcats beat No. 10 LSU 35-34 in overtime at Kroger Field to move to 5-1 in Stein’s first season.

Stein said the win was for Big Blue Nation and the state of Kentucky. “This is for everybody that grew up just like me, a Wildcat fan, and really excited for those people.” It’s fair to say those people are equally excited about having Stein as their HC.

Will Stein Earns Praise After Fast Start at Kentucky

Kentucky hired Stein after parting ways with Mark Stoops, who went 72-80 in 13 seasons. Stein had spent the previous three seasons as Oregon’s offensive coordinator, and this is his first season as a head coach.

One fan wrote, “Will Stein is a star.” The same post called Kentucky’s move the best offseason hire in the SEC, a view the fan said dated to the day it was made.

The results have come quickly. Kentucky has won four straight, and Stein has beaten two top-10 teams in No. 9 Texas A&M and LSU while becoming the first Kentucky coach to win his first two SEC road games.

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Stein built his roster largely through the transfer portal. Minchey, a Notre Dame transfer, threw for 246 yards against LSU, and Baxter ran for 123 yards and two touchdowns, including a 77-yard run on Kentucky’s first play.

The praise has come from the other sideline, too. LSU coach Lane Kiffin said Monday that Stein “has done a great job of bringing energy into the program.”

“What Will Stein is building at Kentucky is special,” Sarandon Raboin, a sports reporter for WHAS11, wrote after the game.

How Kentucky Rallied to Beat LSU in Overtime

Kentucky needed a rally just to reach overtime. LSU went ahead 27-24 in the fourth quarter on a 41-yard touchdown pass from receiver Jackson Harris to Roman Mothershed, and Kentucky kicker Adam Zouagui then missed field goals of 42 and 26 yards.

The second miss came after Jamarrion Harkless forced a Leavitt fumble that Tavion Gadson recovered at the LSU 13. Zouagui hit a 33-yarder with 12 seconds left to force overtime.

There, freshman receiver Kenny Darby, who had originally committed to LSU, caught a 22-yard pass to the LSU 1 to set up Baxter’s score. Kentucky tried to draw LSU offside on the two-point try and called timeout, then lined up with five receivers before Minchey ran up the middle.

Stein said afterward that he never saw the winning play. “I was watching the routes, then people started storming the field.”

Ross Dellenger, a senior college football reporter for Yahoo Sports, wrote, “For a second straight week, Kentucky’s Will Stein elects to try a 2-point attempt in overtime and get it.”

The odds had been against Kentucky. Pro Football Network’s College Football Playoff Meter, as of Oct. 10, 2026, gave the Wildcats a 24.5% chance to beat LSU.

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Another fan put the turnaround in numbers, pointing out that Kentucky won five games all of last season. “Will Stein has won 5 games at the halfway point this season.”

Kentucky went 5-7 and 2-6 in the SEC in 2025, its second straight losing season. Las Vegas had set this season’s win total at four and a half games.

Looking Ahead in Week 7 to Oklahoma

Stein has six games left to chase the program record for wins by a first-year coach, seven, shared by Bear Bryant in 1946 and Blanton Collier in 1954. Bryant’s 1946 team started 4-1 before losing its next game at Alabama.

Kentucky’s next game is in Week 7 at Oklahoma on Oct. 17 at Memorial Stadium in Norman, on SEC Network. PFN’s College Football Playoff Meter gave the Wildcats a 45.6% chance to win it as of Oct. 10, 2026.

This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.

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