Cats Dominate the Penguins in Stein's Debut 45 - 13

LEXINGTON, Ky. — If Kentucky fans wanted to see something different in the first game of the Will Stein era, they certainly got it.

Kentucky opened the 2026 season Saturday afternoon at Kroger Field with a convincing 45-13 victory over Youngstown State, giving Stein his first win as a college head coach and giving Big Blue Nation plenty to be excited about heading into a much bigger test next week.

The Wildcats played fast, attacked through the air, spread the football around and scored touchdowns on each of their first four scoring possessions. Quarterback Kenny Minchey, making the first collegiate start of his career, looked comfortable from the opening drive.

Kentucky Wasted No Time

The first drive could hardly have gone better.

Minchey completed his first five passes while Kentucky quickly moved down the field, including a 33-yard completion to freshman receiver Kenny Darby. Running back CJ Baxter finished the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run to give Kentucky a 7-0 lead.

Baxter struck again on Kentucky's next possession, scoring from five yards out to make it 14-0 with 6:25 remaining in the opening quarter.

That was only the beginning.

Minchey Starts Slinging It

Kentucky's third touchdown came through the air when Minchey found tight end Mikkel Skinner for a 10-yard score early in the second quarter.

Minchey then connected with tight end Willie Rodriguez for another touchdown with 1:51 remaining before halftime, stretching Kentucky's advantage to 28-0.

Youngstown State finally broke through in the closing seconds of the half when quarterback Beau Brungard connected with Lynn Wyche-El for a six-yard touchdown, sending Kentucky to the locker room with a comfortable 28-7 halftime lead.

It was an impressive first half for an offense playing its first real game under Stein.

Minchey's First Start Was a Success

Minchey finished his Kentucky debut completing 18 of 27 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns.

More importantly, he looked in command of the offense. Kentucky wasn't asking its new quarterback simply to hand the ball off and survive his first start. Stein let him throw, and Minchey responded.

His third touchdown pass came in the third quarter when he found Preston Jean for a 26-yard score, pushing Kentucky's lead to 35-7.

Youngstown State answered with a nine-yard Jaden Gilbert touchdown run, although the Penguins missed the extra point and trailed 35-13.

Minchey then delivered one more big play early in the fourth quarter, connecting with Kenny Darby for a 37-yard touchdown to make it 42-13.

Darby finished with 74 receiving yards and showed exactly why there has been so much excitement surrounding the freshman heading into the season.

The Running Backs Did Their Part

Even with all the excitement surrounding the new passing attack, Kentucky still got productive work from its running backs.

Baxter scored both of Kentucky's first-quarter touchdowns, while Jason Patterson rushed for 78 yards and provided valuable production behind him.

Baxter and Patterson combined for 126 rushing yards and two touchdowns, an encouraging development for a Kentucky backfield that entered the season with questions about its depth.

Defense Keeps the Penguins Under Control

Youngstown State entered the game with a dangerous offense led by Brungard, the reigning Walter Payton Award winner, so holding the Penguins to 13 points was another positive for Kentucky.

The Wildcats allowed a few plays through the air and Youngstown State put together two touchdown drives, but Kentucky never allowed the Penguins to seriously threaten the outcome.

Kentucky's linebackers were particularly active throughout the afternoon, helping prevent Brungard and the Youngstown State offense from finding the kind of rhythm that made the Penguins so dangerous a season ago.

The performance is even more interesting considering Kentucky played without starting cornerbacks Terhyon Nichols and Hassan Sykes. Their expected return should give the Wildcats another boost as the schedule gets dramatically more difficult.

Box Score

Scoring Summary

Exactly the Start Kentucky Needed

It's important not to get carried away after one game against an FCS opponent. Youngstown State is a quality FCS program, but the challenge Kentucky faces next week will be on an entirely different level.

Still, there were several things Kentucky fans wanted to see Saturday, and they saw them.

The offense played with tempo. The quarterback looked comfortable. The football was distributed to multiple receivers and tight ends. Kentucky produced explosive plays. The running backs found the end zone. And the Wildcats were in complete control of the game almost from the opening kick.

For Stein, there couldn't have been a much better way to begin his tenure.