Will Stein goes for 2 as Kentucky stuns South Carolina
TLDR: Will Stein skipped the overtime extra point, Kenny Minchey hit Willie Rodriguez for 2, and Kentucky finished a 17-point comeback to beat South Carolina 35-34 in Columbia.
South Carolina scored first in overtime to go up 34-27. Minchey answered with a touchdown to Henry Boyer, and then Stein waved off the kicker.
KENTUCKY GOES FOR 2 TO WALK IT OFF IN SOUTH CAROLINA
His reasoning afterward was about as simple as football gets: "You gotta go for it, right? Don't put my defense back out there." Hard to argue. South Carolina ran for 232 yards and put up 458 total, so sending that defense back out for a second overtime was asking for trouble. Kentucky had already dug out of a 17-0 hole, the biggest road comeback in program history. Minchey went 28-of-41 for 272 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 picks, then found Rodriguez alone in the back of the end zone to end it.
Big Cat has it right. In a sport where coaches kick the extra point and hope for the best, Stein put a road SEC game on one snap. Barstool had been watching this team for a while, too. Back on September 13, after Kentucky got blown out but looked a lot better under its new coach, Wake Up Barstool was already buying in.
“I like what Will Stein is doing there. I like Kenny Minchey. I think that Kentucky team is going to be there.”
That was 1 month ago. Now Kentucky is 4-1 and 2-1 in the SEC. Stein left Oregon's offensive coordinator job for this, and at SEC Media Days in July he was asked why Kentucky fans should trust his vision. He answered "Because of me." Saturday night was him standing behind that answer. The meme accounts dug up his Barstool college football show interview right on schedule.
Will Stein understands Math
The other sideline is a much uglier story. South Carolina blew a 17-point home lead and fell to 2-3, 0-3 in the SEC, and Shane Beamer's seat was already hot before a team with a first-year coach came into Columbia and outcoached him in overtime. Not everyone on the timeline was being patient about it.
Beamer shouldn’t be allowed on the plane after the game. Yes I know the game was at home. My point was he should be fired. He ain’t the guy
No rest for Kentucky either: Lane Kiffin and LSU come to Lexington next. Stein's team is 4-1, Minchey is playing the best ball of his career, and the coach just showed the whole SEC he'll take the gamble when the math says to. Kentucky football is fun again. Who would've thought.
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