Eye of the Storm

(LEXINGTON, KY.) – “I called it,” said NO ONE.

At least no one I know.

Not after the second half against Alabama last week, when Kentucky’s promising start to the Will Stein era suddenly looked considerably less promising. The quarterback was getting sacked. The expensive offensive line wasn’t looking particularly expensive. The receivers couldn’t get open. Special teams were anything but special.

By Saturday night in College Station, Kentucky had beaten No. 9 Texas A&M 31-21 before 105,000 at Kyle Field, and those same four areas suddenly looked like strengths.

Welcome to college football.

Or perhaps more accurately, welcome to Kentucky football, where checking the forecast before leaving the house has never been particularly useful.

Stein spent the week telling his team to stay in the “eye of the storm.” There would be noise, adversity, and plenty of momentum swings. Just concentrate on the next play.

It worked. And maybe there’s a lesson in there for the rest of us, too.

A week ago, Kenny Minchey looked rattled. He took four sacks and threw a pick-six. Against Texas A&M, Stein called him “elite.”

That’s quite a seven-day weather change.

Minchey looked comfortable in the pocket, made his reads and, perhaps most importantly, learned from getting knocked around against Alabama. Stein went so far as to say the best thing that could have happened to his quarterback was getting sacked four times and throwing that interception.

Coaches say things like that after wins. Had Minchey thrown another pick-six Saturday, I’m guessing Stein wouldn’t have called the first one quite such a blessing. But his larger point was legitimate. You learn by playing. Minchey admitted some of those sacks were his fault, not the offensive line’s. He worked on hitting his back foot, stepping up in the pocket, and keeping his eyes downfield.

Then there was that offensive line. Remember them? Kentucky poured a lot of money and resources into rebuilding that unit, and after Alabama, there were already uncomfortable questions about the return on investment. At Kyle Field, the Big Blue Wall looked considerably more like the Big Blue Wall. Stein said they “dominated the line of scrimmage.” CJ Baxter went even further, calling them pros and joking that if he didn’t run well behind them, he must be a bad running back.

The receivers got involved, too. Stein said Kentucky emphasized getting certain guys the football during the week.

“You get what you emphasize,” he said.

That may be the most important quote of the night. Because nearly everyone who came into the interview room talked about practice.

Baxter talked about preparation. Jordan Castell talked about how competitive Tuesday practices had become. Sam Greene said the response to Alabama was to go back to work and preach “finish.” Minchey talked about the confidence Kentucky carried into College Station because of the way it had practiced.

Even special teams, another source of heartburn a week earlier, contributed to what players repeatedly called complementary football. Offense helped defense. Defense helped offense. Special teams helped both. Funny how much smarter everybody looks when all three phases work at the same time.

That doesn’t mean Kentucky has suddenly solved everything. In fact, that’s probably the worst conclusion anyone could draw from Saturday night. Teams are rarely as good as they look after a big win or as bad as they look after an ugly loss. The distance between the two can apparently be about seven days.

That’s the part of college football we sometimes forget. We want every Saturday to confirm what we already decided the previous Saturday.

It doesn’t.

Kentucky went from a miserable second half against Alabama to beating a top-10 team on the road. The four areas we were ready to put under a microscope suddenly underwent drastic turnarounds.

Maybe Stein and his players really did discover something during practice this week. The key is to keep improving. Now they have to walk their talk.

South Alabama comes to Kroger Field next. The Jaguars may not look like much of a storm after what Kentucky just survived at Kyle Field. Maybe Category 1.

Be careful. Because after that comes South Carolina, and anyone who has spent time around the Gamecocks knows a sandstorm is always lurking in Columbia with a coach under fire.

The weather changes quickly around the SEC.

Enjoy the sunshine from College Station. Kentucky earned every bit of it.

Just keep an umbrella handy.

Dr. John Huang is a retired orthodontist, military veteran, and award-winning author. He currently serves as a columnist for Nolan Group Media and invites readers to follow him on social media @KYHuangs. His latest book is Whining for Posterity, available on Amazon.