Before ever taking a snap as a college starting quarterback, Kenny Minchey joined his private coach for an offseason workout in Nashville this summer. Sharing the field with NFL passers Daniel Jones and Kyle Trask, as well as Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed -- a friendly rival since high school -- Minchey held his own. Afterward, Jones asked Thomas Morris, the QB Country trainer who has worked with Minchey since high school, for more film of Kentucky's new quarterback."And he was just like, man, I think he's really special.
He's really, really good," Morris said. Minchey and Reed played on the same field again Saturday, but Minchey was the star. Kentucky, a 16.5-point underdog, surprised everyone by scoring 21 unanswered points to defeat No. 9 Texas A&M 31-21 at Kyle Field.
Minchey completed 14 of 18 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns, completing all nine attempts after halftime. Reed threw two interceptions. "It looked like he had started 30 games.
He was not flustered," Morris said. That steadiness sits at the center of Kentucky's sudden rise under first-year coach Will Stein, the offensive officinado who previously led Oregon's offense to new heights. Against A&M, the Wildcats threw out funky formations before and after the snap, including an unbalanced line with a tight end disguised as a blocking tackle, which opened two wide-open routes.
On the first offensive play, Kentucky lined up the tight end and receiver behind the center before shifting out of the backfield, clearing the way for the quarterback to take the snap. The Aggies struggled to identify their defensive assignments. Stein arrived at Kentucky in January, replacing Mark Stoops after back-to-back losing seasons capped a 13-year career.
Stein, 36, built his name exploiting defenses and developing quarterbacks as Oregon's offensive coordinator, leaving behind a legacy of elite passers -- Bo Nix, Dante Moore and Dillon Gabriel -- and a slew of broken records, including all-time NCAA marks and two Heisman Trophy finalists. When Oregon's CFP run ended in the second round, he went hunting for the next great quarterback. Kentucky had just one on the roster.
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