UK Defeats South Alabama 45-21, But Will Stein Wants to See More

LEXINGTON – September 26, 2026 – Bradley Charles

It wasn’t always pretty, but Kentucky defeated South Alabama 45-21 on Saturday. The Jaguars led 21-14 with 1:22 remaining in the first half, but the Cats led 24-21 at halftime and shutout the Jaguars in the second half.

UK tallied 390 rushing yards, which is the most for the Cats since they recorded 408 against Ole Miss in 2020. Kentucky also had three players register at least 100 rushing yards, which marks the second time that has happened in school history. The other instance was the aforementioned game against the Rebels in 2020.

QB Kenny Minchey was 19-of-25 through the air for 177 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. The passing attack was distributed across several players as only two Wildcats registered a team-leading three receptions, while Kenny Darby’s 43 receiving yards made him the only UK player with 25 or more in the matchup. Seven Wildcats tallied at least two catches and 15 or more yards in the matchup.

The Cats ultimately won by a comfortable margin despite subpar play at times, but UK head coach Will Stein made it clear that Saturday’s performance did not live up to the program’s expectations.

“Like I told the guys, that was not our standard. If you think for one second that that is the standard of play here at Kentucky; then you’re wrong. You’re very seriously mistaken.”

The Cats are now 3-1 on the season, while South Alabama is 2-2. Up next for UK is a road game against South Carolina on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 4:15 p.m. That matchup will be televised on the SEC Network.