Kentucky christens Will Stein era with 45-13 win over Youngstown State

The Will Stein era began with a flourish Saturday as Kentucky opened its season with a 45-13 win over Youngstown State at Kroger Field.

Quarterback Kenny Minchey connected on 18 of 27 passes for 301 yards and four touchdowns in his first collegiate start after transferring to Kentucky from Notre Dame.

Kentucky (1-0) showed off a balanced offensive attack as the Cats rushed for 191 yards, led by Jason Patterson with 78 yards on the ground. CJ Baxter had nine carries for 48 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The Wildcats started the game with confidence and scored on their first three offensive drives. They held a 28-7 lead at halftime.

UK finished with 506 yards of total offense, compared to 305 yards for the Penguins, who were led by quarterback Beau Brungard, last year's top offensive performer in the FCS division and unanimous first-team All-American. Brungard completed 23 of 35 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown.

Next Saturday, Kentucky will begin its SEC schedule when they host Alabama. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. The game can be seen on ABC.