Kentucky will be an underdog in 2025. This is not a new phenomenon for Wildcat football fans, but it’s at an even greater scale for the largest man on this year’s football team.
Shiyazh Pete towers over his opponents at 6-foot-8, 322 pounds. Even though he fits right in on an SEC football roster, his humble beginnings couldn’t be further from it. A self-proclaimed nerd, he grew up in Montana and spent his formative years living in the Navajo Nation.
“There were times where there were only 11 of us, so we had to play every snap of the game, and I had to play multiple positions,” Pete recently told KSR. “It was fun. It was something to do after school.”
It was one of his many hobbies, like playing chess or the didgeridoo. It became a passion once he got to college, but not right away. New Mexico State is historically one of the worst programs in FBS football. There was a steep learning curve for Pete, who was raw as a tactician when he arrived in Las Cruces. During his redshirt freshman season, they went 2-10 and head coach Doug Martin was fired.
Jerry Kill Revitalizes New Mexico State
New Mexico State had been to just one bowl game in 60 years when Jerry Kill became the Aggies’ head coach. In year one, Pete played his way into a starting role. They won five of their final six games to earn a bowl bid. That’s when a switch flipped.
“I’m not doing it for fame or glory or money, I’m doing it for the people alongside of me, the ones who want to see me succeed. And that really I really was something I cherished,” he said.
Under Kill’s guidance, New Mexico State won games within the slightest margins, something Kentucky fans are familiar with. That took the Aggies to places no one expected. New Mexico State was a 26.5-point underdog at Jordan-Hare Stadium. The Aggies took a 10-7 lead just before halftime, then ran away with a 31-10 victory in one of the most shocking upsets of the 2023 college football season.
“It was surreal. It showed me that small schools who can mobilize effectively and rally together, can walk into big schools like that and win, regardless of the resources you have, the amount of money your school receives,” said Pete.
“It’s the brotherhood, the camaraderie, how your head coach feels, how he gets us going. Everything we did there was spot on, and that’s what won us the game. It wasn’t the bigger gun that won. It was an underdog moment, and that’s a memory that lives in my head for it’s gonna live in my head for a while.”
Lessons to Apply to Kentucky
The Kentucky football program reached unprecedented heights under Mark Stoops. The Wildcats were at their best when no one believed in them. That flame flickered as the tides changed and Kentucky fell short of expectations.
Following a disappointing 4-8 season in 2024, you will find many more doubters than believers in Mark Stoops’ program. Phil Steele predicted Kentucky to finish 15th in the SEC.
“They make it sound like we’re a lost cause, but then I’d argue lost causes are the only things worth fighting for, and that what I’m doing, what we’re doing here, is worthwhile. Our experience, with the one in my O-line, we have libraries worth of it, and if we can apply it together. I do know that the O-line is the backbone of our program. So long as we can rally there, I’m confident,” said Pete.
Mark Stoops’ back is against the wall. He’s assembled a team of players who have been doubted their entire careers. They’re ready to prove the naysayers wrong and make history in 2025.
More Kentucky News and Views on the KSR YouTube Channel
Kentucky Sports Radio has expanded its coverage of the Wildcats in the most ridiculous manner possible on our YouTube Channel. Here you will be able to find interviews with coaches and players, as well as commentary from the KSR crew. From Rapid Reactions following big events to our lengthy lineup of live shows, subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel to stay up to date on everything happening around the Big Blue Nation.
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