Kentucky’s Stephen Johnson surprised even his own coach.

The junior quarterback stepped in for an injured Drew Barker early against New Mexico State last Saturday, leading the Wildcats to a 62-42 win, their first victory of the season. Johnson went 17-of-22 for 310 yards and three touchdowns while adding 51 yards on the ground.

“Honestly, I’m not sure I saw that coming,” coach Mark Stoops said Wednesday during the SEC coaches teleconference. “All the confidence he could move the football, we’ve talked about him for a while. He works hard, our guys believe in him and he has talent. To see him play that well, I don’t know I saw that coming. Aside from the first series, he was outstanding.”

Barker’s status is still uncertain for Kentucky’s game against South Carolina at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, so Johnson is the presumed starter for now. Stoops said he was “glad to get in the win column last week,” and Johnson be a huge factor in whether the Wildcats can stay there.

But Stoops is focused on cleaning up his defense, which ranks 122nd in scoring defense and total defense.  Here’s what he said about improving that facet of his team:

“Got to settle on what you are and the defense you are calling. We have to start with not beating ourselves. Lining up and playing hard is essential. A big piece is settling in on both sides of the ball. In the second half of (the loss to Southern Miss) on, there was an unbelievable amount of opportunities, but we weren’t playing well. A turnover on every eight plays for one period. You just can’t have that.”

On South Carolina true freshman quarterback Brandon McIlwain:

“He gets more comfortable per rep. He’s evolved as to where their offense is headed, and I’m sure more plays will be added for him. He can hurt you more with his arm than what he’s shown.”

On relationship with Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp:

“We’ve been on some good defenses together. He’s doing a good job with them this season keeping people out of the end zone. I watch them a lot and see what they are doing.”

On sophomore middle linebacker Courtney Love:

“You can see the game is moving very fast for him at times. He is not making routine plays at times. We need him to continue to refine. He means well, he’s a great kid, his intentions are good, but we need to put him in position to do that.”

On if he remembers when freshman offensive tackle Landon Young committed to him:

“It was the first time I offered a freshman in my career. He was shocked when we offered, and it was nice to see him mature and develop. He gets better in everything he does, the work ethic, his upbringing. That’s why he will be a great player.”