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Looking Ahead To A Big Football Weekend

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Caleb Bowlin | UK Athletics

It’s hard to believe that week 5 of the college football season is here already. But the leaves are starting to change and there will soon be a crispness in the air, signaling we are headed to the most wonderful time of the year.

Kentucky opens up week 5 with a road trip to Oxford, Mississippi to take on Lane Kiffin and his Ole Miss Rebels.

This game will be featured on ABC at noon Saturday. All week fans and media alike have been discussing if this noon kickoff favors the Cats in this matchup. Maybe it doesn’t allow the Ole Miss fans to get riled up prior to kickoff. No doubt the environment would be different if this were a 7:30 PM start time down in Oxford. However, let’s not ignore the fact Kentucky has more going for them than just an early clock-in for work on Saturday.

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Lane Kiffin coaches one of the most explosive offenses in the country. Take a look at who they have played so far, and they have put up huge numbers. They beat Furman 76-0, Middle Tennessee 52-3, Wake Forest 40-6, and Georgia Southern 52-13.  Heck, I would LOVE to see a Kentucky football game end with a score like that (assuming it goes in our favor).

But again, look at their schedule. Coach Kiffin himself has noted they haven’t faced an opponent like Kentucky yet this season. He stated earlier in the week that “I’m a realist. I don’t think our opponents have really prepared us for the SEC play.” “What my hope is our practice, and our fall camp has prepared us, because we play against really good players on both sides of the ball. Defensively, we play against really big linemen, and the same the other way around. The schedule…it is what it is. I hope that our practice has (prepared us) because our practice is similar to what we face.”

Coach Kiffin went on to praise the Kentucky defense by saying. “This will be very challenging. These guys took Georgia down to the wire and ran for over 200 yards. These guys are really good and when they’re motivated to play, they play really good.” Even adding that Kentucky has an “NFL defense”. “They very much look like an NFL defense from a structure and from a size standpoint in coverages and techniques. It’s why a lot of people struggle against them and games seem more like NFL games. It’s hard to make yards. It’s hard to run the ball.”

So, what’s on Kentucky’s side more than just the noon kickoff? The defense.

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With all the ups and downs, we’ve already experienced this season, the defense has stood the test. Brad White’s unit has had a very successful beginning to the season. They currently rank 10th in rushing yards allowed per game at 74.75 and are seventh in run defense success rate at 52.5%. Had those stats come from a lighter schedule they wouldn’t mean as much. But when the four games played include number 1 Georgia, and a South Carolina team that looks better than anticipated (not making excuses) those two top 10 rankings are in pretty good standing.

The question for Saturday becomes can Kentucky slow down this Lane Kiffin offense enough to allow this game to stay tight, with the point spread being -17.5, Vegas doesn’t like the odds of that happening. I may still be riding the high from taking the number 1 team in the country to the wire, but like Stoops has said in the past. “Why not us?”

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Louisville Football Player Charged With First-Degree Strangulation, Days After Committing Game Losing Personal Foul

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Louisville Cardinals defensive back Tayon Holloway (20) reacts to his defensive play.
Eric Canha | Imagn

On Monday, Louisville football defensive back Tayon Holloway was detained and charged with first-degree strangulation and fourth-degree assault.

This comes just days after the former four-star prospect committed a costly personal foul to put a 2-7 Stanford team in field goal range and upset Louosillve 38-35 with a walk-off field goal.

As expected, Holloway has been indefinitely suspended from the team.

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“The University of Louisville is aware of the arrest of football student-athlete Tayon Holloway,” the university said in a statement. “As we gather more information, Tayon has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.”

Things Cardinals seem to be in a downward trend as the Commonwealth Cup nears, November 30th.

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Kentucky snaps four game losing streak defeats Murray State 48-6

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops talking to Murray State football coach Jody Wright.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

Kentucky gets a much-needed victory over Murray St 48-6 to snap its four-game losing Streak. Brock Vandagriff led the way for the Cats, going 12-19 for 183 passing yards and two touchdown passes to Hardley Gilmore IV and Ja’Mori Maclin. 48 Points is the most points Kentucky has scored in a game since 2021 when the Cats scored 51 points against Louisville.

The defense held Murray St. without a touchdown. For the second time this season, Kentucky’s defense has held an opponent without a touchdown.

Freshman Standout today:

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For the second time this season, Kentucky breaks the 40-point mark as three freshmen make impacts for Kentucky. Jamarion Wilcox had 13 carries and 124 yards with a touchdown in the 3rd quarter.

Receiver Hardley Gilmore IV had two receptions for 72 yards and caught the 52-yard touchdown pass from Brock Vandagriff on the game-opening drive.

Four-star quarterback Cutter Boley started the second half for the Cats, going 10-14 and passing for 130 yards with two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, both touchdown passes to sophomore receiver Anthony Brown-Stephens.

Defense Bounces Back:

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After giving up over 475 yards of total offense each of the last three games, Kentucky’s defense holds Murray State to 256 total yards of offense while also having three takeaways from the Murray State offense

Defensive Lineman Tre’vonn Rybka led the way for the defense with five tackles and the only sack of the game for Kentucky’s defense. Jordan Lovett had two takeaways in the first half for Kentucky and one in the red zone in the second quarter. Jackson Schultz had the final takeaway, picking off Jim Ogle’s pass late in the fourth quarter.

Box Score

With the win today over Murray St., Kentucky moves to 4-6 (1-6 SEC) with two games remaining. They look to keep their bowl eligibility alive as they travel to Austin, Texas, and face the No. 3 ranked Texas Longhorns at 3:30 pm on ABC. 

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Mark Stoops Responds to Retirement Rumors, “Zero Percent Chance I Do That”

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops responds to retirement rumors amidst disappointing season. "Zero percent chance I do that."
Jordan Prather | Imagn

To say there is unrest in the Kentucky Football fanbase would be an understatement. With a 3-6 record overall, and 1-6 in the SEC (15th out of 16) things look bleak, and there is still a quarter of the season to go. Considering the regression from the previous two seasons as well, it’s difficult to be optimistic about the future.

Over the last few weeks, rumors have circled that head coach Mark Stoops has considered retiring at the end of the season. Optics wise it makes sense, his older brother Bob Stoops surprisingly retired from Oklahoma at just 56, and Mark, now 57, has expressed a desire to spend more time with his children.

At his weekly press conference, Stoops was asked directly if there is any chance that he would walk away from Kentucky and retire at the season. To which he responded, bluntly:

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“Zero percent chance I do that. Next question.”

Mark Stoops is still owed more than $44 million on his contract. That’s A LOT of money to leave on the table and is the reason that the decision will be Stoops’ to make, as Kentucky cannot afford the buyout.

If Stoops holds true to his word and returns next season, NIL fundraising efforts may be the most difficult it has been for him. However, he hopes it sparks motivation to donate.

“I’ve seen it at other SEC schools,” Stoops said. “I want to stay away from that. I really get tired of — I don’t want to be like I am whining, I am crying. It is reality. You have to have dollars.”

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