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Georgia Head Coach Kirby Smart Responds to Kentucky’s “Cheap Penalties”

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1 year ago

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Kirby Smart responds to dirty plays from Kentucky football.
Sporting News

Going up against the No. 1 team in the country, it is a given that you’re going to have to play physical. That is what Kentucky did against Georgia on Saturday night, but the issue is that they went beyond physical and at times played dirty with late hits and personal fouls.

The two most notable plays came from Kentucky’s trenches. First, offensive lineman Jager Burton performed a “WWE elbow drop”, as the announcer put it, on a Georgia defensive well after the play had ended. This helped halt a promising offensive drive that was already in Georgia territory.

This was followed by another personal foul on the next defensive series, as Kentucky star defensive lineman, Deone Walker, shoved a Georgia player to the ground after the play. The penalty kept the drive alive which allowed the Bulldogs to score their third touchdown of the game and effectively put the game out of reach.

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Combining the margin of defeat with the lack of discipline Kentucky showed, it was undoubtedly one of the most embarssing performances of the Mark Stoops era. After the game, Georgia head coach Kirby Smart spoke on Kentucky’s cheap shots and how his team was able to capitalize.

“We told them. We said, ‘Hey, look, Kentucky’s going to have some penalties. They’ll have guys push you, shove you, or do something to you. Just don’t respond to it,’” Smart said.

“I thought our guys were really good. You know, it really cost them on a drive. They stopped us, and then they had a kid hit Sed. And that converts a 3rd down that we didn’t convert, and we go down and score that drive… So I respect our guys for not retaliating or taking shots when people do things, you know, to take shots at you.”

Kentucky coach Mark Stoops also acknowledged the poor decisions his players made, but it’s his and the rest of the staff’s responsibility to correct that as the Wildcats have entered their toughest stretch of the season.

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Football

Kentucky Athletic Collectives Rank 11th of 16 Teams in SEC, Bring in over $11 Million

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2 weeks ago

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December 10, 2024

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Kentucky ranks 11th of 16 SEC teams in collective fundraising.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

For better or for worse of college sports, NIL is here to stay and it certainly gives an advantage to schools with more money. Just looking at the SEC alone, collectives raised more than $200 million in the 2023-24 fiscal year. Unfortunately, Kentucky is ranked in the lower half of that.

According to documents from the House v. NCAA proposed settlement, Kentucky raised $11,254,204 from athletics collectives for the 2023-24 fiscal year. That ranks 11th of the 15 public universities in the SEC and is just more than half of the top collective, Texas who raised over $22 million.

Full Rankings

Rank
School NameCollective Funding
1Texas22,272,474
2LSU20,137,141
3Georgia18,326,566
4Texas A&M17,228,714
5Alabama15,995,406
6Florida15,802,237
7Oklahoma14,817,595
8Tennessee11,602,164
9Auburn11,588,953
10Arkansas11,544,039
11Kentucky11,254,204
12S. Carolina9,554,700
13Ole Miss8,872,378
14Missouri7,146,859
15Mississippi St.6,467,166
NRVanderbiltNot Available (Private School)

While collective funding is low, Kentucky has been a top 20 athletic program in total revenue, partly thanks to being a school that profits from its basketball program. Looking ahead to 2025, Kentucky is expected to stay in the top 20 nationally in athletic revenue, fifth in the SEC by bringing in an estimated 131,139,792. Ahead of programs like Georgia, LSU, Florida, and Tennessee.

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With revenue sharing coming in the near future, even more money is going to be involved in roster and program building. Schools in the Big Ten and SEC have an even bigger advantage due to their new TV deals, giving them up to an extra $70 million or more.

A new era of college sports is here. It’s time to prepare and embrace it.

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Kentucky Wide Receiver Calls for “A Lot” More Leadership and Accountability from Staff

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3 weeks ago

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December 2, 2024

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Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Stoops walks onto the field before the game against the Louisville Cardinals.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

A poor offensive line. Inconsistent quarterback play. A lot of things led to Kentucky football’s abysmal 2024 season. However, they had the talent to finish better than 4-8, only defeating one power opponent this season. So what could have helped?

Kentucky wide receiver Ja’Mori Maclin was asked that question after the Wildcats’ loss to Louisville on Saturday. To his credit, he answered honestly and professionally.

“A lot more leadership,” Maclin said. “Holding guys accountable for things. A lot more discipline for all the guys… All around, players and coaches. We’re still a team, I don’t want to point at any one person or specific group. All around we need better leadership.”

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Maclin is a junior and could return for another season. Despite talking about Kentucky taking the next step, he has not made his decision and will be returning home to talk to his family to do so. If Maclin does return, it sounds like Kentucky will have a leader in the receiving room.

Despite being a 1,000-yard receiver at North Texas, Maclin was not targeted often. However, on his 13 receptions, he caught four for touchdowns, the most of any receiver on the team.

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Kentucky Player Seen At Concession Stand During Kentucky’s 41-14 Loss to Louisville

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3 weeks ago

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December 2, 2024

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A Kentucky football player was seen at buying food from the concession stand in Kentucky's 41-14 loss to Louisville.

Kentucky’s on-field product against Louisville was poor to say the least, sending 99% of Wildcat fans home early. It even sent an injured player from the sideline to get a snack…

Yes, offensive lineman Gerald Mincey, one of Kentucky’s most expensive transfer portal additions, was seen at one of the concession stands at Kroger Field during Kentucky’s 41-14 defeat.

Watching a 4-8 team is bad, but even worse to do on an empty stomach.

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Mincey is a senior and will not be returning next season, but it is nice to see him reinvesting some money back into the program.

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