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Takeaways from Kentucky’s 29-13 loss to Auburn

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4 years ago

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Kentucky entered the first game of the 2020-21 season with tons of hype surrounding the program. Terry Wilson’s return to the field along with the Cats having an outstanding O-Line lead many to believe Kentucky would come away victorious. However, the eighth ranked Auburn Tigers and Bo Nix had other plans.

Although Kentucky had a fantastic first half, it was quickly overshadowed by a missed touchdown call on a run by Chris Rodriguez. I honestly have no idea how the refs missed it, but they did. This was followed by a pick-six that was then brought back by a targeting call on Auburn, making the halftime score 8-7.

The second half was entirely different. Kentucky’s offense was stagnant and the defense couldn’t stop the Tigers. All of that and three turnovers and the Cats lost a game a lot of people thought they could win.

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Here are some takeaways

Chris Rodriguez did(n’t) score

We all saw the same play right? I guess the officials on the field didn’t, because somehow, they ruled Rodriguez short by a yard.

The officials did makeup for the call by going to instant-replay to see if CB Roger McCreary stepped out-of-bounds on his pick-six. Instead, the play was brought back, targeting was called, and Kentucky went to the locker room down 8-7.

If they get the call right and Kentucky goes to the locker room up 14-8, I think the game is completely different.

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He was in.

Terry Wilson

Terry Touchdown stepped on the field for an actual football game for the first time since September 7th. There was some definite rust from the second-year QB and some mistakes that cost Kentucky the game.

I love Terry, but he made a lot of mental errors today. Dumping it off when an off-sides penalty was called, throwing it away on a two-point conversion, and had some bad reads.

Wilson was 24-37 for 239 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. These stats aren’t bad, but they will be overshadowed by bad decisions and turnovers.

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Bo Nix is really good

Joey Gatewood lost the starting job to Bo Nix. I have never seen Gatewood play, but I can see why Nix got the job over Gatewood.

Nix was 16/27 for 233 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran five times for 34 yards. He picked Kentucky apart all game throwing and running. That and he has a guy named Seth Williams to throw to who’s pretty good.

BossManFat (Kelvin Joseph) got a warm welcome to SEC Football

The BossMan didn’t live up to his name today. Not even close. He got some air-time this afternoon with an unsportsmanlike penalty for shoving an Auburn receiver for no reason and got dunked on by Seth Williams.

I’d change the Twitter name if I was him.

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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

Published

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

Published

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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