I probably missed a thread. I figured they would do something with football today?? Watching this game is getting me fired up !!

This is insanely cool. Wish something similar could be done around CWS instead of academic buildings.

What was the thought process on deleting the thread that chronicled the entire Covid fiasco?

I wonder how many other consolidated years long records like that exist on the internet.

All three CI writers here go under...Your takes?

Hello HOB. Just wanted to give you a heads up that Friday morning is UK Football Media Day 2024. We'll be getting started around 10 ET with Mark Stoops, Bush Hamdan, and Brad White giving their thoughts on the upcoming season before we move on to the players. Be on the lookout for our coverage then!

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MARK STOOPS Q&A:

* Good start to practice. Two days on the grass so far. Really like where we are physically. The S&C coaches have done a great job in the off-season. Teams are a little further along now when camp starts because the NCAA allows you to work more with them in the summer.

* Likes where this team’s depth is. Had a couple of injury situations in the spring, but things look good overall. DLHayes will be out for some time. DL Gadsden will be out for an extended period time. Probably the year on those guys. CB Marshall and DE Henry-Young will also be out a bit. Other than that, pretty good shape.

* Likes the transfers they’ve added. They’ve really helped our team. Took one at just about every position group but TE, and needed those guys. Majority of guys on roster still out of HS and want to keep recruiting and developing there.

* The late juco addition on the DL Dennious Jackson was a guy who can help them with some of the injuries they had up front. Needed him.

* Confident in their OL with Eric Wolford coming back to coach that bunch.

* On the Smith brothers, freshmen from Corbin…. Jarod has put on some weight. Very explosive. Jacob had a shoulder injury in the spring so wasn’t able to do a whole lot, but really likes what they see from him the first couple days of practice.

* On the WR corps and where Hardley Gilmore fits in… HGilmore showed some flashes in the spring, “but he’s a freshman. Give him a chance to grow up and mature and grow. Don’t want to put the expectations too high on any of those young guys.”

* On the defense… Have to get better on 3rd down. Have to get off the field and give the offense more plays, more possessions. We were more disruptive last year, I liked that and want to continue to build on that, but have to finish and get off the field. Corner position has to be more sticky. Sounds like he’d like to play more man/tight coverage this year and win more one-on-ones.

* More guys at CB right now, guys with some experience under their belt now. Likes adding Waller, wants more from JQ and Jantzen. Feels like Hairston is gonna have a big year. Nichols coming along, showed some nice things last year and in the spring. Addison has the skills to help them. Challenging him to take that next step.

* On being here 12 years and how much the job has changed… Since Day 1, you’re always learning and adjusting thru a lot of ups and downs. Doesn’t mean it’s easier now. Every day there is a new challenge. I embrace that.

* On the running game… Really likes what Bush Hamdan does with the running game. Any good OC has that ability to work the run game in. Have to be more physical up front. Have to be able to get those tough yards when the entire stadium knows it’s coming, trying to put games away. Likes what Bush will do with misdirections and some deception in the run game. Good mixture of players in the RB room. Some bruisers and some guys who can go in the open field.

* Kauwe kicked a 50+ FG during live action yesterday. Stoops was really pleased to see that.

* On tempo… Wants more plays, not trying to be up-tempo. Doesn’t want people to misconstrue when he says they’ll play faster. There’s a middle ground between what they’ve been doing and what someone like Missouri or Tennessee does. Wants a better rhythm.

*****

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BUSH HAMDAN Q&A:

* On the role he envisions for Gavin Wimsatt… Thinks they’ll have some “Wildcat” packages for him at the very least. Big, physical player. Dynamic. But it’s only been a couple days of practice, so it’s a wait and see situation.

* Brock Vandagriff is building those skills as a leader, big thing for him in the spring and now into camp. Smart guy, tough guy. Can really run. Similar to what he saw from Brady Cook at that age in this system. He’s a consummate pro. Always in the facility working out, looking at film. Just locking himself in the room and getting work done.

* On the OL going into the season and the run game goals… Good depth up front. Comforting to have Eli Cox up front at center. With all the starts those guys have under the belts, expectations are high for the group.

* Thinks the helmet communication system can help them play faster. Challenge on him is to filter what/how much to give them.

* No. 1 goal in the system is creating explosive plays. Gotta find ways to do that with a guy like Barion Brown. Excited about that potential.

* On tempo balance…. “We’re going to run 100 plays a game.” (Laughs) Jokes that he’s losing sleep over getting that question. Says they have the ability to go fast, but stressing flexibility to do whatever it takes to win the game. They have periods in practice where they’re going as fast as anyone in the country. Other times when they can slow things down. “We’ll have the ability ot play fast and keep people on their feet.”

* TEs … Solid group from top to bottom. Establishing the run and creating explosives are the big goals, so no better player to exploit those things than a tight end. We think those guys will be an integral part of our offense.

* On WR Maclin… In that category with Key and Brown who has played a lot. Impressive with his route-running ability, ability to make guys miss.

* On what he learned/adjusted coming out of spring… The competition level is high in the position groups. May have to adjust some of his thinking on personnel groups and ways to get talented guys on the field. Kinda used an example of using 3 TEs at times.

*****

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BRAD WHITE Q&A:

* Looking back at 2023 and self-scouting, 3rd down defense was obviously an area they have to get fixed. Third-and-long, historically, they’ve been really good. We were not last year, and it cost us.

* On the NT position with injuries they’ve sustained… Other guys have to step up when you lose a player. That’s the reality of sport. If it was going to happen at a position, that was probably the area they are most able to overcome. Have multiple guys who can play different spots across the front.

* On the LB room…. ILB has leadership with D’Eryk Jackson. He’s been good for Pop Dumas-Johnson in helping him adjust to the scheme. Pop has shown what he can do in this league. Excited about him. Raynor continuing to progress. Was at a good level when last season ended, even more command of it now. Afari has the ability to play both inside and out. Real versatile guy. Some young talent coming up. The future is bright. Fast, long, athletic guys. They’ll also help on special teams.

* On Story at S…. Playing in a system like Alabama, you know he can adjust to a lot of things you ask a safety to do. Personality wise, he fits in that room. You feel really good about that room with Childers, Lovett, Bryant, guys who have played in a lot of SEC games. Gives them an opp to be multiple and do different things.

* On Bryant playing a bit last year… Did not anticipate him being able to do that. Really stepped up. Testament to him and his work ethic. Took another step forward this spring. Bigger, stronger.

* On corners playing more “sticky” this season… One of the areas they have to improve this season. Max has put himself in good position at one corner, good competition at the other. Have a lot of bodies that don’t have to take all of the workload. Really competitive room. Excited about how it’s going to play out.

* Guys were disruptive up front last year, as good as since Josh Allen was here. Gotta have that better play on the back end to make it all come together.

* Deone gets the attention he deserves for how disruptive he is up front, but he doesn’t think people realize how well those other DL played last year. Ox was back to himself, and now he’s as big as he was two years ago. More like himself. A lot of guys you can roll in and out up front and keep guys fresh — Silver, Oxendine, Rybka, Glbert, etc.

SIX Gold medals for fmr UK athletes just today.

That’s insane to think about.

UK athletics have dominated at these games this year.

Welcome to the Official Kentucky vs South Carolina Prediction Contest!

Follow the rules below and make your prediction. I'll publish the results after the game. You can put any comment you would like below your score prediction (put '***' after your prediction to make it easier to separate the comments) but try not to put anything above your prediction as my scripts may not be able to find your prediction.

The rules are simple. Whoever predicts the correct winner with the score closest to the actual score wins. The method of determining your score is to take the absolute value of the difference of your guess of the Kentucky score and the actual plus the absolute value of the difference of your guess of the opponent score and the actual. You now don't have to have the correct winner to make the list but you incur a penalty of the worst score of those who picked the correct winner. In case of a tie, the tiebreaker is used. In case of a tie in the tiebreaker, we have more than one winner.

I will be awarding points for the first 10 places and including a bonus of 3 additional points for making a perfect prediction. I will track cumulative point totals and the number of games you make the top 10. This contest will end after the bowl season.

Your post should look something really close to what is between the lines below. Remember the ":"s and the word "Tiebreaker:"! Do not!! use a "-" as a separator because some of our tiebreakers can be negative.

This week's tiebreaker is South Carolina Pass Attempts.

Kentucky vs South Carolina game:

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Kentucky: 27
South Carolina: 14

Tiebreaker: 31
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Just cut and paste everything between the lines above into your reply and then modify the scores and tiebreaker as you see fit. If you don't know how to do that, type very carefully. Remember to type in the word "Tiebreaker:" so that I can find it. Anything my scripts can't figure out will not count.

Don't edit your post or try to post a score after the game has started.

BTW I really would prefer exact names for the teams, but whenever we play Louisville, I'll make an effort to accept any name you can think of that is not obscene.
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Football Prediction Scores - Kentucky vs Southern Miss (tiebreaker was 169 Kentucky Passing Yards):

10 1 . SpeedisEverything : 4 points, tiebreaker=311
9 2 . Catapult : 6 points, tiebreaker=195
8 3 . UKAlum84 : 6 points, tiebreaker=300
7 4 . maysvilleky : 10 points, tiebreaker=195
6 5 . BigBlueFanGA : 10 points, tiebreaker=275
5 6 . Old_Red : 13 points, tiebreaker=216
4 7 . Hang_Time_2 : 13 points, tiebreaker=238
3 8 . Chad Rock : 13 points, tiebreaker=243
2 9 . Bigbluecaleb : 13 points, tiebreaker=267
1 10 . ILiveBlue-GoCats : 13 points, tiebreaker=279
.. 11 . yes_takeaside : 14 points, tiebreaker=222
.. 12 . FormerlyKnownAsSOLLY: 14 points, tiebreaker=235
.. 13 . Creed Bratton : 14 points, tiebreaker=268
.. 14 . ukalum1988 : 14 points, tiebreaker=276
.. 15 . Roe07 : 14 points, tiebreaker=280
.. 16 . number8please : 14 points, tiebreaker=3
.. 17 . gojvc : 16 points, tiebreaker=245
.. 18 . dyersburgcatfan : 16 points, tiebreaker=265
.. 19 . ArtLaibsGhost : 16 points, tiebreaker=305
.. 20 . JPFisher : 17 points, tiebreaker=218
.. 21 . docholiday51 : 17 points, tiebreaker=246
.. 22 . JSgorocks : 17 points, tiebreaker=260
.. 23 . warrior-cat : 17 points, tiebreaker=265
.. 24 . catsfanbgky : 18 points, tiebreaker=224
.. 25 . Blueisbest : 18 points, tiebreaker=246
.. 26 . kywildcat41086 : 18 points, tiebreaker=255
.. 27 . Burgcatfan : 18 points, tiebreaker=301
.. 28 . truckbrandon : 19 points, tiebreaker=268
.. 29 . bluecoon1 : 20 points, tiebreaker=245
.. 30 . M4CAT : 20 points, tiebreaker=250
.. 31 . pumpedupcats : 20 points, tiebreaker=275
.. 32 . rivercatinfl : 20 points, tiebreaker=280
.. 33 . RedLotMudcat : 20 points, tiebreaker=316
.. 34 . TNCatfanforever : 21 points, tiebreaker=175
.. 35 . Corbin_Creeper : 21 points, tiebreaker=188
.. 36 . BurgLife : 21 points, tiebreaker=197
.. 37 . pappy52 : 21 points, tiebreaker=255
.. 37 . TheBlueCat : 21 points, tiebreaker=255
.. 39 . WalterTheHippo : 21 points, tiebreaker=258
.. 40 . ORCAT : 21 points, tiebreaker=262
.. 41 . *CatinIL* : 21 points, tiebreaker=263
.. 42 . UK Cats1 : 21 points, tiebreaker=275
.. 43 . cat888 : 21 points, tiebreaker=277
.. 44 . BC_Wader : 21 points, tiebreaker=316
.. 45 . TOMCATS1990 : 22 points, tiebreaker=248
.. 46 . jimmy cowboy : 22 points, tiebreaker=275
.. 47 . WellerSR : 23 points, tiebreaker=260
.. 48 . Uk##1 : 23 points, tiebreaker=266
.. 49 . cat tat2 : 23 points, tiebreaker=277
.. 50 . kybloo92 : 24 points, tiebreaker=215
.. 51 . UK Widget : 24 points, tiebreaker=252
.. 52 . Dncmaxwell : 24 points, tiebreaker=256
.. 53 . BeardedKatFan : 24 points, tiebreaker=290
.. 54 . howercat : 24 points, tiebreaker=295
.. 55 . blubo : 24 points, tiebreaker=301
.. 56 . BlueInTheBoro : 24 points, tiebreaker=309
.. 57 . Nuke99m : 24 points, tiebreaker=312
.. 58 . secrules3 : 25 points, tiebreaker=250
.. 59 . TheKentuckyKid : 27 points, tiebreaker=266
.. 60 . rockycard : 27 points, tiebreaker=275
.. 61 . TuckyFB : 27 points, tiebreaker=279
.. 62 . XanderL : 28 points, tiebreaker=236
.. 63 . Jazzycat : 28 points, tiebreaker=245
.. 64 . 19jhadams : 28 points, tiebreaker=258
.. 65 . CatOnRockyTop : 28 points, tiebreaker=266
.. 66 . THE_HOOK : 30 points, tiebreaker=280
.. 67 . Ky grandpa : 31 points, tiebreaker=296
.. 68 . cathouse : 31 points, tiebreaker=300
.. 69 . Short-Dawg-69 : 34 points, tiebreaker=294
.. 70 . kywildcatsfannumber1: 35 points, tiebreaker=230


Football Prediction Contest Leader Board:

10 : SpeedisEverything
9 : Catapult
8 : UKAlum84
7 : maysvilleky
6 : BigBlueFanGA
5 : Old_Red
4 : Hang_Time_2
3 : Chad Rock
2 : Bigbluecaleb
1 : ILiveBlue-GoCats


Players Who've Made the Top Ten at Least Once:

1 : Bigbluecaleb
1 : BigBlueFanGA
1 : Catapult
1 : Chad Rock
1 : Hang_Time_2
1 : ILiveBlue-GoCats
1 : maysvilleky
1 : Old_Red
1 : SpeedisEverything
1 : UKAlum84


Total Players:
Kentucky vs Southern Miss : 70

Season Average for Players: 70.0


Football Prediction Champs:
Kentucky vs Southern Miss : SpeedisEverything: 4


@Deeeefense

Just wondering when people were planning to set their tent frames for tailgating? Are any up yet?

Just for anyone interested; I did a little searching of some news from Southern Miss practice this past week.

-It seems Tate Rodemaker (FSU transfer) is getting the upper hand in the QB battle. Apparently only had 1 incompletion in Tuesday's practice.
-Ole Miss transfer WR Simmons is looking really good and has been the most impressive player in camp according to coach Hall. 2 TDs today in scrimmage including a 1 handed catch.
-Transfers in general are leading the way on defense; as both interceptions in today's scrimmage were by Mississippi State transfer DBs and the WKU LB transfer had some impressive plays as well, blowing up plays in the backfield. But it was noted that the secondary didn't have a very good day overall however it seems they are temporarilymissing a couple guys, but the DL is apparently stout. 6 "sacks"(touches) today.
-In the interview after scrimmage, Hall kept repeating how happy he is and praising a handful of guys. Made the statement that it's the best players he has ever had. It seems he believes he has a good team this year.

I think this game may be a bit closer than many think. A handful of Power 4 transfers starting, mixed with a new offense for us and our game 1 history. Probably one of the better G5 schools we have opened with in awhile.

I rewatched the Georgia game from last year in its entirety and wanted to jot down some of the things that stood out to me.

Coaching
Stoops- Really embarrassing in terms of getting this team ready to play. The defense came out flat. Two just god awful personal foul penalties were just plain embarrassing considering this was the primetime ESPN game. One of the worst performances of the Stoops era. I remember being livid after the game and I was assuming after rewatching I would think that maybe my anger was just a heat of the moment type reaction... It was not. My frustration was entirely justified

Brad White- If you are not a fan of Brad White you could basically just show this game's tape as proof why. This might've been one of the worst defensive performances by any team this season. Beck was 21/26 for 307 yards and 3 touchdowns in the first half. Georgia scored on every possession including a 20 second 38 yard play drive to get a field goal in before the half. The only other first half drive that didn't end in a touchdown required maybe the greatest tight end in college football history to drop a wide open touchdown pass. Mike Bobo made Brad White look like he's never coached a football game before. Hell Beck started the game 11/11 before Brad White even considered bringing any sort of pressure. The fact we had our corners 10 yards off their receivers but had the safeties damn near in the box is one of the most mind boggling coaching decisions I have ever seen. As bad as White has been against Tennessee this was his worst performance.

Coen: Thought Coen called a really good game. Schemed guys open and got creative in the run game. Most of the drives stalling out had nothing to do with the play calls. When Coen got aggressive he could be so so good at drawing up plays.

Frank Buffano: Should've just left his ass in Georgia

Players
QB: Leary was bad. Missed several open receivers and showed no ability to run or extend plays. The miss of Tayvion Robinson on the first drive is one of the worst missed passes I can remember. QB play needs to be an improvement this year because the difference between Leary and Beck was stark.

RB:: Ray was good man. Consistently found holes and unlike the rest of the season was pretty efficient on the ground in this game. A lot of 4-6 yards runs and did a good job avoiding the negative plays for the most part. Underrated part of his game was his ability to pick up rushers in pass pro.

WR: I was surprised going back and watching and seeing the ability of Key and Brown to beat Georgia's best corners. Lassitter was much better than Everette and Lassitter is gone. Key had a good stat line for the game and it was easy to see why. His route running was surprisingly really crisp in this game. I never felt Brown was used correctly under Coen and that remained true in this game. Too many deep balls which Leary never seemed to be able to complete, That being said Brown was open quite a bit and was able to get a step or two on the receivers on the go routes, Ultimately doesn't matter when the pass lands three yards out of bounds.

OL: The crazy thing about Jager is I would argue that he is a pretty good olineman on 90% of plays. The issue is the other 10% plays he is the worst player to ever play football. Definitely a burn the tape kind of game for Burton. (Really more a burn the 3-4 plays in the first half). Honestly thought the Oline was solid in this game. I was extremely underwhelmed by Georgia's Dline in the first half of this game. They were nothing special at all. Hell their only sack was from JDJ shooting right up the middle. They got home more in the second half but they gave our tackles zero issues. I am not sure they will be able to push around Oline much more this year

DL: Likely Deone's worst game. It was weird seeing him manhandled by Georgia's Oline. He needs to be better against that level of opponent next year. Actually thought Ox was excellent in this game and gave Georgia's tackles issues especially when they tried to bounce runs outside.

LB: I thought Weaver looked the part in a lot of this game. He was hurrying the QB and seemed to be all over the field. I do think he either needs to be a bit stronger or a step quicker to really be elite. If anyone is a non-believer in D-Jack this is probably a good example to use. Seemed to be out of position and his lack of elite athleticism was on display. Trevin Wallace's athleticism will be missed. His inability to ever be in the right position will not.

CB: Hairston may have a chance to be the second best corner in college football next year. He was excellent in this game. He got beat twice but both times required absolutely perfect throws and unreal catches that you just have to tip your hat to. I think Phillips was decent as a Nickel but I will die on the hill that he was horrid as a corner. I get the NFL liked his traits but he was terrible for most of the season last year. Georgia picked on him over and over again and he never once looked like he even belonged on the field. Also Jordan Robinson is the worst player to ever play meaningful snaps for Kentucky and I am not sure that is a hyperbole.

Safeties: Lovett and Childress need to get a whole hell of a lot better next year, This was some of the worst levels of safety play I have ever seen. Runs support, coverage, tackling, basically every part of the game they were putrid. We need someone in this room to take a step up next year.

Anthony Felesi says Kentucky is one of the top five schools in pursuit in his recruitment, along with BYU, Utah, UCLA, and Houston. Top-25 level of talent in 2026. Prior relationship with Pope and Fueger from BYU.

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Just seeking tickets for the 8/31 game. Need 3 preferably but would consider 4. Let me know if you're selling by response or dm.

Thanks

Currently Jackson is not listed in the top 50 linebackers for next years draft. I bet he can get drafted within two rounds of JDJ. Currently he is ranked as the 84th ranked NFL Draft prospect for next year.
Anyone think someone becomes a dawg in the TE room?

Tied 1-1 with #2 Nebraska on ESPN right now. Playing at the YUM Center. U ol L plays #3 Wisconsin right after.