Welcome to the Big Blue Insider on a Friday, one more sleep until Kentucky football Tomorrow night. As you know, Wildcats and the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, a game you'll hear right here on six thirty WLAP seven forty five kickoff thanks TV. Our radio coverage begins at five point thirty with campdown to kickoff, Christy Thomas, Jeremy Jarman, and the newest member of our team, Logan Stenberg, the former
Kentucky All American offensive lineman. He'll be sharing his knowledge of the trenches on the offensive side of the ball, knocking heads with mister Jarman again. So that'll be a lot of fun tomorrow. But it may not be a fun as fun an atmosphere as you would like to have on opening Day because it's gonna rain at some point tomorrow. It's gonna rain, so it's either gonna be humid it'll cool off for the game, or rain during the game. But hey, it's Opening night, so let's just
all enjoy it. And in fact, college football has already begun, but it begins for the Big Blue Nation tomorrow night, a game you'll hear right here on six thirty WLAP coming up tonight, well, tonight is game night as well. UK Volleyball in Action. The Bluegrass Battle cranks up this weekend at Memorial Coliseum. The new and improved Memorial Coliseum,
the Wildcats take on Northern Kentucky at six thirty. I would say it's probably six thirty ish because prior to that match, Morehead State takes on Western Kentucky at four o'clock. I got to think that's going to be done and plenty of time for Kentucky and the North to knockheads at six thirty. Then on Saturday, the Wildcats take on
Western Kentucky at five thirty. You can do it. Not impossible volleyball football doubleheader, but Western Kentucky Wildcats at five point thirty, And on Sunday, Kentucky takes on Morehead State at one o'clock. All of these games will be streamed on SEC Network Plus. Now. Unfortunately, it's going to be what they call a pass through. It's going to be just the cameras they have in the coliseum. I don't know that there's even going to be any audio at all.
Because of the construction that's still ongoing at Memorial Coliseum. It affects the control room set up and stuff like that. It's kind of a long story, but the bottom line is you can watch it, you can check in on it if you like. As a volleyball Wildcats open the home portion of their schedule following that lost tough one to Nebraska on Tuesday night, three to one over in Louisville.
Mentioned college football already underway. It opened big last weekend in Dublin, Ireland, as you well know, but a lot of action last night involving some top twenty five teams. Missouri beat Murray State fifty one to nothing. And this was called the Mystery game because murray has sixty new players. So of course the Racers and their staff they had all summer long to scout and study Missouri, which is
a really good team last year. If you're Missouri, how do you know what to look for with Murray State? You can you can scout the new coaching staff at Murray State and look at see what they have done in the past. But they brought in sixty new players. Of course, Murray State plays at the FCS level, so they're going to have a lot of players just looking for a chance to play, looking for playing time, and they got it, but they did not play well last night.
By the time they played Kentucky, of course the Racers will have figured out a lot, but last night they just couldn't get it going. In course, Missouri really good. So the Racers with a new head coach, two new offensive coordinators, they have co coordinators, a new DC, and more than sixty new players, just couldn't get it done last night. Their starting quarterback as a kid named Jaden Johansson.
He last played at South Dakota School of the Mines, not South Dakota or South Dakota State, South Dakota School of the Mines. So where do you go to figure things out? Well, Missouri did it. Like I said, fifty one nothing was the final. Missouri, by the way, ranked number eleven in the ESPN. Pull Utah number twelve, beat Southern Utah last night forty nine to nothing. Kansas, ranked
twenty third, beat Lyndenwood forty eight to three. NC State, which is ranked twenty fourth, had a little bit of trouble, fell behind fourteen to seven in the first quarter to Western Carolina, but then beat the Catamounts with twenty one points in the fourth quarter. This one was tight going into the fourth. In fact, Western Carolina led it twenty one to seventeen, but NC State, with three tds in the fourth quarter, wins it thirty eight to twenty one.
Another high profile game, North Carolina beat Minnesota nineteen to seventeen, but the biggest story there was Tario starting quarterback Max Johnson carried off the field with a hip in injury in the third quarter. If you recognize that name, that's because you've seen him already with two different SEC schools. Started his career at LSU. He's the son of former NFL quarterback Brad Johnson, who played, of course, for Billy
Rutledge's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He didn't get much clock as much as he wanted at LSU, so he transfers to Texas A and m played a couple of years there, but then left for North Carolina. Wins the starting job over sophomore Connor Harrel, but then couldn't finish the game because he was carried off, as I said, with a hip injury. So keep an eye on that. Not the Kentucky plays North Carolina, but you never know what you're
going to see in the postseason. Rutgers beat Howard forty four to seven, and I checked on this one for a couple of reasons. One of the headlines was Rutgers scores a late touchdown and it ticked off the coach at Howard thought they were running up the score. But the quarterback for Rutgers, Athan Colliagemnis, had a nice game one hundred and forty seven yards and three touchdown passes. He's the guy who took over for Gavin Wimsen, who is now a Kentucky Wildcat. So Rutgers now moving on
without a guy who's on the Kentucky roster. One other SEC team in action last night, Arkansas played Arkansas Pine Bluff and one easily final seventy to nothing. Coach Prime in Colorado's made a lot of noise in the offseason, sparring and feuding with the media. His team did win its opener last night, but North Dakota State had a pass in the air that, had it gone for a touchdown,
would have meant an upset win. But one of the bigger headlines was an interception that Shador Sanders, the quarterback through in the third quarter, an end zone interception. His team was down twenty one seventeen and they are on the five yard line. He throws into the end zone.
He underthrows the ball, might have been trying to throw it away, but it kind of sank and it bounced off the leg of a North Dakota State lineman up into the air and it was picked off by the Bison, but they still Colorado still survived and pulled off the wind behind Travis Hunter, who was an early Heisman Trophy candidate. In fact, he caught the touchdown pass late his second of the game that put Colorado in the lead. But if you can find that video online easy to find,
just google it. You'll see it's one of the stranger interceptions you've seen in a while, might be the weirdest one you see all year long. Tragic news out of Columbus, Ohio, where the Blue Jackets are mourning the loss of one of their players, Johnny Gaudreau and his brother Matthew, both
killed in a bicycle accident up in New Jersey. A drunk driver apparently was trying to pass some vehicles on a backcountry road were bicycling in the other lane, and the drunk driver didn't see Hi until it was too late, hit them both and they both died on the scene, so terrible accident that cost the Blue Jackets one of their players, along with his brother up in New Jersey. Over in New York City, former Kentucky Wildcat Gabriel Diallo with another win at the US Open, his first main
draw win of his career at a Grand Slam. He upsets twenty four seed Arthur Fives in that second round he was a qualifier into the main draw. Diallo now has won five straight matches at Billy Jean King National Tennis Center, so he will play fourteenth seeded Tommy Paul in the round of thirty two. A couple of NFL notes before he hit the breake the Niners and Brandon Aiyuk, the talented wide receiver, finally reached a contract deal four years,
one hundred and twenty million dollar extensions. So if he's on your fantasy team, yeah, go ahead and play figure he'll be in the lineup. And Brendan Bates it looks like has made an NFL roster the former Kentucky tight end, but not with the Chicago Bears where he was. He was picked up by the New York Jets, so he is now on the main roster. At least for now with Aaron Rodgers and the rest of Gang Green over there, and so he will be apparently on an opening day
roster going up next week. Good for Brendan Bates. Meanwhile, a couple of his former Wildcat teammates have not made the cut. Devin Leary cut by the Baltimore Ravens. Not really a surprise, he did not play well in preseason action. Tayshaun Manning also cut by the Ravens. He of course, started his career at Auburn and then went through the portal to Lexington, played this last year at Kentucky. When we come back, we'll talk Wildcat football. Bottom of the hour.
Johnny Cox, the radio voice of the Southern Mists Eagles. Yes name as the former Wildcat basketball star. Not related, but a lot of his family members went to UK and as a kid, the Southern miss radio announcer went to several games at Stole Field and watched the Wildcats.
We'll hear about that at the bottom of the hour here on six point thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blue and Sider Dick Abriel with you Friday, the day before game day and coming up in just a few minutes, we're gonna learn more about Southern Miss from John Cox. He is the playback play man for Southern Miss football, baseball, and basketball. Took over doing football nineteen
seventy nine. He's been there ever since. He called that Southern Miss upset back in twenty sixteen here in Lexington of the Wildcats, when the Wildcats jumped out to the big lead and then gave it up and more, and the Golden Eagles came back and won. And then of course Kentucky goes down to Hattiesburg and wins the following year.
But he also called the win over Louisville. This was back when Brett Farv was a Southern Miss Golden Eagle quarterback and was not highly tattered when he got there, but won the job, went on to do great things, you know what he did, Hall of Fame career in the NFL, won a Super Bowl for my Packers. But one of the great moments in Southern missistory, of course, is the upset went over Kentucky, but they beat Louisville
on the last play of the game. The score was tied at ten, the ball on USM's twenty one yard line, so Truehill Mary Brett Favre rolls out and just heaves it down the field and the ball was tipped usm ran it in for the touchdown, much like the Bluegrass Miracle or LSU came back and beat Kentucky. John Cox again behind the microphone, and this is how he called that play one of the greatest in the history of Golden Eagle football.
Free wide receivers left side, one to the right side, dropped back to under pressure, scrambles right get away from Washington. He's gonna throw it as far as he can down the field. It is tift that tip by Tilma come at.
Twenty put steal us out. They still talk about that play as well they should in Hattiesburg. And what's wild about that year for Southern miss was earlier that season, the Golden Eagles had upset Florida State thirty to twenty six down in Tallahassee. So, yeah, that was a magical season for the Golden Eagles and they're hoping to pull off some more magic coming up against the Kentucky Wildcats. So we'll hear from John Cox. You'll talk about that play.
But before we get back to Kentucky football, I did want to mention the fact that some good news from the Bengals camp. I was talking about players who got cut and got signed and re signed in the previous segment, and the Bengals actually picked up Tayshaun Manning, the former Wildcats. So he's on the practice squad for the and so is Logan Woodside. He of course, is from Frankfort, Kentucky,
played his college football at Toledo. Is drafted by the Bengals in twenty eighteen, bounced around a little bit, has played in the NFL, but just has them been able to catch on with anybody. Played for the Titans, played for the Falcons, played in the Alliance of American Football. But now he is gainfully employed on the practice squad by the Cincinnati Bengals. Not too far from home. A
former Franklin County flyer, Logan Woodside. All right, back to the Wildcats taking on Southern miss a team with lots of new players, a new coaching staff, a new offense, a quarterback who is transferred in from Florida State. And I was just talking about that upset they pulled back in twenty sixteen. Somebody asked Brad White whether they'll use that or he has used that with a defense to motivate.
Of course, Brad White wasn't here, None of these kids was here, so no, he didn't really have to do that. He said, is guys are already dialed in.
We don't need to look back like that to get motivation. There's plenty of recent occurrences, you know where if we don't play well, you know, you're in a dog fight for four quarters and sometimes you're on the wrong end. They're close to the wrong end. So our guys understand that there's no I've got no worries about them and being a letdown or looking ahead or any of that. Their sole focus has been Southern Myss.
They've go hard into it.
You know, we've we've tried to do a real deep dive. You know, there's a lot of unknowns, you know, sort of stepping in one because it's the first game too. It's a different coordinator, three, a lot of different personnel. So there's they we've got a focus and the focus has been on us to execute.
You know, games like that really only have a shelf life in terms of the player's memory and their emotions for a year or two. If you're so many years removed. They don't know about it, they don't care. In fact, I remember and people a week and fans kept asking players about those long losing streaks, the Florida and Tennessee, and we think about the Tennessee Streek. The Florida streak was worse, actually, and Stoops pointed it out to us.
He said, our players keep actually in sort of puzzled about why we keep wondering about that, because they're not responsible for it. If you're a player and your team has been involved in a streak like that, at worst, you're responsible for three maybe four years responsibly, meaning you've been on the team that long, not personally responsible. So to ask about a loss eight years ago, nah, Now that's not going to come up in practice, in the dorms,
in the locker room, not at all. Quite Frankly, I think we in the media talk about it more than anybody because we have all this time to fill and colin inches to fill, and feature stories to write and people to interview. I don't even know if fans really worry about it or think that much about it, but certainly the coaches and the players do not. There are so many story lines out there, especially an important one.
I can't remember who brought it up on the show, but somebody mentioned the corner spot, cornerback spot opposite Maxwell Harston. That guy is going to get a lot of work whoever is rotating in because well, people aren't gonna throw at Maxwell Harston on the depth chart right now. JQ Hardaway is the starter, backed up by Jansen Dunn. But that person's gonna have to be on top of his game because, like I said, no one's gonna want to
throw to the side wherever Maxwell Harston is. But the guy I'm gonna kind of iso on from the sideline is Jamon Dumas. Johnson don't want to be called pop anymore, but we talked to him earlier in the year about what he brings to that position. Playing alongside the Eric Jackson, it gives Kentucky a great one two punch up the middle.
You know, Djako physical back, you know, just like me. So you know you got like I said earlier in spring, you got two outfits in the middle. You know, I think that's better than one always. You know, two physical backs that can run a hit and smart at the same time. You know, long we get on the same page and build. The only thing we're building up is right now is our chemistry right now, and I'm excited to see what two and fifty four do the season.
So Dumus Johnson transfers in from Georgia, where he was only an All American, but as you know, they recruited over him, so he's wearing blue now. But you know, the one transfer we haven't talked much about is Gerald Mincy, and he is penciled in as a starter on the offensive line. He came from Tennessee, which has, of course the jail break offense, and now Kentucky is going up Temple. Although we have been told repeatedly that it's not going to look as it's not gonna be as fast as Tennessee.
It's not gonna look like Tennessee's offense, but it will be up Temple. But to hear Mincy talk about it, he believes that based on his knowledge of both, it could be as fast or faster.
It's just the same, but a little worse because we've got to run our sides on to the right, and then we got to hurry up to the ball, you know what I mean. So when we when we had the scrimmages and we see like, oh wow, like we could actually catch the defense off guard and stretch stretch the defense out and then throw it over.
Talk.
We just all bought into the system and all bought into what it take to prepare to have our offense because our rule is to be the number one offense in the SEC. So I think we have a good group of guys right now that we could do that, and we just got to keep working.
So not quite as fast as Tennessee, but but still faster.
Nah.
Probably probably a little faster we go we go see Saturday, Probably a little faster because were gonna try to really push the tip over, really wear these guys out there.
And of course this could be the year. We say this every year that the tight ends put up big numbers for the Wildcats. But you never do know about this new offense. You do know Kentucky has a lot of talent in the tight end room, including Josh Catis and he is back, he is healthy, and he is impressed with the quarterbacks, all of them in that room, and thinks that they will be productive, which means the tight ends should be productive.
You know, three new quarterbacks, it's it's obviously, you know, Uh, we got to get adjusted to it, but we did. We had a we had o t as all summer, fall camp, everything. So there's a lot of talent in that room. I think some of the most we've seen probably in the past couple of years. But they're all doing great, and uh, you know, I'm really excited about Brock and about Gavin. I think they're going to do good things both for us. And then Cutter has a
lot of talent. He's got to keep keep working hard, and I think he could really be the future.
The key, of course for the tight Ends is this new up temple offense, which should mean if things are happening right and they don't turn the ball over more plays. That's the number one culprit behind the lack of plays to the tight ends through the years. Kentucky just hasn't run enough plays on offense to spread it out, and as Kata said, he thinks they're all going to eat center Miss. Broadcaster John Cox next on six thirty w l A P. Welcome back to the Big Blue Insider,
joining us on our celebrity hotline. As a gentleman, I've not had the pleasure of a meeting, but we have chatted prior to the interview and texted back and forth. John Cox, the radio voice of the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. And before we get into your long and illustrious resume and background, John, you hit me with a Stole Field reference when we were first texting back and forth and
kind of knocked me out of my chair. But you've got a deep family background with the state of Kentucky, don't you.
Yeah, no question about it. My dad's family all grew up in Wolfe County, obviously not too far away from Lexington. My dad got graduated from UK, My sister has several degrees, had several degrees from UK, and talked there for a long time. In the first college football game that ever went to, I couldn't tell you the year, but it was at old Stole Field there, which I don't think even exists anymore. And I want to say, I want to say John Ray was the head coach back in
those days. So so yeah, I spent a lot of time in my lifetime in Lexington. Loved Elecxedon, was excited when we came there to play first time back at nineteen eighty six, and excited me back here this weekend and one of the great places for sports le to Kentucky.
Yeah, you're right about John Ray being the coach, and as I relate to you, he didn't have a whole lot of success, but he did lobby for a new stadium and they built Commonwealth Stadium now Kroger Field, and of course they own They offered him John a one year contract extension, which of course no coach could work with that, so he basically parted company. Frank Kersey came in and you know the rest. So you you really
go back with Kentucky football. Before I ask you about your team, I need to ask you about that game you called back here. What was it twenty sixteen when Southern Mississippi raced a huge halftime deficit. What are your memories of that that upset win?
Well, and I think we're all excited to be there and you never know quite well it's going to happen. But we got off to just a horrible start in that ballgame. Most of it was a Kentucky but we helped him a little bit, and you know, you kind of sitting there thinking this one is over, and then you get into that second half, and we got a little closer, a little closer and made some big plays and next thing you know, we've got a chance to win the ball game and hang on to win that.
It was an exciting one, much better than my previous game I called there back in eighty six, where I think Kentucky won thirty two to nothing to eat. So that last trip is certainly a whole lot better than the first.
Kentucky came down the next year and turned the tables on Southern Miss. But that was a tight one, and you guys had a really good running back, Dave Kentucky all at one. And this has turned into a really interesting rivalry, hasn't it.
Yeah, it's been a lot of fun. It's you know, we enjoyed Southern Mis enjoys playing teams out of the Southeast Conference. You always played Alabama and Albury quite a bit, played at Georgia quite a bit, a few times with LSU. We played some against Old Miss and Mississippi State that had a little success there, and so those are hard to those two were skeat Hartman schedule anymore. But we
played Florida, so we played at South Carolina. We've played a lot of the teams in both the Old Southeastern Conference and the New Southeastern that conference, So always a great challenge for stead of Miss. Always a lot of fun for our fans. They love to travel, they go and go with the system out everywhere we played, we'll have a good crowd all on Saturday for the ballgame. So always fun to play teams in the SEC.
Talking to John Cox, radio voice of the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. He is a director of sports broadcasting at USM and has had that position since nineteen seventy nine. More than five hundred football games called, more than twenty
two hundred baseball twelve hundred basketball games. So you've seen a lot in your time Hattiesburg, and you've seen a lot of great athletes come through that football program because they can't all go to SEC schools, or sometimes the SEC misses on kids and they wind up at a place like us M.
Well, you know that's the secret is, you know, our guys go out and kind of find them. I mean, there's you know, Brett Parr comes to mind, Brett Barb. His choices were Southern Miss, Pearl River Community College in Delta State, just free that he had a chance to get to and you know, he came to Southern Myths, but they thought he might it's nothing more, he might try to be a good punter. He was a good punter in high school, but they knew he could throw the ball, and you know, he got a chance to
play and the rest is history. Ray Guy was another guy that you know, it was not all that well recruited coming out of the Georgia back out of there in the early seventies and turned out to be, you know, the greatest punter you know of all time. So on and on down the line. There's a lot of great ones in of sports at Southern Mists who got turned down by other schools and wound up at Southern Mists and the rest is history.
We talked about those two games a few years ago. But what about now, John, what do you expect from this team? I know everybody's kind of flying in the dark right now.
Well, I think I think it'll be a better Southern miss team than a year ago. When you look at their roster of the one hundred and thirteen guys, I think that they list on the roster one hundred and ten of them now are guys at will Hall and his coaching staff have recruited. There's no longer the three guys that they sort of inherited when Will took over
a few years ago. And you know, he's kind of adopted the same philosophy that they always have around Southern diss you know, kind of draw that circle a couple of hundred miles around Hattiesburg and go find the best players that you can and no reason to fly halfway across the country. And you know, they do a good job of finding those guys. Some guys that aren't highly
recruited to turn out to be really good players. And so I think this team, if you look up and down this Golden Eagle roster, you find a lot of those guys that probably didn't have a lot for the Division one offers and some that did. And of course, like most teams nowadays, it's a team that has got quite a bit of guys that they brought in out
of the transfer portal and things like that. So I think Will finally got the type of players for the type of team that he likes to have at Southern Minsfield. They'll play aggressively if you're on defense, they'll do a lot of different things offensively all start quarterback or quarterback is tat Rodymaker, who's the new guy who's transferred in from Florida State, backed up by Ethan Crawford. And so
they picked up a few guys like that. So I'm excited about anxious to see how they're going to play on Saturday against the big Blue up there lessons.
Mark Stubs said he thought that USM had what ten transfers and offensive lowers at the total ten.
There's quite a few. I don't know honestly that I know the number there are. There are several an offense I think maybe now, Mark, he may be right, but it's I think most of them that I have noticed so far anyway had been on the offensive. But I know there's some deep bits of guys as well. But the total number, I'm not quite sure.
Gotcha, Well, you know everybody has got the transfers going, except I guess for Clemson because you know, as you know, KENTUCKYO start a quarterback who came through the portal. And you and I have both been in this business for a long time, you a little bit longer than I. But uh, it has changed so radically, so drastically hasn't it John not necessarily for the better. I know a lot of kids are benefiting, but there are going to be some kids who are left out of the picture
thanks to all these transfers. But it's kind of hard to keep up, isn't it.
It really is? Uh.
You know, you know when you do what we do, you know, you used to could get used to that roster and it wouldn't change very much over a three or four year period. You don't have to learn about, you know, half a dozen new players, maybe a dozen new players. Now you've got to sit down and you know, virtually the whole roster has changed. And there are I said, a lot of guys that come in and stay around for a few years. But you know, there's a lot of guys that come in and play one year and
move on, or two years and move on. So it's changed the game. It's changed things for the for the play by play guys and their preparation and things like that. I maybe even for the fans. You know, the fans have to kind of renew their knowledge of me to root for and which players to look for and things like that. So but that's the way it is. And
I see it a lot in basketball. I see it in baseball, and you know, and and Southern missus right and over everybody else bringing guys from all over the country, all over the world for that matter, when it comes to basketball and sports like that.
I'm talking to John Cox, radio voice of Southern miss And by the way, UK fans, I don't know if it's on YouTube or somewhere, John, but it might make them feel good to go back to your nineteen eighty nine call of the miraculous touchdown throw by Brett Favre to beat Louisville. That had to be one of your favorite memories.
Yeah, that's uh, that's one. You know, Brett, Brett and I talk about that. Brett leaves here in town, so occasionally we was sitting down and Chatt and you know he that was just the first of many miraculous things he did to help the Golden Eagles win games and go on to do that in the Packers and the the NFL. But yeah, that was in the old stadium there, Yeah, in Louisville, and you know that was and late in
the game and he rolls out to throw. You knew it was going to be the final pluck of the ball game, and he rolls out to his right and big Ted Washington, a big defensive line guy for Louisville, almost hands him down and Brett somehow throws it as far as he can down the field, and I think the Cardinals got a piece of it, and Darryll till We caught it. The Eagles and the two Louisville guys kind of fell down and Kilman rand in the end
zone for a touchdown. So just one of many miraculous plays and reckless wins for Brett Park in his career, not only Southern Miss but up in Green Bank.
We'll talk more with John Cox on the other side of the break here on the Big Blue and Sider on six thirty WLAP Welcome back. We're talking with John Coxy is the radio voice of the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles. Of course, they'll play the Wildcats tomorrow night at Kroger Field. It's a team that is coming in just like Kentucky, with a lot of new faces and a lot of question marks. But as we've talked all week and really all summer, or Kentucky fans have seen Southern Miss come
in here and win. They've seen the Wildcasts go down to Hattiesburg and pull up a win. And John Cox has been there for all of it. And John, as we mentioned, you have been just a fixture in that radio booth. A kid from Middletown, Ohio ends up in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He went to school there, right.
I did.
I did.
I'll say how I found out about it. I was like every other kid, every other kid. I played Middletown High School, which is halfway between Cincinnati end date and home. And Jerry Lucas books, Carter, Chris Carter, guys like that, and so you know, looking for playing a book, although I didn't play a whole lot, and I was looking
through a street in Smith's College. A basketball yearbook in Southern miss the year before I came down had gone to twenty four in basketball, and the coach Deep Clark, who's from Ashland, Kentucky, had played at Boyd County and maybe coach there for a while, was quoted as saying, we're going to be quicker next year, even at me fat sacrificing heights and I'm five a. I thought that sounds good, and I wrote him a letter. They wrote me back, said if you want to try out. We
can't promise anything. I came down here almost sight unseen, play a little bit of JV basketball, got into the bing in the things, and have never left so basketball and brought me to Southern miss Fact today, what is it.
About that university that is just grabbed me. I mean, you've got a great job, obviously, but you could have pursued other broadcasting positions. But there are so many people move in our business, like, you know, no mads, But why have you stayed put for so long?
Well, you know, the guys I listened to growing up were guys that I had. Martin Warren Johnson was a guy in Middletown who did Middletown High School games and Miami of Ohio for years and years. The guys I listened to, Van Vance was one of those, yeah too, in Louisville. You know, Van was there, you know forever. Kwood led at Kentucky, you know, have stayed at you know forever. And those were the guys that I listened to.
And you know, those are guys that I admired and I liked the fact that they stayed somewhere and became kind of ingrained with the programs got ingrained with the with the cities and the schools and things like that, and I just thought, that's the way it's supposed to be.
You know, growing up too, I've listened to on a little white zena transistor radio to Harry Carry and Jack Buddy, the Cartnill game, you know, for so long lived outside of Cincinnati, where they had guys like Marty Brennaman, Joe Knuck saw guys like that, You didn't. I just thought, that's the way it's supposed to be. Find a place that gives you a chance to make your dreams come true, do what you want to do, and stay there and
try to give back to those programs. And so that's not the total of the reasons I stayed at Southern Miss, but it's a part of the big reason that they gave me a chance to do what I always wanted to do. And so I love being here and love the people, love the programs.
We've talked about some of the big wins and the high profile players who are there, and I always wonder, and I firmly believe John that the kids who are at Center Miss, and not just the transfers, but kids who signed they're either been overlooked as you and I have talked about, or they want to show that, hey, I can play right up against these sec kids. Have you found out to be the case through the years that kids want to prove themselves against these so called big name teams.
Yeah, I think so, you know, especially especially when they uh you know, back and they don't they don't play as much anymore. But ol Miss Mississippi State, uh and teams like that that are close by the state or close by that you know, probably grew up some kind we had. We had great success over the years getting kids out of the Birmingham and down around Tuscaloosa and
parts of Alabama and in Louisiana. And they were all kids that, uh for the most part, you know, that wanted to go to the school close to them, but they didn't. And Southern Miss has always been able to find those guys like that, and uh so I would I would say some of the better players we've ever had that Southern is if you went up and down the line, our Hall of Fame and guys like that, for the most part, we all guys who you know, were not recruited like they hoped that they would be.
And the Southern Myths has always been smart enough to kind of find those guys, those diamonds in the rough, and yep, you know, they've made quite a history of finding players that here's the great guys, the Brett Fares and you know, guys like that.
And I saw in your resume that you obviously you cover and you call Southern miss baseball, which included a run to the World Series fifteen years ago. Of course, Kentucky made its first run this year. There's nothing like Omaha, is there?
Unbelievable?
You know that Southern Myss team that went for the first time. The star player on that team was Brian Doser, who went on to play I don't know it half a dozen years or so in in Major League Baseball. And Brian got hurt about the middle of April, and everybody said the season's over. Yeah, no way we're going
to do anything. But after that they went on and in one something like twenty one to the next twenty five and you know, won the regional and Georgia Tech won the Superregional with Florida, and all of a sudden, you're in Omaha Rosenblant Stadium in the College World Series, and man, what a thrill for the players, But what a thrill for the old play by play guy who got a chance to go in there and calls a
couple of ballgames. You know, we came close again a couple of years ago, got beat by Tennessee in the super Regional here in Hattiesburg. Yep, you know, so their heart. It's hard to get to that World Series at college World Series, and when you do, and you love every minute of it.
I watched that super Regional, John, I really thought you guys were going to get there, but Tennessee was building something special, which of course culminated this year with the championship. A couple of minutes left with John Cox, the radio voice of the Southern miss Golden Eagles other than the transfer Rock Vander Grip, the quarterback. I know you're still doing research and prepping, But what do you know about Kentucky. What do you expect?
Well, I think in talking to our coaches, they expect at this Southern itskin, you know, run into a really good Kentucky fall club. I think, like everybody does. You know, they've added some guys to the program. Looks to me like they recruited really really well. They've found some really good players and a lot of talent on both sides of the football. So I know, at least I know that the Southern miss is going to run into a really really good Kentucky ball club. It's gonna be a
great atmosphere there in the stadium. You know, I've enjoyed the two times I've been there. It's always a lot of fun.
Uh.
So I think it's gonna be a great football game. I think it's touch Southern miss will play really really well. But there's a lot of new parts of this ball club, and you just don't know until you get in there and turn the lights on and get the crowd going to see how those young guys and those new guys are going to perform in the Black and Gold. So I hope it's a good one. I think it'll be a good ball game. So we'll just see what happens
on Saturday night. I know I'm looking forward to and I can't wait to pop on the plane and get up there.
Well with all your deep Kentucky root, so you're gonna have many or any relatives of the game, Uh, you know.
I think there's I think there's a handful of my cousins up there in Lexington that have season tickets. And you know, I don't know one of my cousins up there that or cousins first cousins that have not gone to the UK. I mean that was the place. I mean they grew up in Lexington. They all went to UK and they have worked at UK. Like I said, my sister talked there for a long long time, so
I'm sure. I'm sure in the back of their minds they may hope their old cousin Johnny has a his team gets a touchdown or two, but they'll be rooting for the Wildcats. I can promise you.
That, John. Thank you so much for your time, safe travels, looking forward to meeting you.
Yeah, I can't wait to see you on Saturday. Thank you for having me on and look forward to being there and thanks again for the visits.
Up next Jeff Drummond of Cats Illustrated, we will talk in Chucky Football with Jay drum Or to come on The Big Moonsider here on six thirty wlap. Welcome back to the Big Bluin Sider. Joining us now as a longtime friend of the show, mister Jeff Drummond of Cats Illustrated, who's covered UK sports for quite some time for a number of different agencies and a terrific photographer. Jay Drumm,
you covered Kentucky football for quite some time. I find this the walk up to this season really interesting, kind of unique, you know what I mean, just because coming off back to back seven wins seasons that were deemed disappointing, We've never covered a situation like this, have we, No it, it.
Is rather unique for Kentucky to be in this position. I've maintained for quite some time that that's something that Mark Snookes should feel really good about. Yeah, you know, nobody in the history of this program, at least modern history, has been able to elevate expectations to the point where where fans not only want, you know, more, but expected. Now. It used to be kind of, oh, I wish someday these guys could win nine or ten games. Well they've seen it twice in the last five years, and they
know it's possible. So yeah, people, people are excited to see if they can get back to that this season.
And you know what else is kind of an unspoken at least with regard to press conferences and things like that. Element to this story is the fact that Stoops was almost out of here last season, going A and M you know, I mean, he spoke to it at media Days in Dallas, but and that's really been the end of it. But I think you couldn't blame Kentucky fans for wondering about that too. I don't know about you. I wasn't surprised since he's done the job you just described.
I was surprised someone hadn't come for him already. But it I think in the mind that some people, it still hangs over the story a little bit.
Yeah, it does. I think there's that sense there with the fans that are saying, Okay, well, you know, you were almost reported me out the door to another conference team. You're coming off these couple of these seasons that didn't quite live up to ranted lofty expectations, and you're back now. So there's kind of this. There's an equal parts excitement and I think people are really into this team this season, as evidenced by the you know, season ticket sales and
all the pre season yeah buzz that's going on. But there's also that a little bit of that Okay, you know you're here, you say, this is where you want to be, so let's let's go do it now.
I guess we shouldn't be surprised, should we, that the season tickets sold out and the student passes and all that. But I just keep hearing cautious optimism. I guess that's no reason to not buy a season ticket. But I was a little surprised by that. Were you.
Maybe a little bit coming off some of the disappointment that we heard at the end of last season. But I think that is quickly kind of turned around. When you've got the recruiting that they've done for one thing, and then the transfer portal, when you can add like a high profile guy bought Vandergriff I think that re energizes people. And you could grab a linebacker who was getting All American nominations and buzz at Georgia and put
these pieces with what you've already got. I think people said, you know, I think they're onto something this year from a talent standpoint.
I don't know about you, but I think the transfer of Dumas Johnson, a linebacker, was even bigger in terms of a surprise, and you know, filling a need than Brock Vandergriff, you know, and that was a good get. I mean, as you said, a former five star QB. But I did not expect a former All American linebacker to land in their laps, you know what I mean.
No, I think that's a little stunning for everybody, especially coming from a program like Georgia. Yeah, you know, you could maybe see that happening if he was at a smaller school or maybe a conference that wasn't getting the type of exposure that he wanted. But this guy was playing at the you know, big team at the moment, and for the best defense in the country the last you know, probably three or four years at least, I mean, the consistency and remarkable. So yeah, that's that's a big edge.
That big addition that people should probably be just as excited about that as the quarterback. But we know that the quarterback is such a vital position in the public eye. That brought Vandergriff will really be more under the microscope than than Pop will be.
Oh yeah, And I also think that it's because vander Griff is still a bit of a mystery because you never got a chance to play at Georgia. I think that's the number one reason that Kentucky has not been rated highly in any of the preseason Pauls.
You agree, Yeah, I think everybody around the country, and even at our own media contingent here, I want to see what he can do. We really don't. We don't have enough to really say one way or any other. We we think that they have a guy that can be really good, but until he gets out there and
does it, nobody can say for certain. Because you know, as we sat here, if we were talking on August twenty ninth to thirtieth, the end of August last season with Larry coming down from NC State, people were SKYI on Devin there. Yeah, and for whatever reason, And it's you know, certainly not all his fault. People didn't perform at a high level around him either, but it never materialized. So there's probably going to be potious optimism, like you said earlier in regard to Brook.
Yeah, and it's again understandable. But I'll tell you what, given the receivers he has, given the tight ends he has, I mean, I think if that old line gives him any opportunity to execute this offense of bush ham Dan, he's got a great opportunity, does any great chance to show what he can do.
Finally, Yeah, and I think that's a big part of why he's here. I think he did his homework. He saw the opportunity for somebody to step in and just surrounded by weapons, even though they're real thin at the You know, as far as having approven running back rund now, I do think they've got some talent in the backfield. But you may have three of the better receivers in the SEC out there and barry On Brown, Dat and
Mary Macklin. I don't think many SEC teams are going to put three guys on the field significantly better than them. You can maybe make an argument for something.
Talking to Jeff drudging to be close talking to Jeff Drummond of cat Illustrated, a veteran on the UK beat. Of course, Kentucky opening up Saturday night against Southern Myss. You like those night games when it comes to taking pictures, I know it's tougher uh on photographers for an obvious reason. That big light in the sky isn't there for the sun. But uh, you get some dramatic stuff, don't you on night games.
Yeah, people, there's a misconception a little bit out there. When it comes to photography, the worst scenario for us is when it's just blazing sunshine and blinding light out there. Why cast it casts shadows, harsh shadows over faces. Okay, you can't, you can't see eyes and faces. Certain parts of the field get really polarized. You'll be shooting. A guy will come out of the shadow and into the bright sun, and it just have it on your camera meter and your fighting jumps all over the place. I
absolutely hate a day like that. The best conditions are a cloudy day game where of course when it stays dry. And then second for me is a night game. I like the night game. If I've got the right equipment. Yeah, that's a big piece to it. You've got to spend the amount of money and invest in getting the type of equipment to be effective at night.
Well, i've seen your lenses, brother. If you don't have the right equipment, that's on.
You, right.
Yeah, I've got pretty good stuff. I don't have the meat, you know. I would have to sell my car to get some of these lenses that are out here right now.
Yeah, some of those lenses that are as big as the person holding them, and you know, like I said, you've been doing this for a long time. Experience is so vital for people like you, guys sports photographers. And I had a guy who was a really good sports photographer tell me that he believed that the best part
of a photo, a really good photo, was anticipation. It was almost like something that, as a picture would look like was about to happen, a ball that was about to arrive, or a linebacker that was about to level somebody. Do you feel the same way.
Yeah, it's kind of what. I take a lot of pride in that because I'm most photographers are more skilled than I am. Most of them have maybe even better equipment, more training, understanding of the light and the scientists behind it. I was trained in writing editorial journalism, I kind of did, I've always done photography of a side thing.
Yeah, I remember.
So I'm still learning, at fifty plus years old, every day about it. But I feel like I really stay engaged in the game and try to get into the mind of what the teams are doing out there, and it feels great when you have that hunch and you get focused on a certain area and you get that shot. That's that's my kind of superpower when it comes to the sports shot, trying to think ahead, and it kind
of like a little baseball coach always taught me. Always act like every ball is going to be hit to you, so something he preached, and when it's hit.
To you, what are you going to do with it?
And it's the same approach when you're shooting the game and following the action.
If people only knew how many pictures you all took, all of you all on the sideline to get that one or two, that really it's it's worth the effort.
I know.
Jeff Drummond of Catulluciated is our guest. We'll come back and talk, we'll get back to football, We'll get we'll get away photography to get back to football after the break. Here on the Big Blue Sider six thirtylap Welcome back. We're talking with Jeff Drummond of KAT Illustrated. He'll be on the sideline covering Saturday nights game with the Wildcats take on Southern Miss And we talked a little bit of offense in the and some defense in the first segment.
But you know, we talked with Mark Stoops on Thursday about special teams and he talked. He went a little bit further on the punting game. It sounds like right now he believes he'll go with Barry as the punter, but he's not completely sold that he'll take every snap and make every kickback there. That's going to be an interesting element, isn't it.
Yeah, it really will, and maybe as an indication of what we talked about earlier with the fans sensing that this could be a really good team. That has been the hottest topic of discussion on our message board about four or five days.
No kidding, the.
Punter spot on the depth chart. You know, how good must you be feeling about all the other positions if that's what the fans are kind of wringing their hands going into the season. But yeah, it is an interesting situation. Barry struggled with consistency last year and had some games where really the field position was was hurt by that inconsistency, and they went out and got another punter to create some competition. I believe this is low loss.
Is that you.
Understanding how you say it?
I believe.
I haven't quite got that down yet because we've not really heard anybody say it. Aiden la Ross, who was one of the better punters, was it u T Martin at that level? I want to say yeah, and came here was highly recommended and he has really pushed Barry And what Mark Stoops told us after one practice that you know, he hit seventy five yards when they backed him up to the goal line just to see how well he could flip the field, and he certainly did.
But it sounds like he's also hitting some forty five fifty yard punts on a line drive and that will get you hurt in a hurry if those are the ones that the other team takes back to the house or gets really good field position on. So they want to see a little bit more consistency from him before you know he can take that job away from Barry.
Well, at least they know they are in pretty good shape, we would think. When it comes to placekicking, though, I mean, Raider was really outstanding last year. So you know inside the forty five or so Kentucky's scoring right.
You'd like to think so. I think he missed one field goal, one extra point yeah last season. Yeah, outstanding accuracy and that was a big question coming into the season. He came through for them, but similar situation to the punting job. They brought Annika to kind of create some competition are and to have a guy for the future in Jacob Alway. And here's a guy that's had three attempts from sixty plus in live situations during camp and
made all three of them. So that is an incredible extra weapon to have when you're thinking in terms of close games in the SEC, tough to drive the ball, sustained drives. If you can get to the forty yard line and have a guy who's got a shot to give you points, that's that's massive. And you know, that's something that that Rainer really doesn't have. I think I think Rayner's good out to about fifty, but you get a situation where you could have a long range guy too this season.
You know, it's interesting when you think about the biggest games that Mark Steupis's teams have won through the years, and several of them have been with last second field goals. And I'm thinking Austin McGinnis, I'm thinking, you know, a Mississippi State win. It was huge, as a Louisville win in sixteen, it was huge a couple others. Again, it seemed like Jeff those games, and you and I have
both covered for a long time. Kentucky would lose games like that, the teams that would hit field goals at the buzzer. But that's all part of this turnaround, isn't it.
It is?
And going back to Austin McGinnis being the guy that seemed like the one that started that run of touch guys that could help, you know, win them a past game when you're in this league and you look at it from the standpoint of when I look at the schedule this season, I think they have four toss up games fifty to fifty and four that you would have to say on paper unlikely losses, even though Kentucky could play three or four of those clothes. The kicker is
going to be huge in those eight games. It could be the difference and being above five hundred or blow five.
The swing games as we call them for years and for a long time they were swinging in the way of Kentucky, but then they let them get away. And now because of the lack of divisional play, you see the switch out in the in the schedule and all. And you know, I'm kind of an outlier Jay Drummond that I did not want to see the divisions go away because I felt like that was a better shot for Kentucky to get to Atlanta. And I've covered that event for fifteen years when I was with the SEC
Radio network. I so want Kentucky fans and media to have the opportunity to cover that event. It's it's just incredible. It's unlike any other in college football, at the exception of the National Championship Game. And now, I don't know about you, but I just think it's going to be it's going to be easier to get to the college football Playoff than it is to get to Atlanta, don't you think.
I mean, I can't see any other way around that at this point, I think that window of getting to Atlanta that way probably closed, barring just an incredible, once in a generation, once in a lifetime maybe type season at Kentucky. But you can re am listen the pigue book at a twelve team playoff field and it's I'm
sure that's going to sixteen before we know it. Oh yeah, they're in business then, because Mark Suits had several teams on the cusp of you know, a twelve to sixteen range team and then you know, maybe they can parbay that into even better recruiting than they've already done, take it to a whole new level.
Well, I'll let you go with this. I've asked a lot of people about, you know, predictions and storylines to follow, but let me ask you this. I'll put it to you this way. Let's say Kentucky's offensive line takes another impressive step forward. I thought it moved up last year, but let's say it takes another. I won't say I won't put it on a part of the twenty eighteen line that put five guys in NFL camps, but let's
say it takes another impressive step forward. What do you think this team can accomplish if they do that.
It brought vandergriff Is who we think he is, and there's no reason to think otherwise, based on his pedigree and what we saw in extremely limited action between Georgia and then the Spring game. I think the sky's the limit. There's so many weapons over there on offense, and you may have the best defensive unit that they've had since
that twenty eighteen bucks as well. And if those guys keep opponents the low scoring figures, there's not going to be as much pressure on them, you know, to light up the scoreboard and think they're going to have to put thirty something on every game. I think twenty seven twenty eight points probably wins this team a ton of games.
Yeah, and as you mentioned, the kicking game cost Kentucky a little bit of times last year. Well, if the kicking game is healthy field position, now Kentucky's putting the pressure on the other team for much of the game, owning momentum owting field position, just as we saw back in twenty eighteen when Kentucky had probably Mark Stuuke's best ball club. Whatever happens, Jeff Drummond's going to be there taking pictures tomorrow evening and we will enjoy his work
at Cats Illustrated. Tell everybody how to find you on Twitter as well. J drum.
You can find me at j J drum Uk.
There it is.
Thank you, brother. We'll see you at the ballgame, all right, We'll see you up next. We will recap game week here on the Big Blue Insider. It's been a big one. Six thirty wlap.
That was the.
Weekkaw over, let it go, that was the week. It's not it way up flock but he's playing there all.
It was indeed a busy week here on the Big Blue Inside here as we prepped for Kentucky football. We covered Kentucky volleyball, lots of stuff going on nationally, but one of the first interviews we did this week was with our new member of the UK Radio Network squad, Logan Stenberg, the former Kentucky All American offensive linemen. He'll be joining Christy Thomas and Jeremy Jarman on the pregame Show. You'll hear him tomorrow afternoon, starting at five point thirty.
And my first question to Logan this week on our show was what do you hope to bring to the pregame show.
I'd hope to bring a little off of line and insight, kind of break down the offense, you know, to simple terms where people can understand what the main goal is.
You know.
I just want to make it fun and accessible for everybody.
This is a great time for you to be joining because there is a big question mark hanging over the offensive line. Isn't there Not in a bad way because I thought they took a step forward last year, but there there's going to be a lot to.
Look at, Isn't there I agree, and I think that we've got a lot of young guys backing up some veterans. I think it all starts with el like Hawks up front at center. I mean, I think if he is a good year, the offensive line will have a good year. I think we're booke ended pretty well at left and right tackle. I'm just excited to see what those boys can put together this year.
And it is a great time for Logan to join us because there are question marks about this offensive line, so he'll be able to keep us educated. Not that Jeremy couldn't, but of course Jeremy's knowledge of offensive lineman comes from years and years of studying video on how to attack offensive lineman and of course Logan on the other side of the football, so we will all gain some knowledge from him starting tomorrow night. Naturally, we're hear
from head coach Mark Stoops. He talked about how vital it is to at this stage of the preseason to work on the little things, to keep things cleaned up, to work on continuity on and off the field.
We've really tried to head off all those issues. You know, if we you know, running the problems. We do have timeouts for a reason. Obviously, we want to save them for two minute situations at the end of the half in the games, if you should you need them. But also we want to make sure we don't waste place. We have worked the communication, the new communication, you know, over and over again, all the way from spring, all the way through camp. We've practiced it. We've practiced live
in the stadium, you know. We we try to anticipate those things and head them off before they happen. You know, nothing you know is ever perfect. We're going to strive to be. But you know, we will say, you know, we're we're going to go out there with a confidence that we are going to be able to operate smoothly.
Of course, bush Hamden is a new offensive coordinator, and they have had him since early in the year, so the Wildcats have been able to master or at least work on mastering, the new verbiage, the new language that he brings with his offense, the way he does things. And of course you've got now more of an uptemple offense. You've got the radio receiver and the helmet, You've got a new way to bring in plays. So there are
a lot of details to take care of. And Stoops said things were going well and he likes what bush Hamden has brought. He also likes the fact that Hamden's going to be up in the booth keeping an eye on things as he calls plays.
I love the way he operates. I like the way he thinks. I like the way he anticipates his calls. He is in the box so he could write down his oats and have his thoughts and his ideas handy and at his fingertips. I think it also helps with the communication to be able to see the defense, see the big pitcher, and possibly adjust at times as well.
Speaking of offense, we also heard earlier in the week from Jamuri Macklin. He's the wide receiver who began his career at Missouri, didn't like how things were going, transferred to North Texas State where he did extremely well, and now he will probably be the number three receiver in
this Kentucky offense lining up in the slot. The advantage he has is that while everybody on the UK offense is learning this new offense, Macklin's already been exposed to it because when he was at Missou, so was Bush Hampdon. So he's able to pitch in and really help other guys with the new offense.
Well, everybody's on the fresh slate man, and I kind of came from this type offense.
I've you know, played with Bush my first year of the Malus everything that I know he expects, like already know what it is.
So I'm just trying to help those guys out.
And you know, we all started fresh. That's Jamury Macklin. And I remember a couple of years ago, Tavion Robinson, who didn't have the career he hoped he would have a Kentucky did some good things, but especially did good things on his very first game as a Wildcat. So maybe Jamury Macklin will have a similar effort coming up tomorrow night. Earlier this week, we talked a lot of volleyball as the Wildcats opened their regular season with Nebraska
at the AVCA event over in Louisville's Young Center. Of course, the Wildcats dropped at three to one, they took a set off Nebraska. That's nothing to sneeze at, and after the match, Craig Skinner talked about some of the things his team took away from the loss to the corn Husker in their season opener.
We've always scheduled tough. It wasn't in the initial plan to play Nebraska or off the bat in the first ear showcase, but when Jamie offered, I was like absolutely. You know, our players love these situations, and you know we're going to be a team that's going to be continued learning through November.
So his great, great match for us in that regard. It was a doubleheader over there in Louisville. U of L played Wisconsin and was beaten by the Badgers in game number two. But the real winner I thought it was volleyball was the sport. It was women's volleyball. Because this was on ESPN two. It was a nine o'clock start for the local game, the U of L game. But I'll tell you what that place was had a bigger crowd than I thought it was. It wasn't full,
but it was a great crowd, a great atmosphere. It felt like an NCAA tournament, and why not because Louisville is the site of the Final four this year for volleyball. One of the great things was a number of kids, especially the young girls, who were there watching the young women play volleyball and thinking, hey, maybe I can do that someday. And John Cook, the great coach at Nebraska, was impressed with what he saw.
I'm glad those kids are out there because i know it's Tuesday night and school's in so so, but.
You know, the AVCA is in.
Jamie's doing a great job of trying to build events to continue to build on the momentum that I think really started with the Stadium match last year, and then the Final Four, and it's and then in the Big Ten Conference. I mean almost every arena is selling out and it's hard to get tickets. I think I've read we have seven thousand people on the waiting list. So it's happening. And volleyball is a great sport and there's a lot of great players that are great role models for these kids as well.
And as one of the UK players said, we get a chance to put to work what we learned against Nebraska this coming weekend in the Bluegrass Battle, which of course is already underway over at the new and improved Memorial Coliseum. Earlier this week, we talked with Corey Price. He is our statistician on the UK radio network for football and a guy who tweets and posts all the time, obscure facts, numbers, interesting tidbits. He just a numbers cruncher,
a guy who loves working with stats and numbers. And I asked him, how did all this begin with you?
I'm glad to those kids are out there because I know it's Tuesday night and school's in so so, but you know, the AVCA is and Jamie's doing a great job of trying to build events to continue to build on the momentum that I think really started with the stadium match last year, and then the Final four, and it's and then in the Big Ten Conference, I mean, almost every arena is selling out and it's hard to get tickets. I think I've read we have seven thousand
people on the waiting list. So it's it's happening. And volleyball is a great sport and there's a lot of great players that are great role models for these kids as well.
Corey is also known for putting out birthday greetings on social media to people in sports media, and somehow he digs out photos of us from way way back when nobody is safe from that, but we do appreciate Corey. Sean Woods, the Unforgettable Guard, joined us as he does every week. We talked about Kentucky's basketball skin, some of
the non conference games that guarantee games. He had to play a lot of those when he was coaching at Mississippi Valley and at Morehead State and at Southern But he also talked about the schedule that the Wildcats played when he was on the roster, and he remembers the fact that Kentucky played what he believed to be an indornent number of neutral site games against big name opponents, and he never really liked that. He wanted the home
and homes. Didn't mind going on the road to the more powerful teams, but he wanted them to come to Lexington.
Well, you gotta remember now, no one wanted to come in the rut, right, you know. That's the only thing I questioned was why we had to go to Why do we have to go to all these places and play them? We played Carolina in the Dean Dome, but
then we had to play Carolina in Freedom Hall. You know, we played Indiana in Assembly Hall, but then we had to play them in either Louisville or Neutrals Tite like the Hoosier, don't Yeah, you know, so really wasn't fair, And I understood coach at that particular time, like, you know who's doing these deals, you know who's scheduling this to where.
We have to play at their home site.
But then they don't want to come playing rough. And I heard grumblings that, you know, Bob Knight never liked to come playing rough, so on and so forth, But we came and played in the assembly hall. Yep, you know, I just didn't buy that. But nowadays, these Power five schools are playing in classics because of money.
And those indeed are made for TV events and the coaches like to use them for recruiting. But John Caliperi didn't like home and homes because of course there's a chance you're going to lose. And Sean and I talked about the fact that Kentucky stopped playing Indiana. After the Wildcats lost in Bloomington up in twenty twelve, they stormed the court. Cali Peri said he didn't like that and made it sound like that's why he didn't want to go up there anymore. But those players on that team
told us that that law us. And of course they kept seeing the promotional video from ESPN with the game winning shot by Indiana, so that motivated them to win the national championship. I'm like Sean, I really love those home and homes and I wouldn't have held it against any coach anywhere if they played tough home and homes if they lost the away game. But that's not how it works in the Big Blue Nation. I know that, And of course this week we heard it from our
West MBUA chief, Gary Mory. Chicks in every Wednesday when our schedules permit, and they usually do, and Gary took a look at the schedules for both UK and u of L tried to figure out what was going to happen this season and make some sort of prognostication. I did too, and here's what that sounded like.
And if you were to ask me how I think the Cards and the Cats will do this season, I will quote a line from the uber eloquent Schultz from Hogan's Heroes.
I know nothing. Yeah, thank you for not asking.
I mean, last year, did I think UK would have their second seven and six season in a row?
Nope?
And did I think that UFL would be ten and one going into the Kentucky game, double Nope? But is Bill Parcells once worn. Comparing this year to last year in football is a fools game.
Hey, just ask Florida State, right.
Well, I predict Louisville will be about seven and four, possibly eight and three when they come to Lexington November thirtieth, and I'm thinking UK. I was going down the list last night. Who knows six and five? Maybe seven four as well.
I've got them potentially eight. I don't know if they can get the nine, but they can't. Kentucky just can't stumble through games it's supposed to win, which is what happened two or three times last year. I'll stand by eight and four. That is what I said to John Hale of the hero Leader, who was publishing the picks and predictions by the media. I said eight and four. I'm not sure which is which yet, but I'll share
that with you probably next week. Day tuned, We're gonna rep thing up with Heroes, fools and Flakes on The Big Moonsider six thirty WLAP. That was the week.
Let it go, that was the week.
Welcome back to the Big Blue Insider as we wrap up Game week with Heroes, fools and Flakes and our hero Tonight takes US back to Paris side of this summer's Olympics and now the site of the Para Olympic Games, where we find Sarah Adams competing in wheelchair rugby. But here's the unusual thing. She is playing for the men's team. That's right, men and women play rugby together in the Para Olympics. And last night in the US versus Canada match, she scored a try, which is essentially the same as
a touchdown. It's were three points in rugby. But she became the first woman to compete with the American Para Olympics rugby team, and of course became the first woman to score a try with the US team. So Sarah Adams a real trailblazer. And as you might expect wheelchair rugby, you've seen rugby. In fact, a lot of people got their first look at it this summer because of the
great way that the US team a meddled. But they call Para Olympics rugby murder ball because rugby or non disable athletes is tough enough imagine a similar sport in wheelchairs. But the US won fifty one to forty eight. So her try, basically you could look at it as the difference in the victory, but Sarah Adams becomes the first woman to play on the US wheelchair rugby team in Paris. That's where we're going to stay for our fool tonight. And our fool is unnamed, but it's anybody who decided
they had to go online and bully. American Paralympic swimmer Christy Rawley. She set a world record in her Paralympics debut yesterday, competing in the fifty meter freestyle of preliminary hate And she's thirty seven years old and wanted to be an Olympian all her life. Finally got a chance to, but only after surviving a car accident which left her with a brain injury. And there are people who, of course look at her and do not see a disability,
but she certainly does have one. She said, people think I was a cheater. Then I somehow fake the hole in my brain and the cyst in my spinal cord. She had to have a tumor removed from her brain and this qualifies her for the Paralympics because athletes are classified in three categories, physical, visual, and intellectual. She has a neurological condition classified as S nine and competes against
other swimmers with similar impairments. So you morons who looked at her and didn't see that she was missing a limb, didn't see that she was site impaired, or whatever decided she was a cheater. She survived a brain injury from a crash back in twenty seven and in twenty eighteen was paralyzed on her left side because of bleeding in a previously unknown blood tumor in her brain. So that is why she is on the Paralympics team, and that is why she deserved her world record. Christy Rawley, Crossley,
you idiots need to leave her alone. Our flake tonight is Johnny Manzel. That's right, Johnny Football. Not that we're picking on him at all, but you just remember him as the first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, put up incredible numbers at Texas A and M, and then left early for the NFL, where he was a complete
flame out. He's still third all time in passing yards at A and M, was more than seventy eight hundreds passing touchdown sixty three, started twenty six games over two seasons before going to the NFL, where he just completely bombed out and if you saw the documentary on him, you saw him admit, he never looked at video or as they call it, film. But he will be the
guest picker on ESPN's College Game Day show. They're going to be of course, at the Notre Dame Texas A and M game, but Johnny Manziel, him being there on set just kind of reminds you of what it was like when he was Johnny Football, creating something out of nothing on his way to the Heisman Trophy. But after he left, the head coach Kevin someone heard that somebody said something about Manziel coming back for his junior year. He was like, what huh. Now you could tell he
was kind of glad Johnny Football had moved on. But he has grown, he has matured, and we'll see what kind of picker he is for ESPN. That's going to do it. Thanks to my guest Jeff Drumming the Cats illustrated Johnny Cox of the Southern Miss Radio There. We'll hope you enjoy our coverage Tomorrow night. Right here, five thirty start time for Countdown to kick off with Christy, Jeremy and Logan, Tom Leachs Jeff picoorl and I with a call seven forty five kick for the Cats and
the Golden Eagles. That's it. Good night from the garage and Lexi.
Do fight to zero niner.
You are clear for takeoff, Roger, huh la.
Departure frequency on two.
Roger, all right, request vector over but flight two zero niner clear for victor.
Of three two four We have Clarence Clarence, Roger, Roger, what's our vector?
Victor beat