Welcome to the Big Blue and sider Tot Gabriel with
you on a Tuesday of game week. I have got another one coming up, Kentucky and Ohio You Saturday at Kroger Field twelve forty five pm kickoff ten thirty am broadcast time as Christy Thomas, Logan Stenberg and Jeremy Jarmin'll be up and Adam early and then yours truly along with Tom Leach and Jeff Pcorrel Cats versus Cats, Blue versus Green and Ohio You, team that came in here in twenty oh four and upset the Wildcats who were struggling under Rich Brooks and wash Keef, struggling for another
couple of seasons, meaning middle of four to the middle of O six. But we talked to rich Brooks last week about how the Wildcats turned things around and six and got things rolling. Maybe that'll happen this weekend. But Kentucky needs to match the effort that it showed against
Georgia to get a win. I'm not saying that Ohio You is going to provide as much of a challenge that Georgia did, but we've seen Mac teams for the years go all over the Country and pull off upsets, including one this year, and Toledo goes down to Mississippi State, was paid one point two million to go to Starkville and beat the Bulldogs and their quarterback Tucker Gleason through twenty three of twenty eight for two eighty five, three
touchdowns and no picks. The Rockets scored twenty one points in the second quarter alone and pulled off that upset. So things happen when you bring in a MAC team. And as I've said over and over for years and years, the difference between the MAC and other Power five conferences oftentimes is depth. They've got good players. They put players in the NFL, they just don't have as many, you know, not up and down the starting lineup, and clearly not
through the first forty four. But they've got kids who either used to play for the powerhouse teams or believe they should be playing, or maybe they should have been and then they were overlooked and recruiting or the lay bloomers whatever. So MAC teams are dangerous, and Kentucky needs to be ready on Saturday. If it isn't, imagine the backlash, and there's been backlash already to Mark stoops and he
knows that. He referred to it at a press conference yesterday, and he talked about it at Link last night with Tom and I'd love to know why he knows, or how he knows, and how much he knows about that, because he clearly was referring to people's second guessing. Him may have just been referring to media people because a lot of any people did second guessing for that punt. I personally did not. And I know anything I say people are going to take and they should with a
grain of salt because I'm on the UK network. But I will tell you this, prior to the punt, I thought that was the right move. And I always say, second guess all you want, but what was your stance prior to a decision being made? If it was counter to what happened and what happened didn't work, you have every right second guess, and then that's what fans do
and I get that. But prior to that play, and we talked about it on the State Wide Show last night with Aaron Gershan and Jeff Pikoro, I believed that that was the right thing to do. Why because the approach he was taking at that point play conservatively played for field position and let your defense put you in a position to win. The game had worked all the
way up to that very moment. So do you abandon that and throw the football in fourth and eight, which obviously you'd have to against a team that had done a great job against your passing game, not so much against your run game. Wildcats rushed for two hundred yards against Georgia. When you throw out all the sack and TfL, well, no, you got to keep the TfL yardage, throw out the sack yardage and then the rushing yards or even more impressive, So, no,
you don't do that. Georgia had gotten to Vandergriff, they had knocked his passes down that this is not the smart play. The smart play was to kick and then put your faith in your defense. Now, Kentucky had a breakdown on a big pass play and it was, I'm told by mister Procoro it was a similar pass play to how South Carolina burned the Wildcats last week. They got to clean that up, obviously, But hold there, make them punt. You get the ball probably within the thirty
five forty five yard lot. Although Georgie had a great punter, but still he's not going to pin you near your goal line, which he could have done if you give the ball up on an incomplete pass and then hold Georgia. That's what Stukes was playing for. And you all know this, you've heard him talk about it. But it's interesting to me how many people second guessed him and ridiculed him for not gambling and not quote unot playing to win and all that nonsense. He played the game plan he
and his coordinators had prepared. And the first thing he said to Tom Leach in a postgame show, we felt like we had the right recipe. They had the right game plan. And we know this because Kentucky had a lead, Kentucky was down a point because of that game plan, and because it wasn't a fluke in that game. You were there, you watched it, or you watch it on TV, listen to the radio. It wasn't all these fluky plays. There was one fluky play that resulted in a Kentucky touchdown.
It was called back. Still, I will never understand it, but I mean, these teams were arm wrestling. They were like mountain rams knocking heads. This is old fashioned SEC football, But it wasn't good enough for a lot of Kentucky fans. One guy in particular tweeted how much he quote unquote hated Mark Stoops. But it just kind of makes me smile and shake my head because, as you know, I've been around here for a long time. I go back
to the seventies with Kentucky football. I covered my first game in nineteen seventy five, seeing the ups and downs, and it's really interesting to me. And obviously I'm a bit older than most of you. So you've got different generations of Kentucky football fans, and there are some fans who know I won't say only success, but mostly success when it comes to Kentucky football. Are they spoiled? You could call it that. But what happens when you change
the culture is you change expectations for Kentucky football. And that is what Mark Stoops and company have done. They've done it within that dozen years. And it wasn't instantaneous. What did it take four or five years to where Kentucky fans now expect to win every game, which is not realistic, but they do. Kentucky basketball fans are like that, that is realistic because generally Kentucky has a roster that
is good enough to beat anybody on a schedule. But that's what I find interesting about when you compare basketball and football. There are Kentucky fans who believe that Kentucky should have not just could have, but should have beaten Georgia, the number one team in the country. That it should have happened, hands down, all right. Those same fans, for the most part, believe that their favorite basketball team should never lose. Why because they're either one of or the
top ranked team in the country. We're good enough to where we shouldn't lose ever. So now your football team is playing a football team that, by the same standards shouldn't lose ever, even though Georgia is now number two to Texas. But still you get my drift. But that's fans. That's the fans. They are short for fanatic, and they pay their money and they show up. For the most part, a lot of you showed up Saturday and it was
so much fun. Although a lot of you soldier tickets to Georgia, fans can't say as I blame you because I thought it would be a blowout. Some of you you did too, and you can help fund your entire season ticket fund. By selling tickets, I hope you got good money for it. But there were a lot of Georgia fans. But what was so interesting was how quiet
they were. Georgia fans. Ever, times they had things to cheer about, but for the most part they sat there looking all these confused looks on their faces, like what is going on here? Because their team couldn't convert third downs and Kentucky did. Time of possession in the first half was two to one. It was almost twenty minutes for Kentucky and ten minutes for Georgia. They literally took
that crowd out of the game. Kentucky won the last four minutes of the first half, won the first four minutes of the second half, plus a few more because they held george That's another thing. They start the game off. Kentucky does pinned on its own one yard liner inside the one I'm sorry there was no such thing as a half yard line, but anyway, and I thought, oh, this is going to be ugly. Next thing, you know, they've moved the chains a couple times and get it out.
They didn't score, but they flipped the field and on the next possession they scored. And then in the second half. They hold Georgia early in the first couple of minutes, get the ball back and drive again, unfortunately for a field goal, but they scored. They kept putting the pressure on Georgia. But no, people are unhappy with stoops. And yeah, the last couple of seasons of been mediocre by the
new Kentucky standards. Seven wins in a ball game, and you know, many of us go back, and I keep saying it over and over again to where that would be caused for a parade down Main Street, and many of you, and again of a certain age, never thought you would see this happen. And people can shrug it off by saying, wow, that's just a product of scheduling. Well in terms of the Bowl game record and how
many times Kentucky's gone consecutive years. If it's that easy to schedule ball games or victories that get you there, why aren't more teams doing it. Kentucky's doing it, just not doing it impressively enough to satisfy fans, And I get that, but it's really interesting how people have just turned on Stoops. But I said this during the broadcast Saturday night, maybe more than any other probably the NFL is the same way. But college football, the community goes
as the home team goes. If it's a community that likes it's college football. If the home team has lost, the whole seems like the whole week. Everybody in town's kind of sullen if they win, if they're on their toes just a little bit more. Aren't they bouncing on their toes on their way to the grocery store? So maybe they'll be bouncing after They'llhio You game coming up. We'll hear from Mark Stoops a little bit later on Mark's story. Keith Farmer of LAX eighteen will join us.
Emmac Grolmes is going to set up the Kentucky Louisville volleyball match coming up tomorrow night. That's all I had on the Big Blon Sider six thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Bluon Sider. Coming up Saturday, Kentucky football, the Wildcats and the Bobcats of Ohio You twelve forty five kickoff ten thirty am broadcast time for the UK Sports Network with Christy and Jeremy and Logan Kegs and
Eggs for you folks out there. And it's supposed to be nice, Solough, I think we're supposed to get rain all week, but I think it's supposed to be nice on game day. So the Cats and the Cats, and it's an Ohio You team that came in here, as we all know, during the Rich Brooks era, which happened
to be the Brian nor era at Ohio You. Brian nor was an assistant to Jim grob who took over Ohio You in nineteen ninety five and did a nice job there, helped turn things around, and then left to go coach Wake four And in fact he was the head coach at wake Forest, which went to the Orange Bowl with a defensive coordinator by the name of Dean Hood. But Brian norra only lasted for four seasons, and in his fourth year in twenty oh four, they went four
and seven. It included a win over the Kentucky Wildcats on homecoming here in Lexington, but too little, too late, he got fired. That brought in Frank Solich, who had been at Nebraska. He was part of their program for a long time as an assistant coach and a head coach. From ninety eight to twenty oh three. They went to six straight ball games including a national title game, but wound up getting fired. So he comes to how You and he does good things. He was there for fifteen
sixteen years. But Ohio You has played in I think it's a dozen bowl games. And it's interesting when you go back and look at the bulls in which Ohio You has played, and it's a lot of those bulls that well, some of them aren't here anymore, and you wonder why in the world are there indeed bowl games with these names, and some of these I don't even know if they're still around. But in O nine they played in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. They played in
the New Orleans Bowl. In twenty ten, they played in the famous Idaho Potato Bowl against Utah State. Back in twenty twelve, they played in the Independence Bowl, which is still around, Beef O. Brady's Bowl. They played in the Dollar General Bowl in twenty sixteen. I wouldn't mind going to the Bahamas Bowl. They went there in twenty seventeen,
and the Frisco Bowl in twenty eighteen. There's so many bowl games, and if you've got a winning record, or maybe even just a five hundred record, you're going to get there. But Ohio You has been fodder. In fact, Ohio You lost its first five bowl games before breaking through with a victory Bobcats two and one, losing to Syracuse and their opener up there in Upstate New York thirty eight twenty two, came back and beat South Alabama twenty seven to twenty Morgan State twenty one to six.
So you would think Kentucky would have the upper hand by far in this one. But will the Wildcats bounce coming off that close one with Georgia. We talked about that and nour number one, Mark Stoop, still knows about Ohio You. Any coach is going to fear any other team. But Mac teams have done well this year, and Stoops knows about the Bobcats.
A team that's a very good team. And I know most of the time when I say that, most fans don't believe me, but I think this year you could tell by looking at the Mac and some of the very big victories that they've had this year that they're not a joke. And people think it's coach speak when you sit there and say they're very it's just a good league. Good team's good coaches. This staff has been together a long time. The head coach. I think it's going in the year four, but he's been there forever.
There's a lot of annuity. And they played very well, extremely bounced on offense, almost two hundred and two hundred, I think right right around there, so very bounced offensively, defensively, very very tough. They played very hard. They mix things up up front. They played both four down, three down, and they make you earn every yard.
It's been a minute since the bobcast came in here and pulled off that upset. What's have been twenty years, But anybody who was there that night knows that that was not And I just said that was a team that ended up four and seven. And Kentucky, of course, was in the second year of the rich Brooks era and was just decimated by NCA penalties and scholarship limitations, but still should have walked all over that Ohio team and did not because they weren't ready to play. A
lot of guys were still chafing against rich Brooks. But a lot of them too, just didn't think of how you had it in him to beat the Wildcats, and they learned a hard lesson. So obviously the lesson inn should have been what it is now for Kentucky in that the Wildcats need this week the same focus as they prep for how are you that they showed for Georgia.
So it goes back to what I always say, it's about us, just like last week, It's about us and our preparation and what we do throughout the week to put ourselves in a position to win and to have confidence by our preparation, you know. And so it's back to work and we're looking forward to the opportunity again. I think the crowd that was here last week, I think that made an impact to put us in a position to win that game. I wish we could have
done it for him. We're very close and look forward to coming back home here again this weekend.
And if the crowd turns out anything like it was Saturday night, that's going to be a huge advant It's going to be tough to replicate that for obvious reasons. It's not the big time seven thirty game. It's not I know why. But the crowd clearly helped the Wildcats Saturday against Georgia. But so did the way obviously Kentucky played, getting up and getting ready and I wondered. I really thought I wouldn't have been surprised if it had been
a blowout, quite frankly, but they were ready. The Wildcats look back on that South Carolina game, use that as motivation. Zion's childers talk to us about it after the game, about how he knew as a leader he needed to show his guys quote unquote that he wasn't phased by what happened against South Carolina and he was ready to move on. And obviously they need to do that this week.
And I asked Stoops about comments like that from Zion and would it meant to get stuff like that, to get a reaction like that from one of the team leaders.
You know, that's the response we're looking for. That's the leadership we're looking for. You know, I'll be honest. I mean, let's not get ourselves. I mean it was it was a challenging week. Like I said that, you know, a post game, it was a challenging I mean, none of us were very happy. We're still not happy. We're not happy because we're lost by one, make no mistake about it. But again, we're happy with growth. I'm happy with the response. I'm happy with the improvement that we made, and that's
what I'm looking for. Yeah, I wanted to win the game. I mean, you know, heck, I mean you know, that's what we're here for. But I am, you know, pleased, And if we continue to take that attitude and have that leadership and that growth, then we'll find the results we're looking for.
Question is will they be as emotionally ready as they were against Georgia. My answered probably not, because it's hard to replicate that without it being real, you know, I mean, they aren't coming off a horrible, embarrassing loss to South Carolina as they prepare for Ohio. You they're coming off a great but disappointing effort against Georgia. So focus will
be there and hunger for winning will be there. Might be the same, but what they learned last week is what they look like when they execute much much better, not by anywhere near what they need to be, but clearly played their best football. I think they played better against Georgia than they did against Southern Myss. With no disrespect to us M, but that's not a great football team. And Georgia is and is better than Kentucky. But Kentucky
was better than Georgia that night. And that's what happens in sports. On some nights, it could be the nine out of ten, it could be the ninety nine out of one hundred factor, but the week team can jump up and beat the good team. To the point I mentioned earlier that down in Athens and in whatever they call it bulldog Nation or whatever, they think their team's in trouble from what happened here in Lexington. Well maybe it is. But what happened was Kentucky played really well.
And I think Georgia's struggles Saturday it might have been play calling, might have been guys making mistakes or whatever, but they were prompted by Kentucky. Kentucky had so much to do with that. So we'll see, we'll see how it shakes out. But clearly Wildcats need to pay attention to things this week. I think they will. We'll come back and talk to Mark's story the Hero Leader. In just a minute, you're on the Big woon Sider six thirty w Welcome back to the Big Bluonsider, joining us
down a celebrity high line. As a guy who's covered more than his share of Kentucky football games, Mark's story of the hero leader, a sports columnist who's been added for a while, and Mark, I had a feeling you were going for something like this when you asked a
question at the news conference yesterday of Mark Steops. You asked him if he second guessed himself about the play calling prior to the controversial punt, and your column I thought was really intriguing today you said the main criticism of Mark Steups these days is completely backwards. Tell everybody withou given away the store because we't want people to read your column. But I thought that was a really interesting take. Well.
I thought there's kind of a micro criticism of Stoops arising specifically from the Georgia game, and then kind of a macro criticism, and I think they're both kind of backwards. And you know, obviously there's been a lot of you know, scrutiny on the decision to punt on fourth and eight from the Georgia forty seven. You know, I wish Kentucky had gone there. I think sometimes you just reach a point where you need to put your chips in. But I think Mark's explanation for why he did what he
did has been highly defensible, you know, very logical. I mean they could not pass block Georgia. The odds of them converting a fourth and eight were not high. You still had three timeouts, you had the two minute time out. Your best This is me saying it's not Mark Stoops, but the best unit on the Kentucky team is the defense. You're basically putting them out there, giving them a chance to to put you in position to win the game.
And the other point he makes, if you go for it and don't get it, even if you force Georgia three and out, you're going to have to drive the entire length of the field in a predictable pass situation, and there's just no reason to think Kentucky can block Georgia in that situation. So, you know, I think, you know, you were probably twelve yards from giving your field goal kicker, who was having the night of his life, a realistic
chance to win that game. You know, I think probably if were my decision, I would have gone just feeling like you know, sometimes you just have to, you know, put your chips in and go. But I think, you know, I think kind of the anger at Stoops is a little misdirected because I again I think his rationale for why he did what he did make sense. Now that
for me is the Georgia game. And I'll you know the other thing that fascinates me about that is, to me, the single biggest criticism of the Mark Stoops coaching here in terms of the in game coaching, in my opinion, has been sort of some irrational risk taking on fourth down. And I cited in the column several cases where Kentucky has gone for fourth downs and unusual situations and it's blown up on them. Yeah, I mean, it happened early in his tenure, it's happened in the middle of his tenure,
and it happened two weeks ago against South Carolina. I think there's this idea and in some ways, you know, they are conservatives. Their best teams have been you know, ball control, run the football, rock rib defense. You know that that I get that. But the biggest problem in terms of his game management is not that he doesn't take risk, that he's taken some irrationals. I admit that there's an inconsistency here because I kind of wanted him
to take an irrational risk on that fourth down. It gets Georgia, right, But yeah, you know, the the over kind of the overweening criticism that he's too conservative at least in terms of his game management, that the bigger problem has been the opposite.
You've kind of circled this topic. But tell me again why you think he should have gone forward on fourth down. You said you got to push your chips to the middle of the table. I mean, because there's also the argument that, well, if if hope is part of your plan, you don't have a plan. You know, you could hope that they that they either draw a penalty or complete the pass. But what Georgia has been so good against, as Stupe said, predicted past situations.
Well, I just think you were, you know, a field goal away from just a program altering win, and that just changes your program. And like I said, given the night that Alex Rayner was having, you probably needed twelve yards. You know, for all the reasons Mark is listed while he punted, I find them, I find them compelling. I think they made sense. I just think you know you're that.
I think sometimes to finish off number one team in the kind tree, the best program in the country over the last three years, you know, the Titan of the SEC, I think sometimes to figure finish them off you're going to have to hit on something that doesn't make sense. Yeah, And I just think that was kind of a moment, you know, Like I said, my biggest criticism of Mark, the Mark Stoops in game coaching in his era is
irrational fourth down attempts. But in this case, I you know, I just kind of felt like they needed, Like I said, you're twelve yards from being in a position to do something that changes your program. I think maybe, I think I think maybe that was the time to to take an irrational.
Risk, if ever there were a time. Yeah, Yeah, No, you make you make a compelling argument, because you're right, if they make the first down there, they're really close, and we had seen that. Let's say they get they move the change. Let's say they get a first down. Now you've got plenty of time and three more downs to move the ball on the ground and further help your kicker. How surprised were you at the way Kentucky ran the ball against Georgia.
Well, I was surprised that they were able to run it so effectively at Georgia, in between the tackles and probably the you know, I think again I would have gone for it, but I think the reason Mark is laid out for why he punted are eminently logical. It's an eminently defensible decision. I think the most the more second guest thing is there is the play calling leading up to this decision. Defined. You know, you had it
second and eight. You know, the way you've run the ball, and the way and the difficulty you've had pass protecting. I think you sort of just say, Okay, this is going to be a four down area and we're going to try to run it, keep and just and just just keep running it, and you can get it to fourth and two or fourth and three, then you can go for that.
You know that.
I don't think that would have been a question, but you know, hindsight twenty twenty, sure, there's no question about that. But I think I think, you know, and Mark, to his credit, you know, he admitted yesterday he regrets that they didn't just try to grind it keep grinding it on them. Yeah, because that's the success they had had. And I don't have this in front of me, but I looked at they had. You know, Mark makes a fair point. They didn't complete, They didn't have a lot
of explosive playing there. You know, there weren't a lot of successful passes for more than more than eight yard in that game for Kentucky.
You know, that's one thing. And again I started this
conversation with you by referencing your question. It was a very pointed question of Mark, and I do respect the fact that he told you, essentially, yeah, that he regretted, and he has said that before, And I kind of respect that about a head coach because how many times have we heard coaches stubbornly say no, it was the right move, we just didn't do it right or something like that, you know, and they sticking by the original plan when clearly if he had to do it over again,
he would have done it differently, you know what I mean.
Yeah, And you know, I'm I'm always a little reluctant to get into strategy second guessing because most evaluations of strategy are just completely outcome based. You know, if it worked on the field, then it was brilliant. If it didn't work, it wasn't. And I think sometimes the right strategy or the right call doesn't work out, but it's still the right was the right thing to do in
that circumstance. But in this case, you know, I just think given the difficulty Kentucky was having pass blocking and just given how good the Georgia defense was, there were times in that game where the Kentucky receiver appeared to be open and Vandergriff put the ball where it normally would have needed to go, and Georgia was just so fast they could close that window before the ball got there. And it's not a knock on arm strength or anything.
It's just, you know, Georgia is really good. There's I think sometimes in analysis of games we forget, you know, there's two teams out there, and in this particular case, that other team is pretty good. Defense was really good, and you know, I think that you know, impacts kind of how you need to view the view the end
of game scenario. You know, it was interesting somebody was tweeting around and that's something that they were attributing to ESPN that had Kentucky gone for it, they had, you know, thirty four percent chance to win. By planning, they had an eight percent chance or something. And I'm a believer in metrics if that in fact was on the up
and up. But the problem with those kind of metrics is they're they're general metrics, they're not specific to the game at hand and the problems Kentucky was having blocking Georgia in past protection. I think alters, you know, some of those I think that specific case may have been different than the general metrics suggested.
My feeling on metrics in case you're interested, I I equate them with the Dosag index that pops up around derby time. You know what I'm talking about, right I do? Okay, who invented that. It's basically a formula For those of you who don't follow, it's a formula that indicates breeding and what horses have a chance to win the Derby
based on their pedigree. And it's less believable now because of the way the breed has basically been diluted through the years, But for the longest time it kind of served as an indicator of what horses had a chance to win the Derby. Strike the Gold was the first horse in nineteen ninety one that defied the dosage and as Paul Rogers put it on his radio call, Strike
to Go breaks the Derby jinks. But the guy who invented it try to point out it's not a handicapping tool, and to me, analytics are similar in that analytics in my mind, they look backwards. They tell you here's what has happened in the past in situations like this, to your point, Mark, not what's going to happen next. You know, they exist because they have data from many, many games, and they you know, simulated games and all that stuff. And it doesn't mean if you do this, here's what's
going to happen. Does that make sense?
Yeah, I mean it does now. I do think there can be a predictive quality to the accumulation of stats over a long period of time.
But I did.
But as you know, that is kind of a general it's a general overview, though it doesn't take into account the specifics of an individual game. Right as we were saying earlier, you know, Kentucky's difficulty pass walking the Georgia rush is not something that is accounted for within a general metric of what normally would happen in the situation.
Acts Mark Stories, my guest columnist for The Harold Leader, will come back with a few more questions for mister Story in just a minute. Here on the Big Blue Sider six point thirty WLAP Welcome back. We're talking with Mark Stories. Worts, columnists for the hair leader. Looking ahead now to Ohio. You and again another horse racing analogy mark. But you wonder will this Kentucky team bounce coming off this Georgia close call?
Uh?
Kids are kids, people are human beings. Wouldn't be surprising, would it.
Yeah, you have to wonder about that. But given how badly, given that South Carolina performance, they they don't have any room for bouncing at this point. They and you know, Ohio University, I don't know for a Kentucky team that has struggled so much offensively, you know, and needs to get the ball in the end zone. I think Ohio can be a tough, kind of a difficult matchup because they're gonna, you know, they're they're gonna make you beat them.
They're not gonna make mistakes themselves. You're gonna have to drive it on them. You're gonna have to do the little things right. And you know, you know, we'll see if Kentucky can do that. I think obviously Kentucky needs to win the game, and you know we can. The MAC has had some huge wins so far this year. You know, obviously the key to the big one and there was Northern Illinois beating Notre Dame in South Bend.
But you look at what Toledo did last week to the Mississippi State, which they just absolutely bludgeoned Mississippi State. So this is not a team to take for granted, because Ohio has won ten games each of the past two years. So you know, we'll see. I think I think I think it would help Kentucky if they could get some points on the board early and sort of get control of this and kind of play free and easy and and just try to get some things worked
out offensively. You know, it's possible that they've seen the two best pass rushes help this year, yes, and so you know it's you know, at least in theory, things could get a little easier just in terms of trying to get the passing game going. But yeah, you know.
I don't know much about Texas. I'm sure now that they're the number one team, the long Oarners probably have a pretty good pass rush that our own. But in terms of which teams have generated the most talk the edge rushers, it's been South Carolina and Georgia. A few minutes left with Mark story of the hero Leader, you talked about Kentucky paraphrasing getting right against Ohio, at least offensively. What do we know about Brock vandergriff right now? And then?
I know he's clearly a work in progress. He has started all of three games in his college career. But what can we tell about him?
I don't feel like I can tell a lot. I don't have a good feel for him either way. I do think he's got some toughness about him, which is a good thing, but you know, otherwise, you know, he's been under so much dirass, I don't really have a good feel for him as a passer or what's possible me neither.
Going into the Georgia game, had you altered your outlook on what you thought Kentucky would accomplish this year? Because I have to admit I did, and I'm usually not one to do that, but I was so surprised by what I saw or what I didn't see from the offensive line, I thought to myself, I don't know if these guys can can win three games this year? You know what I mean?
Yeah, I mean I guess for me. Once the South Carolina game ended, I you know, I thought we needed to wait and see if that was kind of a one off just on all systems failure or whether you know, that was the Kentucky team. To me, though, once they lost that South Carolina game, the point of the season
became just trying to extend the ball Street. Yes, I think the chances to have the quote unquote breakthrough season that the fans so yearned for given the difficulty of the schedule, and that once I mean that South Carolina game was a game they had to win and once they didn't. To me, the goal now is to just keep the ball Street going, try to have a winning season.
Yeah. And you know what's interesting to me is I've I've heard and read comments about the rest of the schedule, and I don't think people and not that we're looking past o how you but we can do that if we want to, because we're the media. I don't think enough people are really giving ole Miss enough credit, especially based on what's happened through the last few years. Was Ole Miss. I mean, that's going to be a tough road trip, you know.
I actually in the precinct thought that was a game Kentucky could win. Kentucky's played them so tough, and you know, the last three meetings have gone basically to the very end, and Kentucky's lost them all. Partly just felt to me like Kentucky was doing that. And I think ole Miss, while impressive, has not played anybody their their schedule. Kentucky's going to go into that game having played two SEC games and if nothing else has been tested, ole Miss
is not. But you know, they have been impressive, and I guess my question now, I just don't know that Kentucky, even if Kentucky's defense, can impact ole Miss, and I will be disappointed if they don't. I just don't know that Kentucky can score enough to tea.
Yeah, and it would help if they get if and when they get Chip training him back, but I do I've been pleasantly surprised by Sumo Karnbay. How do you feel about what he's done?
Yeah, I think, you know, maybe they don't have any you know, a game breaker, somebody that can just take it to the house. But I think the running game has been good. You know, I don't train him. Is gonna have to be really good to be better than Demmy's been so far.
Yeah, I mean we knew he had speed on the edges, but between the tackles he's been a pleasant surprise. Mark Story columnist for The Hair Leader. You can find his work via Kentucky dot com or follow him on x slash Twitter at Mark C. Story. Thank you, Sarah, we will see you at the ballgame.
Thanks Dick, appreciate you having me.
I truly do recommend his column today because when I heard Mark ask the question in the news conference yesterday about you know, do you regret, and again Stoops was quite frank. I really thought the colin would be about it. Some of it is, but he just sort of touches on the decision to punt, and I thought maybe it would be Mark Stoops is too conservative kind of story,
but he goes back and no pun intended. Mark's story and he chronicles decisions that have been made and they're a handful, but they were big ones where Stoops made the wrong decision and coaches do this, but ironically enough you would expect as Mark wrote that the way Mark Stoops coaches, his style conservative ground game defense would be more about not taking risks and maybe they should have.
That happened with Rich Brooks a couple of times cost him a win over Tennessee one year, but with Stoops Yeah, he's made some calls that backfired and cost the Wildcats. Really interesting and I commend that to you. I'll remember two is next. Keith Farmer coming up next here on six thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Moons, Sighter joining us on our celebrity hotline. Longtime friend and colleague mister Keith Farmer of LAX eighteen and a UK TV network.
You see his work every night on BBN. Tonight, came in. You and I chatted at the Stoops Fresh conference yesterday. But tell me the truth. Going into that Georgia game, what did you expect?
Honestly, I did not have a lot of high expectations because what we saw against South Carolina was so surprised, especially with the pass blocking and everything that was going on defensively. I just thought, Wow, maybe this team isn't as good as we thought, you know, I mean that was just my natural instinct that I think a lot of people had that. And then to see what they did to come back and turn that around, I think it was so amazing the fights that they put up.
But yeah, going in, I thought this could get ugly, and certainly Kentucky stepped up to the challenge and you got to be proud of proud of him for that being right there a chance to win.
You all featured Zion Childers as we did on the radio, and full disclosure, we often for the BBN project we share the player of the game. And I was talking to Kinsey and she's like, you're going to talk to Zion. I said, oh, yeah, because what a game he had.
But yeah, he.
Said similar things to you guys that he said to us, and that was he knew he had to put that South Carolina game behind him and be ready, and he had to show the younger players how to do that. I was really impressed by that, weren't you.
Very And I mean, you know, naturally, after a game happens like that, I think everybody looked at themselves that's what can I do better? Yeah, but for him to say I can be better, you know, to the younger guys, they're probably looking up at him, going, maybe you played pretty well that game, you know, how can you step
up better? And he certainly did. He was one of those guys that was I mean, from the moment the first kickoff happened, he was just out there making plays and seemed to be creating havoc, and I do like you know that everyone seemed to kind of have that same feeling. Look, we didn't like how we played against South Carolina, and you may have remembered, like all through the week people saying, do your job, do your job,
and I feel like that's what they did. They did their job, and they gave them a chance to knock off the number one team in college football.
It's interesting. I don't know how much you've had a chance to pay attention, but some of the tweets and social media and just regular media down there in Georgia, what's wrong with the Bulldogs after that game? You know? And then they'll give it the perfunctory. I got to give Kentucky credit, but you know that I think clearly that goes back to South Carolina and the perception people have. But in college footballs, you know came in, you've done
this for a long time. Everything changes dramatically from week to week, doesn't it.
I mean, think about how we thought South Carolina coming in, Yes, because the way they had played the week before, and so we thought this was almost going to be a walkover, and then they turned it around, you know, and you're right. I mean, I think you're getting to that point now with Kentucky. They're like, all right, they took the one loss and the second one they were right there, but now they know they've got to, you know, buckle down.
It's going to be hard to beat this Kentucky team now because they know their backs are against the wall with two losses. They've got to come out week and show that growth that coach Stops was talking about on Monday and try and get better and better.
Question is are they good enough? And I've been banging this drum all year long and it's you know, comes back to the old line, which was impressive when it came to running in football. Still some issues with pass protection, Keith, But I think there's still a lot of room for improvement. And I think they're capable. The key is they're capable of getting better, aren't they sure?
And especially to show what they did against Georgia. And now I know they played it a little differently with a lot of play action and things like that, but they certainly ran the ball against Georgia, which was impressive. I don't know they They've got a couple of guys along the line. It's their first year here along the big Blue wall. I'm wondering almost if it isn't just one of those things that takes them a little while
to jail. And unfortunately, you're you know, you had a couple of tough games off the bat with you know, some of the best defensive linemen in the country in South Carolina and Georgia. So you know, maybe now they can settle in here after a couple of games and have more film to look at and can show what they need to do to improve.
Yeah, and they were I thought embarrassed by South Carolina, but then they redeemed themselves in an even tougher situation. Yeah, you're right. Soacharna got some great young edge rushers. But and granted Georgia had one or two guys out banged up, they're still Georgia. And those guys acquitted themselves, didn't they against the number one or two team in the country.
Yeah, I certainly thought so. I thought that a you know, again, that's one of the things that I think I was most concerned about going into that Georgia game was the offensive line, and that's what worried me that Brock wasn't going to have time to throw, they were going to be able to get a push to get the run going, and they came through, and they showed that they could do it, you know, against the team like that. So I think that's very encouraging moving forward.
Speaking up, Brock, what did you think of his performance?
Again? I think he took a step forward. I think you know, some of that, you'll go back and look at the South Carolina game. They didn't put it all on the offensive line. Some of that was like, look, he's got to get rid of the ball. Yeah, And I thought he did a better job of surveying where he was going with the ball. The play action certainly helped with that. But I think again he took a step forward, and it can only give you confidence heading forward.
I have to admit that I have been just short of amazed by Demi Sumol Karnbay because having gone to one of the scrimmages, having watched him last year, I thought, man, when this kid gets on the edges, he is going to be fun to watch. But I was skeptical about his ability to run between the tackles. And I know you did preseason interviews with him, as did I, and he was confident, but everybody's confident in August, you know. But he has proven me wrong.
He definitely has, because he was showing the other night against Georgia that you know, hey, I'm going to take it up the middle, and I'm tough to get down, and I'm going to keep turning those legs. And so I think, for me a little like you, I was impressed by the way he got out there and continued to you know, take the ball and want to take it up the middle and not necessarily get it out on the edge, you know. Uh, and just being a tough guy to get down. That was fun to watch.
You make a great point. He was able to move the pile, you know. And yeah, I had people helping him, but I mean, yeah, just his drive like I never thought he could. But there's a reason they spent so much time in the weight room, right, you know.
And I and I talked to him. I talked to him after the South Carolina game. I think you did too, right, Yeah, And that was one of those He was very appreciative of his offensive line, even though maybe they didn't have to great now. They they ran blocked pretty well in that game. It was the past that wasn't as well done as well. Yeah, but he was very appreciative and that he seems like one of those guys that kind
of keeps urging his his guys up front. You know, just give me a little bit of space, I'll make something happen.
The other thing I'm curious about, and supposedly it's in the playbook and the bush Handen playbook, is throwing the ball to the running backs. Now, I guess maybe the game plan hasn't allowed for that, but that would allow you to see Demi out in space a little bit as well. But I'm also really curious. I like what
I've seen about the two young running backs. But man, after meeting Chip train him, seeing how big he is and seeing how that complimentary run game him and Demi, now that should move Kentucky up, I would think considerably in the run game.
Yeah, if they can just get him healthy. You know, it doesn't sound like at all chance of coming back this week still out. But yeah, you talk about your lightning and thunder and that kind of you know, running back duo. I could certainly see that happening because then Demi wouldn't have to as much pound that ball straight ahead. You could let Chip do that and then demmy, could you know, not only hit inside but also really bound
from those of the outside and get the edge. Like we were talking about Keith.
Farmer, my guest WLAX sports director. You see him on BBN tonight. We'll come back and talk more football, a little basketball. What came in on the other side of the break here on six thirty WLAP Welcome back. We're talking with Keith Farmer. He is a sports director at l e X eighteen and you see him each night on BBN Tonight with Miss Maggie Davis. And of course we're talking about the football Wildcats. I was talking during a previous segment Keith about a lot of the fans.
I don't know, want to say a lot, but there's a segment of fans who, of course have turned on Mark Stoops within the previous couple of years, the last couple of mediocre seasons and then naturally what happened with South Carolina. You've been around for a while, not quite as old as I am, but you've worked all over the state of Kentucky and hazard election in Louisville back to election, and I got to think none of that surprises you. Being the grizzled.
Veteran that you are, especially in this day and age of X social media any kind, right, I mean, it's so easy to get on and complain about something. It's usually a vocal minority that that does all of that. I mean, well Mark Students has done at Kentucky has been a remarkable run and one that you know, I know, I saw you you kind of reacting to somebody from the Loysville area who thinks he's overpaid and this and that and you know hasn't done it all that much
and you had to remind him. You know, man, there have been some dark days at Kentucky where people just showed up and they knew they were losing games. Yeah, you know, now they know their end games. And obviously by what happened last week with Georgia, I mean, Kentucky was in that game and a player or two away from making that upset happen.
You know what's would I think impressed me in the most key And I talked about this in the show earlier, was it wasn't because of fluky plays. The only flukey playing a game was wiped off the board. I mean, there were you know, people drop the ball or block kicks or these dramatic turnaround It was just it was an old school football game. And but Carl pointed this out. He said, it was like a one nothing baseball game. A lot of people won't like that, but a lot
of people love the drama. And hardly anybody left. Everybody was on the edge of their seat.
Yeah, I mean that right, That right fair shows you how many people are behind Stuits in this program, right the way that the atmosphere was on Saturday night, And yeah, it was one of those I know people look at it go thirteen twelve. That was a great game to watch. I mean there were a lot of plays back and forth from both teams, you know that. I mean again, Georgia had to earn that victory. They didn't just come in and walk out with it. They had to earn
it to every play. And all you got to do is listen to Kirby Smarts and know that what did you.
Think we've gone here, what eleven and a half minutes? What did you think of the decision to punch the football? Yeah?
Yeah, the last punt. Yeah, you know, after hearing Stoops talk about it more on Monday, it kind of made sense. You know that he wanted to try and flip the field. Look, the defensive played pretty well, right, and if he goes for it, there Georgia easily if they don't run the clock out, don't get a field goal, then you know, Kentucky's got almost the length of the field in a very little amount of time minute or so. So to try and do what he did, to try and flip
the field, it made more sense to me. Now, I don't know if you line ten coaches up, you know how many of them are going to do that in that situation. I have no idea, you know, especially you know, knowing that you're on that Kentucky sideline and what's at stakes, and so I have to be behind him because that's what he felt in his heart, that he needed to flip the field, make the stop and have a chance at a punt that maybe they only go fifty sixty yards instead the eighty.
Yeah, I know they needed was a field goal.
They need it in the end, exactly. Yeah, yeah, you didn't have to get any inso correct correct At.
The time he made the decision, how did you feel were you thinking they go for it? Did you think they needed to go for it.
Yeah, at the time, I thought, go for it. Yeah, you got to you got to make this happen. You got to keep the ball because George is gonna run out the fuck. That's how it felt. And so yeah, I didn't agree with it at first. You're correct, Well.
You weren't alone. A lot of people. A lot of people agreed with you there.
Oh yeah, yeah, I mean you could hear it from the groans in the stadium, you know, even even on on TV you could hear it, you know. So yeah, you know that people wanted to even go for it.
It's that the game came down to that. I thought it was fascinating, you know. I mean, it was unfortunate for Kentucky and the fans the way it ended. But who would have thought that that game would come down to the decision by the coach that was behind on the scoreboard should I kick it or should I keep it? With three minutes to play. You just don't see that very often.
It almost makes you wonder what if? Right?
Yeah?
Oh yeah, Like I'd love to be able to go back in time and have them hold on to the wall and go for it unforeto down, just to know, just to know how how would have been different the.
Big night at the stadium, Tim Kouch was introduced, got a great ovation and even some Georgia fans were applauding him. Mark Pope was there, and I think there is team they were there, But I guess that was one of the big upsets is they weren't introduced at that game. I guess they will be at some point. It's not the first time they've been at a Kentucky football game as a team, right, But Mark kind of hung back,
stayed by the tunnel, you know. I was talking to the commissioner and then shaking hands with people, but looking ahead to his team. They are still flying beneath the radar came in not in the big Blue Nation. But are you surprised at all that none of the pundits have jumped up and said, hey, here's a team you need to be looking at, because clearly nobody really knows what to expect.
Yeah, now it doesn't surprise me. I mean everybody was so much behind, you know, knowing what cal would bring to it a season, you know, especially with the talent that he would have, and I think everybody just maybe kind of kind of curious this first season with Mark Pope. Again, I've said this a lot about him being on more of the west coast side of the state. Yeah, not a lot of people stayed up and watched his teams
to see how they play. And so I think, you know, once he gets out there with this this group, I mean it's the group he had to put together, the group that he has, I still think could be impressed. It could be a really good three point shooting team, and they're certainly going to take a lot of them, so if they can play a little defense, maybe get a little bit of inside work, I think they could be one of those teams that people are eventually going to be talking about once we get into the season.
Yeah, it just depends on, duh, if the ball goes in the basket, Because like Caliberry said, you can you can have three point shooters, but you have to have three point makers and if they make them, then yeah, I mean that's going to make the rest of that team dangerous.
I mean, we remember the Patino days, right when they were jacking up three. It was the occasional night where it just didn't fall for any of them. So yeah, you have to live with it and die with it.
Yeah, but you know, I guess statistically you could see only one out of every three has to go in because that's essentially matches one for two when it comes from two point buckets. But yeah, that's a great point. And coincidentally enough, who did he play for? It's I'm really curious. I don't know if you remember this, but there was a game where Patino yelled at Jamel Martinez, his post player, for not shooting a three. I don't
know if Pope will come down to that. I want to see Mark Polk get ticked off, though, you know, he's so upneat and positive. I wonder what it looks like when his you know, when he looks like he's about to blow a stack. That's going to be interesting.
It will definitely be Yeah, I'll just see him get a little you know, on the sidelines, like you know, in some faces. But I don't think you're going to see him be a Patino type.
Oh no, uh, you know.
And certainly they they never could get him cussed from the from the sounds of things, so Patino was always like he was saying some words that were similar kind of like Brock Vandergriff and they were like, just go ahead and say it.
Well apparently, and Cameron Mills saw me this. Uh. Mark's favorite expression was frick and and what what he said? Patino said him, Ah, Mark, they know what you're saying. Just go ahead and say it, dude. But you're right, you never would.
Yeah. Yeah. Keith Farmer the guy I'm excited for, you know, for the season and everything, and he's so happy to be back. And I think you're going to really enjoy watching these teams.
Oh, I agree. And and a guy who so appreciates being and not the CALIBERY didn't. Keith Farmer is a sports director eli x A G and you see him on BBN Tonight each night, following him on Twitter at Keith Farmer eighteen. Thanks came in, not a problem, can talk to you Up next to Emmigroom of the UK volleyball team. The Cats take on the Cardinals of Louisville tomorrow night at Historic Memorial Coliseum. You'll hear it right here on six thirty WLAP. Here's Emma in three two
welcome back to the Big Blue Insider. Joining us now in our celebrity hotline is somebody who's done more than one interview today but Emma Grome, senior setter for the volleyball Wildcats, that's what happens when you're playing for a pretty good team. You got a big match this week.
Right, Yes, for sure.
What do you guys think about when you go into the Louisville match? Do you have to guard against getting a little too keyed up? Because they have been putting some good teams on the court of late, and it's always interesting when you all play.
Yeah, we always get super fired up for this week. There's nothing better than a rival rivalry match, especially when you know both teams are doing pretty well at the moment, and they've been very good the last couple of years, so we're ready to give it to them.
You all used to own them no disrespect, but I mean they just for a while there, they were just you know, another team. But as you said, of late, they've been doing really well. What do you make of that?
I mean, you know, teams get better. They've built a pretty solid program and you know, they weren't great for a couple of years, but they've really turned it around and it's honestly impressive for them. But we're ready to, you know, for it to be our turn so you know, almost the top ten matchup. We dropped just tolp of the top ten this week, but they're at number four and it's going to be a tough game for sure.
What do you know about them, They're always a pretty scrappy team.
That's one thing that we can usually count on is there's going to be long rallies and it's going to come down to who can stick with that the longest and eventually get the point because those are the big momentum changing kind of place. Yeah, very scrappy. They're usually pretty good on passing in defense, but our serving has been really good this year. That's something that I think
is definitely a strength for this team. So hopefully we'll be able to get them out of system a little bit and that'll make things a little bit easier for us.
You mentioned the serving. Craig has talked about that how aggressive you all have been, and yeah, there are some service errors here and there, but explain to people the difference because there were several years before you got here. Craig kind of made the decision, Craig Scanner to really have his teams amp up the serving aggression. Why that makes such a big difference.
Yeah, I think that's something this year that's been a little bit different from us. In the past, it's been that we wanted to have a low air rate but still get quality serves in the court. But this year it's been a little bit of a shift in mentality to we want to what we call knock out the other team, So you have them shank the ball or just get a flat out ace, and with that you have a little bit of a higher error rate, but it's high risk, high reward, you know. So I think
that's been really big. But it's super important to serve tough to get the other team out of system. When the other team is passing perfect passing balls right on the net, it's a lot easier for them to run their offense, and it's really hard on our blockers to be able to make those kind of moves when it could literally go to anyone. So getting them out of systems huge. It helps our blocking, it helps their defense, and it makes the other team a little less successful offensively.
And I know oftentimes you serve right at the other team's best player or or most productive offensive player again to try to get them out of system. Right, I mean a lot of teams you serve right at Brooklyn this year, right.
Right, And I mean that's honestly smart. The idea there is that you want to try to take out the best hitter for that rotation, and sometimes people will, you know, you want them to go to the ground or something like that, or just be a little bit out of rhythm with their approach. So yeah, I'm not surprised that we've been seeing that, But that's also our goal against other teams is either do that or find the weakest
passer if it's not the best hitter. You know, sometimes you'll see Libero's struggle from time to time, or DS has struggled. So that's where Craig comes in, trying to find the best area for us to serve.
Do you expect that from Louisville for them to go after Brooklyn, because obviously that impacts you as the setter.
Right, I Mean, I'm not sure what they'll do, but the past couple matches we've definitely seen that, so I could imagine that's not the possibility. But at the end of the day, it doesn't affect things that much. Brooklyn's been passing pretty well and she's very good at if she does pass, still being able to get out of the court and get in rhythm with her approach. So there's not too many times that she gets fully taken out of being an offensive option.
No, she's not gonna let that happen. Issue.
No, she definitely won't let that.
Talking Tomcgralm, she is a senior center for the volleyball Wildcats. They take on the Louisville Cardinals tomorrow night. You can see it on the SEC Network. You can hear it right here on six thirty WLAP. Coming off that invitational down in Dallash you sweep SMU, which is a good, good program. You get the first step and then fall to Purdue. What did you guys take away from the trip to Dallas.
You know, I think we've just it's been a trend this year. We just need to stay a little bit. I don't want to stay more engaged, but just stay with the long matches. You know, we know against these top ten teams, it's never going to be easy, So focusing on getting one point at a time, not thinking about the overall picture, and just trying to stay locked in on our game plan and what we do well as a team. We always say we want to play Kentucky volleyball. We don't want the other team to dictate
what we're doing. So I think just staying a little bit more locked in on what's our game, not worrying too much about the other side, because yes, you do have to worry about what they're doing, but at the end of the day, we know that if we're playing our best Kentucky volleyball, we believe that we can beat any team.
Well, you have Penn State down to nothing, they got away from you. Was that kind of a loss of focus there?
I think that was a little bit of a tough situation.
Just we did.
We have had a pretty tough schedule this year where we had two weekends in a row of playing three games three days in a row, and I think that's something we weren't used to. But I think they're The thing is just not really losing focus, but just being able to really go out in a third set and finish. You know, we were up to oh and the third set was still a really good step for us. It was close, but just being able to go out there with a little bit more fire and finish a team
when we need to. That's something we've continued to work on and it'll get better with time.
Well it has to obviously, because you got the SEC coming up. But prior to that and as you know, a trip to Stanford you mentioned a tough schedule, but Craig has said, you know, I never shy away from tough matches, do you players? I got to think you enjoy that or do you?
For sure? Yeah, it's definitely important. I think to play teams like, play the best teams early on. They might not all go our way, but we learn a lot from those matches and we learn what it takes from our team to beat the best teams in the country. And like I said, you know, it doesn't always go our way, but overall that'll help us when it gets to postseason and SEC play because the SEC is getting tougher every year. Oh yeah, so it's definitely important to play those kind of matches.
Well, not only has the SEC been getting tougher because you all chased down as a program caught in blue past Florida, Tennessee is trying to make strides others. Then you add Oklahoma and Texas. We all know what Dad means and just by dumb coincidence, you open your conference play on the road with a weekend at Auburn, then Florida, and then you got Oklahoma coming in. So this is that's one of the most challenging schedules I've ever seen. But you guys really just can't worry about that, can you.
No, we can't. I mean, our goal every day is to just get a little bit better, fix what we can learn from the matches before, and then go out and give every match our all. We have the mentality that we want to win every match, so we have to like go in thinking that that we're going to play our hardest and play our best Kentucky volleyball to try to beat these teams. But we love the tough schedule. It's only going to make us better.
Yeah. And yeah, Emma girl my guess she is a senior center for the volleyball Wildcast from Loveland, Ohio, which is what north east of Cincinnati, right. Yeah, and you decided to become a Kentucky Wildcat. Where were you in your high school career? Was it early on? And why did you choose Kentucky?
It was early on. It was like right after my freshman year ended it, you know, the second I step foot on this campus, I fell in love with it, and I knew that I wanted to come here. The people here are incredible. The program is super competitive, but I always say this, we're really competitive, but it's crazy how much they care about you as people. Like we're all competing. There's so much depth on these teams that everyone's fighting for a spot, but we're also super supportive
of each other. At the same time, you really want to see your teammates succeed, and I think that's really special to be a part of something like.
That you're playing in. I keep hearing it called historic Memorial Coliseum, but boy, the insides of it now incredibly modernized. My broadcast partner I did the ball State game on sec TV and Leah Edmund worked with me, and she actually kind of surprised me, but she said, I kind of liked it when it was hot in ear because it gave us an advantage. How do you feel about the air conditioning.
It's definitely true. I think it gave us an advantage, but I personally am very that we have air conditioning.
I don't blame you. You can still.
It's like fine, it was doable, but there was some days in late September where man, if it was hot outside, it was just brutal.
Yeah, and oddly it's even hotter I think inside at that point of the year. But you know, I really think, and obviously you all know way more about it than I do, but I would think it allows you to play your best. It doesn't drain you as quickly does it when you're brutally hot?
For sure?
Yeah? Well you and Leah can do bait that. I'll leave that up to you all. A few minutes safe with Emmagrove, Kentucky's volleyball cetter. What do you think of the way? And speaking of Memorial Coliseum, the crowds have supported you all because I think, slowly but surely people are falling in love with volleyball here and lexing it.
I agree, and it's incredible. I mean, we've had some pretty good crowds here so far, and just being in this new gym, being a part of this history being made and having that many people come out and support you as really special. I don't think people realize how much of the crowd can play a part in these matches, but it really adds to the home court advantage of having this place packed and loud and people screaming, and it's honestly really nice as a player to look up
and see everybody here and supporting us. That makes you feel really loved as a program.
Before I let you go, we need to throw a little love to some of your teammates, including what we've talked about. Brooklyn Molly Tuzzo has been playing well as a libro. She's kind of worked her way into the lineup, hasn't.
She She has. I mean, she was incredible last year, but this year she's taken it to a whole new level. She applies everywhere on the court. You really don't have to worry about balls getting hitting the floor around her. So she's been doing awesome. It's been really fun to watch her grow.
And you can still work Elean or Bevin in defensively, so that's a huge plus. And Brooke Baltima comes back from the injury and what has she given you all?
She's been awesome. I mean, she's just one of the hardest working players I've ever played with or met. She's just very focused and she can be a little hard on herself sometimes, but you never have to worry about her wanting to be better, but no, she's been awesome. We lost both of our middles from last year, so having her and Jordan Daily step up into that role has been really huge, and we've just been continuing to work on our connection and get the most we can.
Out of them.
Has it been weird dealing with a portal because you got a teammate who's here literally here today and gone tomorrow.
Yeah, it can be tough, but I think that's the cool thing is just learning how to adapt each year. You never know how things will go, who you have or who you pick up, so just being able to adapt and grow with the team that you have each year is super important.
Emma Grom Kentucky Volleyball tomorrow night against those Louisville Cardinals. Thank you so much, best of luck, come.
Out to the game tomorrow.
We need it passed.
Thanks so much.
Thank you so much.
Ok here bye bye. I didn't want to start rattling this off with her on the line. I didn't want to embarrass her. But she is a four time All American Freshman of the Year in the SEC and a four time All American and the setter, of course, is the quarterback out there on the court. So she is one of the best, if not the best setter in the country. And I'm telling you one volleyball match, it's all it's
going to take. If you go, you will be hooked, especially now at the all new and improved Memorial Coliseum seven pm start. I think I said it was on the SEC networks, actually on ESPN, so you can see it and hear it here on six point thirty WLAP Welcome back to the Big Blue Insider. In the National Football League, so much chatter right now about quarterbacks, and part of that is former Wildcat Will Levis, who threw away another game for the Titans, and that game cost
some headlines. In fact, his biggest turnover because the head coach, Brian Callahan Maddy with the sideline with the expletive, and it was apparently I didn't see it. I saw the replay of it, pretty evident what he was saying to Levis, what the bleep as he came off the field. And people have asked Callahan since then if he regretted it, and he said no, He said he wasn't remorseful. He said, I don't regret my feelings about how I felt in
the moment. I'm generally pretty composed, he said, but this will just set me off. And I'm human like everybody else. I have blackout moments where I'll lose my mind. And
I'll tell you what. I don't blame him because remember now, they fired Mike Vrabel, and one of the reports I'd read was that Vrabel was not fully committed to Will Levis as the starting quarterback, and the people who wrote his checks they were, and they were spending more than two hundred and twenty five million dollars to build around Levis. So they get rid of Rabel, who's a really good
NFL hit football coach, and they bring in Callahan. So now Callahan is responsible for moving this team up in the fortune of the NFL, and his young quarterback keeps screwing things up with really really poor decisions that lead directly to points for the other team. So keep an eye on what's going on. I don't think Levis gets benched,
but it is not good right now. What's going on down in Nashville speaking have benched fans and some media believe that the Broncos already should bench Bone Nicks, the rookie from Oregon by way of Auburn. He won quote unquote the starting job in preseason, but the Broncos have started off zh to two they have not been impressive, nor has he four picks, no touchdown passes, did run for a rush score in Week one, but his rookie quarterback rating through two games fifty one point three five.
The problem is Sean Payton, the head coach who raised eyebrows when he decided to start Knicks. Well, what are his alternatives? Zach Wilson, second player taken in the draft, who is a complete bust in New York, or Jared Stidham who is an NFL veteran from Corbin, Kentucky by the way, but has never been able to start to win a starting job, and other spots in the National Football League. So they may just be stuck with as
the starting job as the starter in Denver. They've also got a quarterback situation in Charlotte, of course, with Bryce Young being benched, and he may not be the future for the Carolina Panthers of the quarterbacks, but at least ten starts since the beginning of last season. When you look at all the analytical breakdowns points added per drop back success rate, explosive pass rate, you know, big plays, completion percentage, all that stuff. He is the worst or
the second worst. So he has just been absolute bust. Now there's nothing much around him. But remember it was the decision came down to Bryce Young or c J. Stroud, and they clearly took the wrong guy. But Houston's done a much better job of building around CJ. Stroud in Miami. To A Tungue of Belova will not be placed on injured reserve despite yet another concussion. Mike McDonald's, the head coach, said he needs more information, but he's still in concussion protocol.
After that Thursday loss to Buffalo, McDonald said it's too early in the process. McDaniel said it's too early in the process to say whether he'll be on injured reserve, but that he and the GM will make that decision once further evaluations have been completed. Now what they have done is they have signed Tyler Huntley off the Ravens practice squad. Huntley is in his i think sixth year
in the NFL. Played his college football at Utah. So Skyler Thompson will be starting because to A will miss this week's game against Seattle Skyler Thompson from Kansas State was a seventh round pick in twenty twenty two. It wasn't mister irrelevant, but he was a late round pick and here he is starting in the NFL. One other note about Jordan Chiles, the Olympic gymnast who had to give back her Olympic bronze medal. She is appealing the decision, and believe it or not, one of her teammates may
be the key to her winning that appeal. Simone Biles Netflix is shooting a documentary and has been shooting it of course, and in court documents released yesterday, there's video footage at the center of her appeals efforts, provided by the production company that had received permission to shoot at the Barcie Arena as part of Biles's latest documentary project. First of two episodes of the docuseries that were released prior to the Olympics, two more coming later this year.
It's called Simone Biles Rising, and the footage could be the smoking gun they need for Childs to hold on to her medal because it undercut a key factual finding in the Court of Appeals. The Court of Arbitration for Sports ruling shows the American Gymnast appeal of her score. The inquiry had been submitted well before the sixty second deadline. Her coach Cecil Landy was heard saying, inquiry for Jordan.
You can hear that on the documentary footage forty nine seconds after Child's score and the floor exercise final was announced. She repeats it a couple of times prior to the sixty second deadline. So we'll see if that shakes out. How about that for being a teammate that's going to do it. Thanks to my guest Emma Gromes. Thanks to Mark Story and Keith Farmer. Back tomorrow night with a short show ahead of Kentucky Volleyball. That's it. Good night
from the garage in Lexington. Ay, a ron? Where are you? Where is a ron?
Right now? No?
A ron?
Huh? Well you better be sick, dead or mute?
A A ron?
Er?
Oh man? Why didn't you answer me the first time?
I said, eh, huh, I'm just you know, I'm just asking you.
I said it like four times, So why didn't you say it the first time?
I said a a ron?
Because it's pronounced an eron.
You domb messed up?
A ron