First Down Kentucky: An Outstanding Football Story

Greetings, friends. Every day on First Down Kentucky, we talk football. Today’s football notebook will have plenty about the Wildcats and more from around the SEC, but I’d like to start with another football story.

Long before Steven Peake became KSR’s passionate videographer, he was a passionate supporter of Louisville City FC. He even spent a little time working for the club. Folks around the Commonwealth may not know too much about Louisville’s USL franchise. In short, they’re really, really good.

The thing is, they aren’t just a franchise that has been good since day one. Like any fledgling professional sports organization, they had to overcome significant obstacles, including a tragic death, to reach heights like the ones we saw last Saturday when more than 13,000 fans packed the beautiful Lynn Family Stadium to watch the Boys in Purple.

Let Mr. Peake explain why Louisville City FC isn’t just the greatest story in American soccer, but maybe the greatest story in professional American sports.

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Pessimistic Bowl Projections for Kentucky Football

The first round of bowl projections were fun. We got a chance to imagine a few days in between Christmas and New Year’s with the Wildcats in Vegas. The latest bowl projections from ESPN aren’t as fun.

Kyle Bonagura: Birmingham Bowl vs. James Madison, Dec. 27
Mark Schlabach: Liberty Bowl vs. West Virginia, Dec. 27

Although I wouldn’t mind a trip to Memphis, a place where Kentucky last played after the 2009 season, the most likely best-case scenario for these Cats is the Reliaquest Bowl (a.k.a the Outback Bowl). An 8-4 campaign likely puts the Cats in Tampa for the first time since Tim Couch was under center.

Fiery Details on Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin’s Relationship

John Talty has written a few books about Nick Saban. He’s teaming up with Armen Keteyian to author “The Price: What It Takes to Win In College Football’s Era of Chaos.” A week before it hits stores, some of the juiciest details have been released, most notably a chapter on the dynamic between Nick Saban and Lane Kiffin during the latter’s three-year stint as the Alabama offensive coordinator.

Saban needed Kiffin to modernize his offense, even though he didn’t want to put up with his BS. One day Kiffin notified their agent, the infamous Jimmy Sexton, that an angry call from Saban was incoming. Kiffin told Saban in a meeting that he “didn’t know what he was talking about.”

“That son of a bitch,” Saban said to his agent, according to the book. “I’m going to fire you, Jimmy, for ever talking me into hiring that narcissistic prick.”

Oh, to be a fly on that wall for that conversation.

A Candid Conversation with a Kentucky DL

Talking Season is near a close. Before it completely shuts down, Deone Walker spent some time speaking with our friend Connor O’Gara from Saturday Down South. At one point, he shared a funny story about one of his best plays in a Kentucky uniform.

"(Stoops) saw that I got the feel for it. The footwork was good, so, he really just said F-it."

Kentucky DT Deone Walker explained the time he dropped into coverage against Florida and forced a viral interception: pic.twitter.com/H9pKm7qwva

— Connor O'Gara (@cjogara) August 19, 2024

Ray Davis has a Golden Opportunity

When Ray Davis was selected by the Buffalo Bills, we envisioned an opportunity for him to immediately assume a role as RB2. He’s been pretty, pretty good this preseason. After shaking off some fumbling issues early in camp, he’s been exceptional in preseason games. Davis is averaging 4.6 yards per carry and is the highest-graded rookie running back in the NFL, according to PFF. Not too shabby.