KSR Today: Catching up after Labor Day, Practice Updates, Basketball Recruiting, and more

Good morning, Big Blue Nation. To those of you clocking back in after the long Labor Day weekend, welcome back. I hope we can provide a few more minutes of procrastination before you get back to work.

There are no days off at KSR and Monday was a busy one, so we’ve got plenty to catch you up on as we look ahead to Saturday’s game vs. South Carolina. In case you were offline at the lake or pool, let’s start with the biggest headlines before moving on to today’s docket.

Monday updates from Mark Stoops

Mark Stoops was in a good mood when he met with reporters to recap Kentucky’s abbreviated 31-0 season-opening win over Southern Miss and preview the clash vs. South Carolina. While he said there were plenty of teachable moments from Saturday night, he had lots of praise for his team, notably quarterback Brock Vandagriff, the special teams, and defensive end Tre’vonn Rybka. Although South Carolina struggled in its season opener vs. Old Dominion, he’s expecting the Gamecocks to bring their best to Lexington.

“South Carolina is a team we always seem to have good games with through my many years here.  Always a very good game, always evenly matched. We’re looking forward to that challenge.”

Quick-hitters from Stoops’ presser and radio show:

• Chip Trayanum will miss the South Carolina game: The Ohio State transfer running back will miss a second straight game with an injury suffered in the preseason. After impressive performances in the opener, Demie Sumo-Karngbaye (8 carries, 59 yards, 1 TD) and Jason Patterson (4 rushes, 28 yards) will carry the load in the backfield.
• Stoops calls on fans to make Kroger Field “electric” on Saturday: Stoops once again thanked fans for sticking around Kroger Field through all the weather delays vs. Southern Miss and called on them to bring that energy and more to the stadium for the SEC opener vs. the Gamecocks.
• Brock Vandagriff “delivered” in Kentucky debut: The top takeaway from Week 1 is Brock Vandagriff’s promising play. Stoops was also pleased with his new quarterback, telling reporters he played with such confidence and composure that he “didn’t seem like a first-year starter.”
• Stoops on South Carolina’s playmakers: Stoops had a lot of praise for South Carolina redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers, a dual-threat quarterback who had mixed results in his debut. He also singled out Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart, a five-star true freshman, as disruptors on defense.
• Special Teams praise: Even in just 35 minutes of play, Stoops liked what he saw from special teams, doling out special praise to true freshman Willie Rodriguez, who returned the ball 20 yards on the opening kickoff.
• Week 2 Depth Chart

You can see Stoops’ complete press conference below.

After Stoops wrapped up, Nick Roush and Adam Luckett met up with Drew Franklin and Max Duffy at KSBar and Grille to share their thoughts on the weird season opener and Saturday’s game vs. the Gamecocks on a new episode of the KSR Football Podcast.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

Bush Hamdan, Offense after practice

Today, we’ll find out what Bush Hamdan thought of Saturday’s performance. Kentucky’s offensive coordinator and select players will chat with reporters after practice, so check the site and YouTube Channel this evening for updates.

New AP, Coaches Polls

Week 1 wrapped last night with Florida State vs. Boston College, so today, we’ll get new AP and Coaches Polls. Will Kentucky be ranked? Probably not, but the Cats may earn a few more votes. Kentucky was No. 40 and No. 37 in the Preseason AP and Coaches Polls, respectively. Louisville was just outside the Top 25 in both, so prepare yourself for the Cards to be ranked. After dropping to 0-2 with a 28-13 loss to Boston College at home, I have a feeling No. 10 Florida State is in for quite a tumble.

For what it’s worth, Kentucky did jump five spots in ESPN’s Football Power Index to No. 29. We’ll see what the humans think of the Cats in just a few hours.

This week’s “SEC Shorts” is a must-see

Kentucky got a free t-shirt for shutting out Southern Miss in this week’s “SEC Shorts,” but Vanderbilt’s entrance steals the show.

Kentucky Basketball staff gets ready to hit the road

There’s not a ton of news right now on the Kentucky Basketball front as the team settles back in for preseason workouts; that’s about to change. On Thursday, five-star shooting guard Jasper Johnson will announce his college decision at Woodford County High School. Before then, the staff will be on the trail to check in on some other 2025 prospects.

Tomorrow, Mark Pope and staff will head to Indiana to visit four-star guard Braylon Mullins. They’ll also go see four-star small forward Tounde Yessoufou at some point this week. Who else? Jacob Polacheck has been working the phones to put together a running list of the other 2025 and 2026 recruits Pope and company will see this week on KSR+.

Jacob also broke the news last night that 2026 four-star forward Miikka Muurinen canceled his visit to Kentucky, which was scheduled for next weekend. The Cats are still in the running; Muurinen plans to reschedule his trip to Lexington and host the Kentucky coaches on an in-home visit this week.

Want more Kentucky Basketball recruiting intel? Join KSR Plus for access to bonus content and KSBoard, KSR’s message board, to chat with fellow Cats fans and get exclusive scoop.

Men’s Soccer draws Virginia Tech

The Kentucky’s men’s soccer team was in action yesterday at The Bell. The No. 23 Cats hosted Virginia Tech, a contest that ended in a 2-2 draw. Kentucky’s goals came from freshman Agustin Lopez and fifth-year senior Nick Zielonka but Virginia Tech’s Ian Marcano scored the equalizing goal in the 88th minute. The Cats are now 1-0-1 this season. They host Wisconsin on Friday and rival Louisville on Monday.

Joey Chestnut set a new World Record

Florida State vs. Boston College wasn’t the only sporting event yesterday. Joey Chesnut faced off against former rival Takeru Kobayashi in a hot-dog eating contest in Las Vegas. Chestnut was banned from the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest earlier this year for signing with Impossible Meats but yesterday, he showed he’s still the best, shattering his previous world record with 83 dogs eaten in 10 minutes. The contest was shown live on Netflix. God Bless America.

Joey Chestnut beats Takeru Kobayashi AND his own World Record with 83 hot dogs in 10 minutes. #ChestnutVSKobayashi pic.twitter.com/ThF9GSkWQF

— Netflix (@netflix) September 2, 2024

KSR is back!

After a Monday off, the KSR radio crew will reconvene to discuss the weekend and what’s ahead. That includes Ryan Lemond, who is returning to the show following his bout with vertigo. The fun starts one hour from now on 630 WLAP or right now on the KSR Preshow.