KSR Today: Mark Pope on the radio, Mark Stoops at the podium

Good morning, folks! Make sure you’re tuned into all things KSR throughout this fine Thursday — we’ve got a pair of Marks to hear from.

Let’s start with the basketball Mark. Kentucky’s new head coach will make his second appearance on the KSR Radio Show this morning. Mark Pope will call Matt Jones and the crew at 10:40 a.m. EST to talk about his team, summer practice, preseason excitement, what’s ahead, and plenty more. Today’s show will be live from KSBar and Grille, so head on out there for some pre-noon wings.

Later in the day, we’ll hear from football Mark. Kentucky’s longtime head coach will step to the podium this afternoon after practice one final time before his Wildcats take the field this weekend against Ohio. Mark Stoops has already talked a few times this week, but this will be the last opportunity to get his thoughts on the opponent before kickoff on Saturday afternoon at Kroger Field.

In short, we’ll have plenty to talk about today. Keep in mind that since Kentucky plays Ohio this weekend (a non-SEC team), there will be no official availability report like there has been the last two weeks. We’ll have to wait to hear from Stoops today to see if there are any new additions/subtractions from the injury report.

Now, let’s dive into the rest of today’s news and notes, starting with updates from the Kentucky football defense.

Brad White, JJ Weaver talk Ohio

Following yesterday’s practice, it was the defense’s turn to talk with the media. Defensive coordinator Brad White came out first and was followed by linebackers JJ Weaver and D’Eryk Jackson. An overwhelming theme from conversations with all three? Ohio is a tough, grind-it-out type of team — as most from the MAC are.

While that’s nice (and a sign of respect) to say publicly, Kentucky should still handle the Bobcats on Saturday (the ‘Cats are currently a 20-point favorite) and head into Ole Miss week with a 2-2 record. White’s impressive defense will likely be a major reason why. His group has been among the best in the country through the first three games and could be one of the best we’ve ever seen under Stoops. First and foremost, the ‘Cats will have to slow down Ohio running back Anthony Tyus III, who ranks as a top 15 rusher in the nation and drew Adrian Peterson comparisons from White.

But Ohio wasn’t the sole focus of Wednesday’s conversations. The guys touched on how they can do better recovering loose fumbles, Deone Walker being double- and triple-teamed, Steven “Sack ‘Em” Soles making some noise, and lots more. Click here for even more from White and Co.

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New 11 Personnel in your feed

Need more football talk ahead of another pigskin-filled weekend? KSR’s Nick Roush and Adam Luckett are here to keep you happy with a fresh episode of 11 Personnel. The guys break down the one-point loss to Georgia even further and take a step back to review the first three games of the season as a whole.

Other topics include Kentucky’s defense creating havoc plays, how Bush Hamdan‘s offense can generate more explosive plays, a closer look at Ohio, and much more. Jump in below and get yourself excited for Week 4.

Kentucky VB falls to Louisville

Kentucky volleyball came into last night’s rivalry showdown against No. 4 Louisville with a No. 11 ranking next to its name. However, following the 3-1 (21-25, 18-25, 25-20, 16-25) defeat to the Cardinals inside Memorial Coliseum (where nearly 4,000 fans showed up), the Wildcats have dropped to 0-4 on the season against Top 10 opponents. The offense struggled at times to execute despite a big night from sophomore outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye, who finished with 17 kills.

Craig Skinner’s team is now 6-4 on the season. Kentucky has dominated in those six wins against unranked opponents but just hasn’t been able to get over the hump against any of the nation’s best. Kentucky has now lost to No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Louisville, No. 5 Nebraska, and No. 6 Purdue. The ‘Cats will have another crack at a Top 10 foe this weekend though. UK travels out west to Palo Alto, California to take on No. 2 Stanford on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. EST on ESPN2.

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KSR Game of the Week heading south

The KSR Game of the Week will stop in Somerset this Friday to check out No. 23 Pulaski County (2-1) hosting No. 22 Woodford County (4-0). Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. EST and is part of Homecoming Night for the Maroons. The Yellowjackets jumped Pulaski County in this week’s Top 25 rankings poll after traveling out to California where they beat Warren (CA) by a score of 32-8. Meanwhile, the Maroons’ game last week against Corbin was canceled.

Heading into this one, Woodford County is a heavy favorite. On3’s Massey Ratings give the Yellow Jackets a 72 percent chance of escaping with a win. The projected final score is 35-21 in favor of Woodford County. For a full preview of tomorrow night’s matchup, click here.

Women’s Soccer looks to stay perfect

Kentucky women’s soccer is off to one of the best starts in program history. The Wildcats have yet to lose (or even tie) a match this season, entering SEC play with an 8-0-0 record. Now ranked No. 20 in the country, UK will host the Florida Gators (3-1-4) tonight at the Bell Soccer Complex at 7:30 p.m. EST on the SEC Network+.

Historically, this series has been owned by Florida. The Gators hold an all-time record of 25-5-5 against the Wildcats and haven’t lost in Lexington since Nov. 2020. Florida’s had a rough start to the season, but they won’t be taken lightly. Fans are encouraged to wear black if they come out to support. Kentucky has outscored opponents 18-3 so far this season — let’s see if they can build on that against the Gators.

Police think they’ve found I-75 shooter

We’ll learn more today, but it would appear that police have found the body of Joseph Couch, who opened fire on I-75 on Sept. 7 and had been on the run ever since. Police can thank a couple of locals for helping discover the body. Fred and Sheila McCoy followed vultures yesterday near Exit 49 for about 30 minutes before coming across a body that is believed to be Couch’s. The video of them finding the body is still on YouTube at the link here (viewer discretion advised). Confirmation that the body is Couch’s is expected sometime today.

After an 11-day manhunt that put local communities on edge, this terrible situation finally (thankfully) seems to be coming to an end.

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Bourbon and Beyond starts today

A four-day stretch of good music begins in Louisville today with the annual Bourbon and Beyond festival. There are some incredible acts on the schedule and the weather is looking beautiful. If you want to join the fun at the Kentucky Expo Center, passes are still available.