KSR Today: Rivalry Volleyball, ACC Unity, and Kentucky Football Talk

Who’s ready to rivalry?!?!?!? Tonight Historic Memorial Coliseum plays host to a top 15 matchup between your University of Kentucky Wildcats and the Louisville Cardinals.

The Wildcats (6-3) enter the matchup just outside of the top ten at No. 11. Louisville is the fourth-ranked team in college volleyball with only one loss on their resume and it just so happens to be against a common opponent. Penn State swept UofL in Happy Valley, while the Nittany Lions had to rally from a two-set deficit to take down Kentucky in five on the road.

Kentucky leads the overall series 37-28, but the Cats have dropped three straight to the Cards, including a 3-0 sweep last fall at the Yum! Center. Tonight’s a great night to snap that skid. The first serve is set for 7 pm EST and will be nationally televised on ESPN.

Is the ACC Back?

Late last night, Florida State seemed to stop the fight. After getting their teeth kicked in by the entire college football world for three weeks, the Seminoles are prepared to admit they belong in a crappy conference.

Sorry about that. I couldn’t resist a jab at the ACC. They’re so bad at everything, I just can’t help myself.

Tensions between Florida State, Clemson, and the ACC were high, to say the least. The schools were in court fighting to leave the league. The tenuous relationship appears to have been mended, temporarily putting conference realignment talk at ease. According to ESPN, the league will give the big brands a higher percentage of revenue and end the grant of rights agreement six years early, in exchange for dropped lawsuits. These are just negotiations, but it’s a step in the right direction to pacify the tumultuous league… at least in the interim.

Catch Up with the Kentucky Offense

So what was so different about the Wildcats from week two to week three? They looked like completely different teams. The Cats attribute that transformation to quality practice habits. Small details make a big difference.

“I think the thing we all realized was the attention to detail, getting lined up, playing fast, eliminating penalties, all of those things made us drastically better,” offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said Tuesday.

“Did the scoreboard show it? Absolutely not. But I think when you go through a week like we did with South Carolina where the second half is just penalties, self-inflicted wounds, you go and play the No. 1 team in the country, play relatively clean, and have a chance at the end to win the football game. Practice execution equals game day reality. That focus has been turned up and we gotta keep it there.”

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Hear from More Kentucky Coaches

Today we get a double dose with two speaking engagements from the Kentucky football team. Mark Stops will join the SEC teleconference just after lunch. Once practice concludes around 5 pm, Brad White and the Kentucky defense will spend time chatting it up with the Kentucky media.

Kentucky LB JJ Weaver on the Allstate Good Works Team

The Allstate Good Works Team recognizes the best community servants in college football. JJ Weaver certainly qualifies for this honor. An advocate for mental health, he established the Perfect Fit Support Group for student-athletes at UK, and that’s just a fraction of what he’s done for others during his time on campus. Kentucky has the second most student-athletes named to the Good Works Team with 18 since 1992 and eight during the Mark Stoops era.

New Podcasts on Deck

Need more Kentucky football talk? Adam Luckett spent time in the KSR Film Room breaking down the loss to Georgia. Tonight he’ll share long-term lessons from that game as Big Blue Nation prepares to welcome the Ohio Bobcats to Kroger Field. 11 Personnel goes live at 8 pm EST on the KSR YouTube Channel.

If you’re subscribed to the channel, you got a notification that Jasper Johnson joined Sources Say. Hear from the five-star talent and catch the latest recruiting updates by tuning in.

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Trivia with Matt Jones at KSBar

Bring your Thinking Caps to KSBar and Grille. KSR’s Fearless Leader, Matt Jones, has been tirelessly working to prepare for an eventful night of trivia. Come on out and test your skills while enjoying some fantastic eats on Wingsday. The action starts at 7 pm EST. We’ll see you there.