KSR Today: Soaking in a 35-point win over Ohio

Good morning, folks! The morning after a win sure is relaxing. Especially when that win is by the final score of 41-6, which is exactly what the Kentucky Wildcats did to the lowly Ohio Bobcats yesterday afternoon at Kroger Field. There is still clearly some room for improvement, particularly on the offensive side of the ball, but a 35-point win one week after a crushing one-point loss to one of the nation’s best teams is how you head into a new week with optimism.

“It’s good to get back into the win column obviously,” Mark Stoops said after the win. “I feel like the last couple of weeks our guys have worked hard to get some things corrected. Had the right mindset in their preparation. We want to be more consistent, obviously today was far from perfect. Many mistakes out there but a lot to get corrected. I think it was important to play a lot of guys.”

We’ll start with the defense. Brad White‘s unit continues to execute like one of the best in college football. No points were allowed in the first half and the main reason Ohio was able to finally score early in the fourth quarter was due to a turnover on downs by the offense around midfield. Maxwell Hairston pulled in his third career pick-6 (tying the school record). 26 different Wildcats at least one tackle. UK entered the game ranked ninth in the nation in total defense and gave up just 223 total yards to Ohio. Something special is brewing on that side of the ball.

On offense, there is still a long way to go, but Saturday was a decent starting place. Brock Vandagriff had his best outing yet as a Wildcat, finishing with a career-high 237 passing yards while establishing Dane Key (who hurdled a defender) as his go-to target. Key hauled in seven catches for a career-best 145 yards. Barion Brown also found the endzone on a 23-yard run. Demie Sumo-Karngbaye and Jamarion Wilcox combined for 129 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Notably, Gavin Wimsatt checked into the game early in the fourth quarter as Kentucky coaches decided that Vandagriff’s day was over. He immediately led the ‘Cats on a scoring drive, capped off with a short run by Wimsatt into the endzone. True freshman QB Cutter Boley did not see any playing time.

Even the special teams had some moments. Punter Aidan Laros played his first game for the ‘Cats, booting one punt for 58 yards, while kicker Alex Raynor went 2-2 on the day. His second field goal set the program record with 12 straight makes. All in all, it was what you wanted to see as a fan heading into the first road game of the season next week against No. 5 Ole Miss.

Before we dive into the rest of today’s news and notes, check out all of the content the KSR crew rolled out in the aftermath of yesterday’s win, including a Rapid Reaction live from the Kroger Field turf and pictures of Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, who was in attendance for her Hall of Fame induction the night prior.

• FINAL: Kentucky handles Ohio 41-6 in bounce back win
• Stats that stood out from Kentucky’s 41-6 win over Ohio
• Mark Stoops took the blame for the end of the first half: “That’s on me.”
• Mark Stoops Challenges Jamarion Wilcox after Career Day
• Gavin Wimsatt a ‘real talent’ at quarterback: “We have a lot of confidence in him”
• Maxwell Hairston baited Ohio QB into record-tying pick-six
• Dane Key wanted to honor Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone with a hurdle touchdown celebration
• Kentucky Did Its Job in Ohio Win Despite Odd Operation
• Alex Raynor sets school record for consecutive made field goals

KSR Rapid Reaction

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Mark Stoops press conference

Dr. Mike’s pics

Volleyball loses another Top 10 match

No. 11 Kentucky volleyball took on its fifth Top 10 opponent of the season last night out in California. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, it ended with a fifth loss as No. 2 Stanford won in four sets (25-19, 25-19, 28-30, 25-20) despite 17 kills from sophomore Brooklyn DeLeye and 40 assists from senior Emma Grome.

The Cardinal won the first two sets before Kentucky stole the third, but it was too little too late at that point. Stanford went up 10-3 in the fourth set, although the ‘Cats rallied to take a 17-16 lead, only for the opposition to win eight of the last 11 points — and ultimately the match. With the loss, Kentucky finishes with a 6-5 non-conference record.

In those six wins, Craig Skinner’s squad dropped just one set. But Kentucky was outscored 15-6 in the five losses to Top 10 teams. Hopefully, those matches will prepare the ‘Cats for a tough SEC slate, which begins on Friday on the road against Auburn, a team just outside of the Top 25.

‘Cats in the NFL: Week 3

TIME (EST)	MATCHUP
1:00 PM (FOX)	Giants (D. Phillips, W. Robinson) @ Browns (Z. Smith)
1:00 PM (FOX)	Packers (C. Valentine) @ Titans (W. Levis)
1:00 PM (CBS)	Bears @ Colts
1:00 PM (CBS)	Texans @ Vikings
1:00 PM (FOX)	Eagles (D. Kinnard) @ Saints (L. Young)
1:00 PM (CBS)	Chargers (B. Dupree) @ Steelers
1:00 PM (FOX)	Broncos (K. Smith) @ Buccaneers
4:05 PM (CBS)	Panthers (L. Johnson, T. Wallace) @ Raiders
4:05 PM (CBS)	Dolphins @ Seahawks
4:25 PM (FOX)	Ravens @ Cowboys
4:25 PM (FOX)	49ers @ Rams
4:25 PM (FOX)	Lions (J. Paschal) @ Cardinals
8:20 PM (NBC/Peacock)	Chiefs @ Falcons

Women’s Soccer looks to stay unbeaten

No. 20 Kentucky women’s soccer (8-0-1) is coming off its first non-win of the season following a 0-0 draw against Florida earlier in the week. The Wildcats will look to get back to their winning ways this afternoon on the road.

South Carolina will host Kentucky at 2:00 p.m. EST on the SEC Network+. The Gamecocks have been a borderline Top 25 team this season, outscoring opponents 21-7 on the season (compared to 18-3 for Kentucky). South Carolina opened SEC play on the right foot, beating Georgia 2-1 on the road.

Kentucky holds an all-time record of 13-14-2 against South Carolina, including a 6-8-0 mark away from home. The last road win in this series for the ‘Cats came all the way back in 2011. Let’s see if that streak ends today.