KSR's Thanksgiving and Governor's Cup Roundtable

Happy Thanksgiving! Between last night’s win over Tennessee Tech and Saturday’s game vs. Louisville, we’ll have some UK sports news in the most ridiculous manner for you today, but as is tradition, we also gathered to share our thoughts on the holiday and the Governor’s Cup.

Grab a roll, pour yourself a little something, and join us for another KSR holiday roundtable.

If you could only have a bowl of one thing at your Thanksgiving table, what would it be?

Tyler Thompson: Stuffing balls. My family doesn’t put stuffing in the turkey or make dressing in a casserole. Instead, we make our stuffing with hot sausage, roll it into balls, and bake. It’s way better than any stuffing or dressing I’ve ever had, the perfect blend of spicy and savory. And, in a ball size, perfect for leftovers.

Jack Pilgrim: Dressing and it’s not close. I’m a sucker for all of it, particularly mac-and-cheese, green bean casserole and sweet potato casserole, but the one thing I find myself eating for the next week is dressing with every meal. Chinese food? Sure, that’d go great with dressing. Burgers? Why not!? Add some dressing. My grandmother-in-law makes it the best.

Nick Roush: Casseroles. I love all of the casseroles, particularly the broccoli (cheese and rice > Cheez-Its). It’s the one time of year when my vegetables are unhealthy, and I can’t get enough of them.

Adam Luckett: Mashed Potatoes. I can literally eat an entire bowl of them. There is nothing I love more about Thanksgiving dinner — and that’s saying a lot.

Drew Franklin: My aunt’s broccoli casserole. It’s mostly cheese, butter, and Ritz crackers, but occasionally I’ll consume a piece of broccoli in there.

Zack Geoghegan: I’m going with stuffing as well. Jack isn’t wrong about it being the perfect side with everything. If I get a chance to steal some leftovers, I’ll take as much stuffing as I can without raising suspicion. Just give me a plate of that with a big spoon, and I’ll be happy. But now I’m interested in these “stuffing balls” that Tyler is having at her Thanksgiving…

Jacob Polacheck: Bowl, plate, cup, whatever, it doesn’t matter. My answer is turkey. It ain’t Thanksgiving without turkey. I love all the other sides, but turkey is what makes this holiday what it is. If I can only eat one thing on Thanksgiving, it’s turkey.

---

If Kentucky beats Louisville and goes to a bowl, how would you rate this season on a scale of 1-10?

Tyler: Some of this depends on the win margin and bowl result, but as of now, a 6/10. Kentucky got back to a bowl after not going last year, and won four of its last five after losing four straight SEC games. On paper, that sounds like a success; however, the two SEC wins came against teams that fired their coaches, and the win over Louisville doesn’t look quite as shiny given injuries and the Cards’ late-season slide.

And, it’s hard to forget just how bad Kentucky looked against Vanderbilt, a former fellow SEC cellar dweller. Assuming Stoops is back and there are no major changes (in staff and messaging/marketing), it’s hard to get too excited about the future; however, if Kentucky really thumps Louisville and beats a decent team in a decent bowl (Duke’s Mayo, anyone?), it’ll be a little easier to stomach.

Jack: Louisville is limping into the finale and the locker room is cooked after choking down the stretch, transitioning from College Football Playoff hopefuls to total frauds. Their fans are already preparing for a fourth consecutive loss. We could beat the Cards in hopscotch and I would celebrate it, so this would/will be no different. We’re gonna have fun on Saturday.

That being said, it changes absolutely nothing about my feelings toward Kentucky football and my overwhelming pessimism in Mark Stoops as the program’s leader. We could beat Louisville by a hundred and watch him take a Duke’s Mayo bath during bowl season, but I’d still want to shake his hand and thank him for the good times before sending him on his way after the final horn. We’re right back where we started in 2013 begging for bowl eligibility and finding diamond-in-the-rough JUCO talent. Don’t let our new standard revert back to the old standard. It’s okay to expect more.

3/10 grade in 2025.

Nick: It would not be Mark Stoops’ best coaching job, but I think it would be up there, right behind Bowden Ball, 2018, and 21. This guy was a Dead Man Walking. The Cats were absolutely cooked. There was no way they could salvage the season. Their only chance was on the shoulders of a redshirt freshman quarterback. We’ve seen Mark Stoops quarterbacks before. There’s no way Bush Hamdan could figure it out, right? WRONG.

Are there still big-picture problems with the program? Of course. Am I confident Stoops will complete this one-season turnaround and get Kentucky back in the mix in the SEC? Not exactly, but he finally has something he’s never had before, a promising quarterback with a big future ahead of him. There’s something to build around, and that can be exciting if they play their cards right.

Grade: 7/10 (any year where you beat UofL and Florida is a pretty damn good year IMO)

Adam: The season would be a two-win improvement from the 2024 season, but it would be one-win short of every other bowl season under Mark Stoops. It would just feel fine when you take a step back and complete a big picture look at the program.

My grade would be 6/10 because they did undergo a massive roster overhaul in the offseason, reset the culture, eventually found the QB of the future, ended the long home losing streak, and delivered wins over Florida and Louisville. But it also wouldn’t feel great. Kentucky still has some big picture problems hovering over the program, and took advantage of a schedule that opened up in November. All wins count the same, but no one will leave the season great about the future direction of the program.

Kentucky is in a better spot than last year but you can also say that’s not saying much.

Drew: They’ll get a 6 from me if they beat Louisville. Simply beating Florida and winning the Governor’s Cup in the same season locks in a 5 or above, and I’ll throw in another point for a road SEC win, finding a quarterback who elevated the entire team, and how Mark Stoops flipped the locker room from a year ago. Also, keep counting, Garrett. Don’t lose count.

Zack: Six wins is one more than what most of us predicted at the beginning of the season. Through the first seven games, I would have graded them as a 2, but this team did find a way to rally back to be in position to go bowling. Just grading the last four games, I would give them a 7. Beating Louisville would push that to an 8. Factoring all of that into the season-wide outlook, I’d grade the ‘Cats as a 6/10. Having a promising young quarterback under center sure helps this grade.

Jacob: It’s been a weird season. You almost wanted something more definitive, of overly good or overly bad. A five-win season would be exactly in that middle ground of mediocrity that would drive the fanbase crazy. I’d argue that six wins, though, is just about a success. It would certainly be better than what I predicted at the start of the year. A .500 record gives them a 5/10 for me, but a win over Louisville would bump them up a point, so 6/10 is my final answer. Win a bowl game, and we can start talking about a C grade or above.

---

Which upcoming UK game (football or basketball) will fans still be talking about at Christmas dinner?

Tyler: Indiana. The North Carolina and Gonzaga games are next week (!), so I’m a little worried the Cats won’t have it together (or have Jaland Lowe) by then to win both. Indiana comes to Lexington for the first time in 15 years on Dec. 13, the first Saturday game in Rupp. The Hoosiers are ranked now. Younger fans may not care as much about the Indiana series, but the older ones do, so if the Cats win big, putting Indiana back in its place will still be a talking point.

Jack: No matter how it unfolds, we’re gonna be talking about the battle between Mark Pope and Rick Pitino — and it’s essentially right before Christmas, so the timing is there, too. The spotlight got too bright for Pope against Coach Cal last year, so how will this one go against arguably the most influential basketball mentor in his life? The man who taught him the standard of excellence at Kentucky that he now preaches daily as the program’s new leader? Oh, and will this be the denim game to celebrate the 30th anniversary of that ’96 title team? The storylines write themselves — especially in Catlanta.

Nick: It won’t move the needle for as many my age, but for older generations, there’s nothing quite like beating Indiana. It won’t feel quite the same, yet it will still bring back old memories of wiping the Hoosiers snot off the floor.

Adam: Kentucky plays Rick Pitino just a few days short of Christmas. That game is what will drive conversation along with the current trajectory of this year’s basketball team. The football transfer portal will be right around the corner. I’m sure I will get plenty of questions about that.

Drew: The reunion with Rick in Atlanta, although I worry how those conversations may look on December 25. Kentucky needs to win at least two of its upcoming non-conference games.

Zack: The St. John’s game will consume a ton of headlines, but we’ll also be talking about the football team playing in the Liberty Bowl against whatever Big 12 school is matched up on the other side.

Jacob: I want to say the Louisville football game, but we’ll be so entrenched in basketball season by then that it’ll be an afterthought. I’ll be going with the St. John’s game. I mean, it’s Rick Pitino vs. Mark Pope. Personally, I think it’ll be one of the most entertaining games of the season, and a great way to cap off a December packed with exciting matchups.

---

What’s your favorite Rivalry Week game (outside of UK vs. UofL)?

Tyler: The Egg Bowl is always a good time, especially this year with the Lane Kiffin drama. As a big Lane Kiffin fan, I’m very curious to see whether he stays in Oxford or heads elsewhere, and the tension that brings to the game. Honorable mention goes to the Terrier Group vs. the Toy Group in the National Dog Show, mandatory viewing in the Thompson house on Thanksgiving.

Jack: Ohio State vs. Michigan and Alabama vs. Auburn are the layups every year, but nothing compares to the drama of the Egg Bowl this year as the world waits for Lane Kiffin’s decision. That’s the first massive domino to fall and one that could spin the coaching carousel out of control. Don’t care about who wins the game, just want to know what comes immediately after — and if Ole Miss’ CFP contention impacts his choice one way or another.

Nick: A core college football memory of mine is having my belly fell, a tall glass of bourbon in my hand, in a dark, quiet room at my in-laws, cackling loudly enough to wake up the entire house while Elijah Moore did the dog-pee celebration in the Egg Bowl with just seconds left on the clock. It’s a shame this game will not be played at night. It deserves to be under the lights to really bring out the craziest of the low-key craziest rivalry in the sport.

Adam: Have y’all ever watched the Egg Bowl? This is a simple answer. It’s a game that is a perfect encapsulation of college football. While the playoff threatens to strip away some of the pageantry of the sport, rivalry week always reminds us why this game rules. No contest rules more than the Egg Bowl where quite often a team has a losing record playing its final game of the season but you wouldn’t know it by watching. It means everything and the teams know it. It’s what rivalry football is supposed to be.

You can love your neighbor but you can also hate them. The Egg Bowl lives by this and many other rivalry games aren’t far behind. A win over your rival just hits different in football.

Drew: Just to be different than the unanimous Egg Bowl responses, I’ll say Texas-Texas A&M this year. Is it the best Rivalry Week rivalry? No. But this year’s meeting has high stakes and big names.

Zack: How about a non-sports rivalry? The turkey vs. ham debate at Thanksgiving is growing. It will tear families apart if it hasn’t already. I’m still #TeamTurkey until the day I die.

Jacob: Go Pack Go. Go Pack Go. Go Pack Go. Packers vs. Lions. I hope y’all are ready for a Jordan Love 400-yard, seven-touchdown game as the Packers remind everyone the Super Bowl contender they are.

---

What’s the most heated interaction you’ve ever had with a Louisville fan? Bonus points if it’s a friend or family member.

Tyler: Outside of some friendly banter with our lake house neighbors and some not-so-friendly tweets from toxic trolls, I’ve got nothing. There weren’t too many Louisville fans growing up in Danville, nor are there in Nashville. I will say I felt the tension between the two fan bases through the computer while watching the Walk and Talk before the basketball game at the Yum Center earlier this month. I’ll also never forget the mood in Indianapolis in 2014 when Kentucky beat Louisville to go to the Elite Eight. I’ve never seen Matt Jones so happy.

Jack: I was absolutely hated in high school for being the most obnoxious Kentucky fan in the building, right at the peak of Coach Cal vs. Ricky P. I was an ungracious winner and a sore loser, and fortunately for me, there wasn’t a lot of losing going on for the good guys! That was when I was consistently in the thick of it, but since then with KSR, it’s been just trash talk on social media and in enemy territory covering the games — this year probably the most hostile I can remember at the KFC Yum! Center. That, and when I was with Drew Franklin when he got punched at the La Familia TBT game at Freedom Hall last summer.

Nick: Most of mine aren’t in-person. People are too afraid to say anything to your face. My favorites are when some of my friends will just be in a group with other Louisville fans, and overhear someone say, “That Nick Roush is a f***ing loser. If he was here, I’d punch him in the face.”

While we’re talking about punches in the face, my neighbors have a side-hustle as bartenders at the Yum Center and Dont-Call-Me-Papa-Johns. He is dreading this Saturday after what happened at the Yum earlier this month. He was mopping up a spill nearby when someone’s face got hit with a fist and squirted blood all over the floor. Nasty Louisville fans get even nastier in this game.

Adam: Screaming matches? Yeah. Plenty of screaming matches. Mostly with high school friends. Nothing crazy like Drew Franklin at Freedom Hall.

Drew: I’ve needed security in a bar twice. Once in New Orleans and once at Tin Roof in Louisville. Neither time was I worried, but those losers were getting chesty. Speaking of losers, the loser who hit me at Freedom Hall comes to mind, too, although I didn’t take it personally. When someone’s that emotionally brittle, and might have something actually wrong with them mentally, you just let them have their little episode and go on about your night. He fights struggles in his head every day that the rest of us can’t even see. Happy Thanksgiving to him, though.

Zack: I don’t associate with many Cardinals, so nothing I can think of in my adult years, but I was front and center to witness Drew take a punch to the sternum by what’s-his-face. Louisville fans also came up with the laziest insults I’ve ever heard when we did our pregame Walk & Talk outside of the Yum! Center earlier this month. At least make fun of my appearance or something instead of screaming “sCReW KsR!!!”.

Jacob: Honestly, due to my recruiting coverage, I have a lot of fan bases that end up not liking me very much. Surprisingly, Louisville is low on that totem pole for now. I’m sure I’ll put out some recruiting prediction eventually that will send Cards fans on me, but for now, there’s not much bad blood, aside from the normal rivalry banter.

---

Share one sports thing you’re thankful for this year, as well as something that has nothing to do with sports.

Tyler: When it comes to sports, I’m gonna go with the number of Kentucky kids we have to cheer for. From Cutter Boley to Jasper Johnson, Malachi Moreno, and Trent Noah, it’s very cool to see in-state stars thriving for the school’s biggest programs.

Non-sports, my answer is probably the same as it always is this time of year: my coworkers. This month has been a grind — and it’s not over yet — but there’s comfort in knowing I’ve got seven people alongside me working just as hard, if not harder. I’m always thankful for friends, family, and health, but in those long days and nights at the computer, I’m really grateful for my KSR family, and, of course, our readers, listeners, and watchers.

Sappy stuff over, promise.

Jack: I got to see my first Sweet 16 as a full-time KSR employee! Let me tell you, I was convinced I was the curse and we were one heartbreaking opening-weekend loss away from me calling it a career. Maybe I’d get into woodworking or become a pilot or something, but it sure wasn’t gonna be anything that broke my spirit the way this stuff has since 2019. Fortunately, that all changed this past March, and for that, we are most thankful. Now we just need my first-ever Final Four to really get things rolling.

All jokes aside, there is truly nothing else I’d rather do than this specific job for this school, this fanbase and this company, working alongside these coworkers. It’s my dream job and I’m a lifer for however long KSR will have me.

Personally, we got to welcome our second child into the world on July 18 — healthy and thriving four months later. It’s chaotic in the Pilgrim household, but man, we have a lot of fun and couldn’t be more thankful for all of it.

Nick: I’m thankful that I didn’t have to spend the entire season talking about Mark Stoops’ future. There was a solid month where nobody even wanted to hear about the games, and that sucked. I forgot what it was like to do a Rapid Reaction around happy fans at Kroger Field. It felt good to have that back.

Outside of sports, I’m grateful to have found a nice balance in life. Radio was fun, but it had to go. It’s given me more time to exercise, read (two books in one year, who am I?!?!), and ensure that I’m present when around family. Looking forward to meeting my new nephew this weekend.

Adam: I’m thankful that I get to watch Joe Burrow play football again even if the Cincinnati Bengals are all but eliminated from the playoffs. Forget the draft. Let’s watch Burrow spin it.

Personally, I’m grateful (shoutout Mark Stoops) to have made this job a career with a family that supports me through a wild — but fun — work schedule. I truly believe I have the best job in the world, but I couldn’t do it without them supporting me at home and for all of you crazy people in Big Blue Nation that follow our work. Two boys and two dogs is quite the non-stop storm in our house but somehow my wife (with some help from yours truly) keeps us all tied together. We love you, Taylor. Heck, she might be the top reason why y’all get all of these football takes.

Drew: I’m thankful for Kentucky Volleyball because it’s propping up UK Athletics right now. Craig Skinner is a legend. All of the other teams in my life have been letting me down too often lately.

Zack: Both of mine are connected, and they happened recently. I was able to take Meredith, my then-girlfriend (and now fiancée), to meet Mark and Lee Anne Pope for family media day in late October. She’s allowed to be a fan more than I am for events like that, and I’ve never worn a bigger smile than when I was watching her (a huge Kentucky basketball girl) shake hands with the players, take a picture with Pope on the Rupp Arena floor, and have a full-on, genuine conversation with Lee Anne. Three days later, I proposed to her on her favorite holiday, Halloween, in front of our friends and family. That was a really fun week.

Jacob: Sports, non-sports, it’s all the same. I’m thankful I get to write about sports every day and call it a job. I’ve got an awesome group of coworkers, and I’m not just saying that because they’re in this article with me right now. Outside of work, though, I’m thankful that I can have a Thanksgiving with nearly my entire family on both sides and celebrate together. And I even have time to sneak away and spend time on the KSBoard throughout the day.