KSR Today: Dane Key, Taylor Swift, Micah Parsons and so much beautiful football

If Week Zero was the chips and salsa and Thurday and Friday are the ultimate appetizer sampler with the mozzarella sticks, buffalo wings and pretzel bites with beer cheese, I can’t even begin to describe what this weekend’s main entree is going to feel like. Are you kidding me, football? You’re back and you’re better than ever — and we haven’t even gotten to the good stuff.

Thursday was incredible with 17 FBS matchups, followed by 11 more on Friday. There was a ranked team getting embarrassed on national television and a former Wildcat scoring the Key touchdown (pun intended, unfortunately) in the fourth quarter to send Taylor Swift home upset. The pre-Spooky Season scares were nice, too, as a handful of teams played with their meals and nearly got food poisoning (sorry for sticking with the dumb food theme).

I’ll be your Chris Berman and give you the Fastest 3 Minutes of Thursday’s results before getting into Friday and the rest of the weekend.

Dane Key scores, Boise State is a fraud and Mizzou cruises

Key helps Nebraska beat Cincinnati in front of Taylor Swift

The game you were probably most interested in lived up to the hype, led by none other than Dane Key. In a back-and-forth inside Arrowhead Stadium with Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes all in attendance supporting Cincinnati, it was the former Kentucky star pulling down the touchdown to give Nebraska a 20-10 lead in the fourth quarter, enough to keep the Cornhuskers on top at the final horn. He finished with six catches for 51 yards and a score in his debut in red.

4th & 2 and Raiola finds Dane Key for the TD

What a drive for the Huskers 🌽
pic.twitter.com/ivn0N4hfjU

— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) August 29, 2025

South Florida embarrasses No. 25 Boise State in Tampa

The Broncos got out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, then responded with three of the ugliest quarters you’ll see from a ranked team, turning it over three times and converting on 6-17 third downs and 2-6 fourth downs with a hit rate of 27/48 through the air. There are early-season jitters or knocking rust off, then there is whatever Boise State was doing inside Raymond James Stadium.

A few notable scares

We won’t get into the nuts and bolts of all of these, but several programs were put on upset alert last night with the underdogs nearly pulling them off the way USF did.

How about Scott Frost at UCF? Woof, buddy. Jacksonville State, led by former UK QB Gavin Wimsatt, had the Knights on the ropes with a 10-3 lead in the fourth quarter before Central Florida put together back-to-back touchdown drives to end it and escape with the 17-10 win. Wimsatt went 15/29 for 139 yards and an interception while rushing for 28 yards on 13 attempts.

Elsewhere, East Carolina was driving with a chance to tie or beat NC State, inside the 10-yard line for a 4th and 1 with less than a minute to go. Stuffed, game over. Wolfpack survives 24-17 in Raleigh.

Also, the MAC was dangerous — something to keep in mind ahead of Kentucky vs. Toledo on Saturday. Ohio had the momentum in Piscataway, tied 31-31 in the fourth quarter with Rutgers before the Scarlet Knights booted a go-ahead field goal to take the 34-31 lead and hold on the rest of the way. It wasn’t as much of a scare, but Miami (OH) put up a heck of a fight against Wisconsin, too, with the Badgers winning 17-0 in a rock fight. Buffalo did the same against Minnesota to cover the +17.5 spread with a 23-10 loss while Akron fell 10-0 to Wyoming. Bowling Green added a 26-7 win over Lafayette to end a respectable night of MACtion.

No QB battle for Mizzou after all

The result was never in doubt (although Central Arkansas made it interesting in the first quarter, down just 9-0). Missouri’s opener was about figuring out the QB battle between Beau Pribula and Sam Horn, both players getting a half in the tune-up game before next week’s rivalry matchup against Kansas. Pribula was the expensive Penn State transfer while Horn was entering his fourth season with the program, sticking around after undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery a year ago.

Horn’s first snap? Injured on a six-yard rush, leaving the game and returning with a full leg cast.

Update: #Mizzou QB Sam Horn was spotted in a full leg cast in the tunnel.

He was hit low on a 6-yard rush in the first half, went to the tent, then limped to the locker room. He did not return to the sideline before halftime. pic.twitter.com/19TFmpRhQy

— Zach Sweet (@ByZachSweet) August 29, 2025

Brutal.

Pribula, now the likely starter moving forward, finished with 283 yards and two touchdowns on 23/28 passing.

Friday’s CFB Schedule

There’s plenty more to look forward to before the crazy Saturday schedule, Friday featuring some interesting matchups and big names. Take a look at what’s on deck for FNL.

• Tarleton State at Army – 6 PM ET (CBS Sports Network)
• Western Michigan at Michigan State – 7 PM ET (FS1)
• Kennesaw State at Wake Forest – 7 PM ET (ACC Network)
• App State at Charlotte – 7 PM ET (ESPNU)
• Bethune-Cookman at Florida International – 7 PM ET (ESPN+)
• Western Illinois at No. 12 Illinois – 7:30 PM ET (Peacock)
• Wagner at Kansas – 7:30 PM ET (ESPN+)
• Auburn at Baylor – 8 PM ET (FOX)
• Georgia Tech at Colorado – 8 PM ET (ESPN)
• UNLV at Sam Houston – 9:30 PM ET (CBS Sports Network)
• Central Michigan at San Jose State – 10:30 PM ET (FS1)

Week 2 of KY HS FB Schedule and Predictions

Kentucky’s version of Friday Night Lights will take place on high school fields across the state, headlined by the KSR Game of the Week between No. 25 Scott County and Great Crossing, along with the top-20 ranked battle between No. 1 Trinity and No. 18 Frederick Douglass in Louisville.

Check out the full schedule — and the score predictions for all of KSR’s Top 25 teams using the Massey Ratings (computer ratings based on historical trends and current-year stats):

TIME (local)	MATCHUP	MASSEY PREDICTION
7:30 PM	No. 18 Frederick Douglass @ No. 1 Trinity	36-14 (Trinity)
7:00 PM	Conner @ No. 3 Ryle	42-7 (Ryle)
7:00 PM	No. 4 Paducah Tilghman @ Graves County	44-14 (Paducah Tilghman)
6:30 PM	No. 5 St. Xavier @ No. 14 Bowling Green	35-21 (St. Xavier)
7:00 PM	No. 6 Christian Academy-Louisville @ RV Owensboro	41-14 (Christian Academy-Louisville)
7:30 PM	No. 7 Franklin County @ Bullitt East	42-14 (Franklin County)
7:00 PM	No. 8 Owensboro Catholic @ Daviess County	42-8 (Owensboro Catholic)
7:30 PM	No. 9 Highlands @ No. 10 Cooper	34-31 (Highlands)
7:30 PM	No. 15 South Warren @ No. 11 DuPont Manual	35-21 (DuPont Manual)
7:00 PM	No. 12 Covington Catholic @ Elder (OH)	41-14 (Elder)
8:30 PM (Praxel Line Services Bowl)	No. 13 Corbin @ North Laurel	42-7 (Corbin)
7:00 PM	Newport Central Catholic vs. No. 16 Beechwood (@ Covington Catholic)	47-12 (Beechwood)
7:00 PM	No. 17 Male @ Ballard	27-21 (Male)
8:30 PM	RV Central @ No. 20 Belfry	35-27 (Central)
7:30 PM	Harvest Preparatory School (OH) @ No. 21 Woodford County	34-26 (Harvest Preparatory School)
7:30 PM	Madison Central @ No. 23 Johnson Central	32-21 (Johnson Central)
8:00 PM	No. 24 Raceland @ Pleasure Ridge Park	34-14 (Raceland)
7:30 PM (KSR GOTW)	No. 25 Scott County @ RV Great Crossing	42-27 (Scott County)
7:30 PM	RV Bell County @ Perry County Central	40-14 (Bell County)
7:30 PM	Ashland Blazer @ RV Tates Creek	42-21 (Ashland Blazer)
7:00 PM	Southern @ RV Atherton	42-7 (Atherton)

Saturday, August 30

TIME (local)	MATCHUP	MASSEY PREDICTION
8:00 PM (Rebel Bowl)	No. 19 Lexington Christian Academy @ No. 2 Boyle County	43-14 (Boyle County)
5:00 PM (Rebel Bowl)	Bryan Station vs. RV Pulaski County (@ Boyle County)	31-30 (Bryan Station)

No, you didn’t dream it: Micah Parsons is a Packer

Jerry Jones just can’t help himself. Less than a calendar year after the city of Dallas watched a generational talent in Luka Doncic get traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Cowboys did the same with three-time All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowl pass-rusher Micah Parsons.

He’s now a Green Bay Packer, traded for two first-round picks and Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark. Included in the deal is a four-year, $188 million contract with $120 million fully guaranteed to make Parsons the highest-paid non-QB in NFL history.

What’s a bigger win-now move for the Packers this summer, trading for Parsons or three-time Super Bowl champion Darian Kinnard? The latter has never finished a season without a ring.

A Kentucky hype video to get you, well, hyped

If you have a bad case of FOMO watching these other teams get their seasons started (some schools will have played two games before Kentucky plays one), this should help get you to Saturday.

The Toledo Hype Video has been released, highlighting the early stages of the equipment staff preparing the uniforms and helmets for the opener with Mark Stoops talking about the Wildcats putting their heads down and going to work.

You get the sights and sounds of Kroger Field and some of the (few) highlights of last season with returning talent. There’s a whole bunch to like there in 49 seconds.

One more sleep, BBN. You can do it. We can do it.