KSR Today: Hello, Citrus Bowl

When my alarm rang at 5:39 am ET Monday morning, I expected to be in Orlando for Kentucky’s upcoming matchup with Iowa in the Citrus Bowl at approximately 10 o’clock. That’s exactly what happened, except it was not 10 am when I arrived, it was 10 pm.

My flight was one of approximately 1,800 that was canceled on the heels of the Christmas holiday weekend. Taking the news in stride, I did what any Kentucky Sports Radio employee would do: threw my bags in the car and hit the road. An unexpected adventure, riding solo for the first time in a long time, I completed the quest thanks to help from a few friends.

Chris Rodriguez

Believe it or not, I was not the only holiday traveler on I-75 in the greater Atlanta Metro Monday afternoon. Very rarely does Google Maps tell you that a delay will conservatively add two hours to your trip. Luckily, I remembered that Chris Rodriguez is from McDonough, Ga., a suburb about 30 miles southeast of Atlanta. Using C-Rod’s hometown as my North Star, I was able to bypass standstill traffic relatively unscathed. Thank you, countless hours of National Signing Day prep for helping me recall one very important player’s hometown.

Zac Brown

Navigating the circle of hell known as Atlanta can take a toll on one’s soul. Fortunately, one of Georgia’s finest can soothe it with two hours of live music from an outstanding 2010 benefit concert that touches every genre imaginable. From heartfelt ballads, to picking and grinning, it’s got it all.

Bourbon Balls

One thing you can’t do on a flight: bring unwrapped holiday goodies from your neighbors. Shoutout to the folks from two doors down for dropping off a few bourbon balls just before Christmas. They hit different 13.5 hours into an all-day car ride.

A Brief Delay

The travel delay did not significantly impact KSR’s coverage of the Citrus Bowl. You missed one short conversation with Mark Stoops, but there’s plenty more today. I’ll be at practice this afternoon around 1 pm ET. Be sure you’re following along with KSR on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Also, keep your ears peeled on the Twitterosphere. There may or may not be a KSR Football Podcast live this evening on Twitter Spaces. Stay tuned.

A Sea World Bowl Excursion

Once the Kentucky football team finished today’s work, they received some time to play. Once practice concluded players were able to watch the dolphins in action at Sea World (then watch the Dolphins beat up the Saints on Monday Night Football).

A little after-practice trip to @SeaWorld? Don’t mind if @UKFootball does! pic.twitter.com/kabEKrJiyv

— Vrbo Citrus Bowl (@CitrusBowl) December 27, 2021

In addition to an afternoon at Sea World, the Cats will also get to spend Wednesday night at TopGolf, followed by a Thursday morning trip to a local amusement park with kids in the area that could use a few extra smiles this time of year.

Bowl Season Shifts into High Gear

The pre-Christmas slate was just an appetizer. We have reached the Main Event. The NFL’s weekend schedule teed up college football fans for 16 games over the next four days (and that includes a cancellation or two sprinkled in). Today we have four games, including a pair of contests featuring ACC teams, a conference that has lost 11 straight bowl games .

• Noon: Birmingham Bowl, #20 Houston vs. Auburn on ESPN
• 3:15: First Responder Bowl, Air Force vs. Louisville on ESPN
• 6:45: Liberty Bowl, Miss. State vs. Texas Tech on ESPN
• 8:00: Holiday Bowl, UCLA vs. #18 NC State on Fox
• 10:15: Guaranteed Rate Bowl, West Virginia vs. Minnesota on ESPN

Louisville defending a triple option team will be laugh out loud hi-jinx, the Holiday Bowl typically gets silly and we have a Mike Leach reunion against his Red Raiders off Beale Street. Today will be a treat.

Incoming: Missouri

People forget that SEC play begins tomorrow for John Calipari’s Kentucky basketball team. The High Point game on New Year’s Eve might be too blame, but ready or not, it’s time to Catch the Fever™. Coach Cal and a couple of players will preview the SEC opener against Mizzou this morning around 11 am ET.

Another ‘Best Of’ KSR

Matt Jones and the KSR crew are still enjoying some much needed R&R before taking their talents to Orlando. If you’re desperate for UK talk, don’t you worry. I did a little morning radio from Orlando and you can still hear Matt Jones on ESPN Radio from 3-7 pm ET.