KSR Today: It's a Kentucky Football Party, ft. Alvin Brooks

Happy Hump Day, ladies and gentlemen. You survived one day without football. Can you make it one more? On the day before the 2025 NFL season kicks off, we’ve got plenty in store for Kentucky fans, covering what’s happening at each of the facilities that bear Joe Craft’s name. Let’s not waste any more time.

Grove Street Party is Back

The unofficial Kentucky football anthem was surprisingly not what BBN heard when the Wildcats took the field for the first time to start the 2025 season. Many wondered why Grove Street Party was absent from the Kroger Field playlist, but have no fear. KSR learned that Waka Flocka’s song will once again blare through the speakers.

“It will be back,” a UK spokesperson told KSR. “We just tried a different route for team walk out and didn’t play it in-game Saturday based on situations and scores.”

It’s gonna be a party at The Kroge on Saturday. There are still tickets available at Kroger Field for the 3:30 PM ET matchup against No. 20 Ole Miss.

Kentucky Offense Makes Deep-Ball Adjustments

Bush Hamdan isn’t the only coach who plans on seeing improvement from week one to week two, and after Tuesday’s practice, he detailed how his unit is tweaking its downfield passing attack.

“Initially, there was indecision from our standpoint at the quarterback position, sometimes making it more complicated than it needs to be, checking left, checking right post-snap. We’ve really addressed that from a standpoint of, post-snap pick the guy we’re going with, hold the safety, and give (the receiver) a chance, give him an opportunity,” said the Kentucky offensive coordinator.

Will being more decisive create more explosive plays? One can only hope that Kentucky has another timely big-play that mirrors what Barion Brown did in Oxford a year ago.

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The Underdog is Howling

I can’t see that statement without hearing Brent Musburger’s voice on the old “Stanford Steve and The Bear” podcast intro. It’s a wonderful saying in the world of sports gambling, and one that applies to Saturday’s matchup between Kentucky and Ole Miss.

Adam Luckett dug deep into the numbers. Kentucky is 7-3 Against the Spread (ATS) as a home underdog since 2019, with three outright wins. In the series between the Cats and the Rebels, the underdog is 5-0 ATS with four outright wins.

The Wildcats are currently 10-point underdogs, according to Bet MGM, with a total of 50.5. Here are a few other noteworthy spreads for week two of the college football season.

Illinois (-3) at Duke, 49.5
Baylor (+2.5) at SMU, 65.5
Iowa (+3) at Iowa State, 41.5
Kansas (+6.5) at Missouri, 50.5
USF (+17.5) at Florida, 56.5
Arizona State (-6.5) at Mississippi State, 58.5
Vanderbilt (+1) at Virginia Tech, 47.5
Michigan (+5.5) at Oklahoma, 46.5

We’ll be talking a lot more about Kentucky’s matchup with Ole Miss on Wednesday night’s edition of 11 Personnel.

What a Sport

Week 1 is in the books, but that did not end a war of words between two college football coaches. LSU handled Clemson for most of the night, yet the orange Tigers had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds. Dabo Swinney likes to believe neither team played particularly well. His was just a play or two away from accomplishing its goal. Brian Kelly didn’t see it that way, sharing a few choice words for his opponent after securing his first season-opening win as the LSU head coach.

Best two clips today 😂
First Dabo…then Brian Kelly responds! pic.twitter.com/vQm5XrjDQK

— CousinShane (@BigOrangeVolz) September 2, 2025

Mark Pope is on the Road

ABC: Always Be ‘Crootin

Mark Pope is spending his morning in the northeast. Joe Tipton reports that Derron Rippey Jr. will host Pope and at least one other Kentucky assistant for an in-home visit. Duke’s Jon Scheyer and GM Rachel Baker will also spend some time with Rippey this am. The five-star talent is the second-ranked point guard in the 2026 recruiting class, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking. Rippey is scheduled to return the favor with an official visit to Kentucky next month.

Kentucky Assistant Alvin Brooks on Sources Say

It’s Football Time in the Bluegrass, but Kentucky Basketball never stops. The Wildcats just got back to class and Alvin Brooks III was kind enough to check in with Jack Pilgrim and Shawn Smith in a new edition of Sources Say. Brooks shares how Andrija Jelavic has gotten acclimated with his new teammates, his obsession with returning to Indy, and much, much more.

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A Q&A with the Kentucky Governor

You see the soundbites on the news. Instead of 60 seconds, hear from Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear for 60 minutes on a new edition of Interrupted by Matt Jones. Beshear is a popular name in the mix of potential Democratic candidates for president in 2028. Matt doesn’t let the Governor provide a political answer to the question, while they also navigate through his rise in popularity, despite the many catastrophes and disasters the state has faced during his tenure in Frankfort.

WingsDay at KSBar

Whether you love drumsticks or flats, Wingsday at KSBar is for you. Pick boneless or traditional and enjoy each for only $1 apiece. Don’t miss the best deal in Central Kentucky!