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KSR Today: A loss to South Carolina, WBB hits the road

Zack Geogheganby: Zack Geoghegan11/19/23ZGeogheganKSR
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Photo by Jeff Blake | USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, folks. These Sunday postgame articles are becoming less and less fun to write each week. This one will start off particularly sour.

Kentucky football dropped its fifth game in six outings on Saturday night in Columbia, losing to South Carolina 17-14. It was more about what the Wildcats did wrong than what the Gamecocks did right, too. Spencer Rattler threw for 207 yards on just 7.7 yards per completion, but he came up clutch time and time again on 3rd down when South Carolina needed it the most. SC rushed for just 50 yards on the night. But terribly timed turnovers cost Kentucky a must-have win.

QB Devin Leary flashed sequences of brilliance, but those moments were fewer and farther between than as hoped for. He managed 171 passing yards (17-34) with one touchdown and one interception. RB Ray Davis rattled off 61 yards and one touchdown on 12 carries, splitting touches with Ramon Jefferson (six rush, 50 yards), but he didn’t appear too happy about his production level afterward. WR Dane Key led the Kentucky pass-catchers with four receptions for 51 yards. DL Deone Walker was a monster on the line and the biggest bright spot for UK as he totaled nine tackles, one sack, and two tackles for loss.

Trailing 17-14 with roughly two minutes left, Kentucky had an opportunity to go down and win the game. But with the ball at midfield, Leary was stripped after dropping back in the pocket as South Carolina recovered. Somehow, the Gamecocks would give UK the ball back with about 60 seconds on the clock, but a turnover on downs ensued to wrap up the ugly loss for good.

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Governor’s Cup kickoff time announced

Unfortunately, there’s not much time to sulk over Saturday’s loss. The Wildcats will head right into a top-10 showdown against in-state rival Louisville next weekend up at L&N Stadium. During the middle of the South Carolina game, we learned of the kickoff time for UK-UL. This season’s Battle of the Bluegrass will start at noon EST on ABC this Saturday, Nov. 25.

Kentucky has dominated the Governor’s Cup in recent years. The ‘Cats have won four straight in the series. They have not lost a game at the stadium formerly known as Papa John’s since 2014. That being said, Louisville is now 10-1 on the season after taking down Miami (FL) on Saturday. A lot is going to be on the line in this one.

A surprise episode of Sources Say

If you’re looking for something to distract you from the football program, might I suggest turning your attention towards this very fun Kentucky basketball team? Around noon this afternoon, the Sources Say crew of KSR’s Jack Pilgrim and Go Big Blue Country’s Shawn Smith will go live on the KSR YouTube page for a surprise episode of the show.

Jack and Shawn will dive into Kentucky’s most recent win on Friday, which saw the Wildcats beat Stonehill 101-67. There will be plenty of Reed Sheppard and Rob DIllingham take for sure, and much, much more, so make sure to tune in.

Kentucky WBB is in Fort Meyers

Kentucky women’s basketball (2-1) is on the road for the first time this season as the Wildcats are set to take on Florida Gulf Coast (2-1) this afternoon down in Fort Meyers. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. EST on ESPN+.

Kyra Elzy’s group is coming off a disappointing loss to a previously winless Austin Peay team. It’s been a struggle on both ends of the floor for the Wildcats so far, and an individual struggle for everyone not named Ajae Petty (16.7 PPG, 12.0 RPG). Additionally, starting guard Maddie Scherr missed the last game with an ankle injury and her status for today is still up in the air.

Florida Gulf Coast is a tough, borderline Top 25 opponent no matter how you slice it. They’re coached by one of the sport’s best and can beat teams with endless barrages of three-pointers. KSR’s Phoenix Stevens and Katie Hutchison have a full preview of this afternoon’s tilt that you can check out here.

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Men’s soccer in the NCAA Tournament

Kentucky men’s soccer (8-7-4, 3-3-3 Sun Belt) is set to play in the program’s fifth consecutive second-round NCAA Tournament game. At 5:00 p.m. EST this afternoon, the Wildcats will take on the field’s No. 2 overall seed, Notre Dame (11-2-4, 6-0-2 ACC), up in South Bend, IN on ESPN+.

The Wildcats have advanced at least this far in every NCAA Tournament since 2018. Only Indiana and Georgetown can claim to have done the same. Kentucky knocked off Xavier 2-0 in first-round action earlier this week to make it to round two.

Kentucky and Notre Dame hold an all-time series record of 3-2-0 (Notre Dame) with the last matchup taking place in 2021 resulting in a 1-0 UK home victory. The two programs first went head-to-head in 1991 which ended in a 2-0 home Notre Dame win. 

No. 12 Volleyball going for 14th straight

Craig Skinner’s squad is peaking at the perfect time. Kentucky volleyball (16-7, 14-1 SEC) has won 13 matches in a row (the second-longest streak in the country) after a slow start to the 2023 season. Later this afternoon, the No. 12 Wildcats will look to make it 14 in a row against the Missouri Tigers (17-10, 9-7 SEC) at 1:30 p.m. EST inside of Rupp Arena.

Kentucky holds a one-game lead over both Tennessee and Arkansas for the best record in the Southeastern Conference. With only two regular season games left on the schedule, a win today would all but lock up the Wildcats’ seventh consecutive conference championship.

‘Cats in NFL: Week 11

  • 1:00 (CBS) Steelers @ Browns (Z. Smith)
  • 1:00 (FOX) Bears @ Lions (Q. Bohanna, J. Paschal)
  • 1:00 (FOX) Chargers @ Packers (C. Valentine)
  • 1:00 (CBS) Raiders @ Dolphins
  • 1:00 (FOX) Giants (W. Robinson) @ Commanders (J. Davis, C. Rodriguez)
  • 1:00 (FOX) Cowboys @ Panthers
  • 1:00 (CBS) Titans (W. Levis) @ Jaguars (J. Allen, L. Fortner)
  • 1:00 (CBS) Cardinals (P. Hoskins) @ Texans
  • 4:05 (FOX) Buccaneers @ 49ers
  • 4:25 (CBS) Jets (R. Cobb, B. Echols) @ Bills
  • 4:25 (CBS) Seahawks @ Rams
  • 8:20 (NBC) Vikings @ Broncos

Monday Night Football

  • 8:15 (ESPN/ABC) Eagles @ Chiefs (M. Edwards)

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2025-10-20