KSR Today: Kentucky Volleyball vs. Nebraska, Football Practice Updates (2024)

It’s Game Week in the Bluegrass as we count down to Kentucky’s season-opener vs. Southern Miss; however, it’s Game Day for the Kentucky Volleyball team, and this match is a huge one.

The No. 9 Cats open the season vs. No. 9 Nebraska tonight in Louisville in the AVCA First Serve Showcase, which will be televised on ESPN2. That’s just one item on today’s docket, which is absolutely loaded. Let’s go.

No. 9 Kentucky vs. No. 2 Nebraska on ESPN2

Kentucky Volleyball has become a perennial power under Craig Skinner, winning the 2020 national championship and seven straight SEC championships. Tonight, they’ll be under the national spotlight against one of the biggest names in the sport, Nebraska, the program with which Skinner got his start. The No. 9 Cats take on the No. 2 Cornhuskers at 7 p.m. ET in the first match of the AVCA First Serve Showcase. No. 6 Louisville plays No. 3 Wisconsin afterward. Both matches will be shown live on ESPN2, a big moment for the sport.

Kentucky is 2-11 all-time against Nebraska, the most recent loss coming last season in Lincoln. The Huskers fell to Texas in the NCAA Tournament Championship game last year, their 11th title game appearance. That season is the subject of a new E60 documentary, “No Place Like Nebraska,” which aired on ESPN Sunday night. With that publicity and pedigree, the Huskers will likely be the favorite tonight. We’ll be rooting for the Cats to play spoiler, especially in Louisville’s house.

Practice updates from Bush Hamdan, Kentucky’s offense

Now that it’s game week, we’re slipping back into our old schedule. Mondays with Mark Stoops got us rolling, as Stoops shared his excitement for his 12th season at Kentucky and some injury updates. Today, we’ll hear from Bush Hamdan and members of Kentucky’s offense as they prepare for Southern Miss. Check the site and YouTube Channel this evening for a recap and interviews.

One of the topics Hamdan might discuss is the offensive line. On Monday, Stoops confirmed that senior right tackle Courtland Ford will miss an extended amount of time with an unspecified injury. Ford backed up Jeremy Flax last season. Tennessee transfer Gerald Mincey is now RT1, with JUCO transfer Anfernee Crease as the backup.

Other quick-hitters from Stoops on Monday:

• Week 1 Depth Chart
• Wilson Berry named starting punter: Both Wilson Berry and newcomer Aidan Laros were listed at No. 1 on the Week 1 Depth Chart, but on his call-in show last night, Stoops said he’ll give the starting nod to Berry, who is entering his junior year.
• Jacob Kauwe‘s leg strength can’t be ignored: In other kicker news, true freshman Jacob Kauwe is No. 2 at placekicker and kickoffs, but Stoops said he hit three 60-yard field goals in practice. Kentucky will find ways to use him.
• Brock Vandagriff meshing well with his receivers: BVG will make his Kentucky debut on Saturday. Stoops said he was pleased with Vandagriff in camp, particularly the chemistry he has developed with wide receivers Barion Brown and Dane Key.
• Getting new guys used to the routine: With so many new faces on the roster from the transfer portal and recruiting ranks, Stoops expects some growing pains as they get used to Kentucky’s Game Week routine
• Must protect Josh Kattus: Kattus sat out Kentucky’s preseason scrimmages. Stoops said keeping the junior tight end healthy is hugely important this season.
• Changes in redshirt philosophy: Now that Kentucky can reload the roster with transfers, Stoops’ outlook on redshirting players has changed. He said he’ll look to play true freshmen earlier, particularly on special teams, to expedite their development

Hear everything Stoops said below, and listen to Drew Franklin, Nick Roush, Adam Luckett, and Max Duffy break it all down on the KSR Football Podcast. Max is joining the panel this season, and, true to form, our first show had a few technical difficulties. Or did it? Thanks to the magic of editing, you’ll never know.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

Not letting history repeat itself vs. Southern Miss

What do you need to know about Saturday’s opponent, Southern Miss? The Golden Eagles went 3-9 last season, closing the year with a loss to Troy in Jon Sumrall’s last game with the Trojans before taking the job at Tulane. That record isn’t impressive, but Southern Miss brought in a new offensive coordinator, Chip Long; a new defensive coordinator, Clay Bignall; and, according to Mark Stoops, ten offensive impact players from the transfer portal.

I probably don’t need to remind you that the Golden Eagles came into Kroger Field and beat Kentucky in 2016. Mark Stoops vowed not to let history repeat itself on Saturday.

“A few years back, they took care of us,” Stoops said Monday. “There were some lessons in that game that I carry with me, you’ve heard me talk about scars, calls and plays, and things that happened. I remember exactly what happened at the end of that half, I remember exactly the call we made, I remember exactly the mistakes I made. You’re thinking they’re running out the clock, I let a call go, I should have called timeout and regrouped. That’s on me, but that was a long time ago but I don’t forget.”

Adam Luckett will share more about the Golden Eagles today in his weekly opponent bio blast. On Thursday, he’ll go in deeper with the scouting report on KSR+, yet another reason you should take advantage of our KICKOFF SALE. For a limited time, annual memberships are 50% off. That gets you access to Adam and Jacob Polacheck’s excellent content along with nonstop updates and chatter on KSBoard, our message board. Yesterday, we had a very lively discussion about the Dos and Don’ts of Tailgating. Reserving tailgating spots is a touchy issue, it seems.

Today, Luckett and Roush will host a football Q&A on KSBoard at Noon ET to answer all your football questions. From position battles to the best tailgating foods, they’ll cover it all. See you there.

Speaking of tailgating…

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We want to invite you to join us for a live tailgate show before the Georgia game on September 14th. We will be on the Commonwealth Lawn just steps from Kroger Field. Come check out a full-service tailgating experience and also secure your games today. REVEL^XP is the Official Fan Experience Partner of Kentucky Athletics as well as over 60+ college sports teams across the country.

ICYMI, Jasper Johnson’s announcement is set

On the basketball front, we finally got a date for Jasper Johnson‘s college announcement on Monday. The five-star guard will reveal his college destination on September 5. The finalists are Alabama,Arkansas,Kentucky,Louisville, andNorth Carolina but the Cats, Crimson Tide, and Tar Heels are still considered the frontrunners. The ceremony will take place at Woodford County High School, not Overtime Elite, which seems like a good sign for the Cats.

Sources Say live at 8 PM ET

What’s the latest on Jasper? Jack Pilgrim and Shawn Smith will share what they’re hearing on a new episode of Sources Say live at 8 p.m. ET on the KSR YouTube Channel. They’ll also talk about Mark Pope offering 2026 top-five prospect Jason Crowe Jr., the son of Jason Crowe Sr., a lifeline friend of assistant coach Jason Hart, and a monster recruiting weekend coming up September 13-15.

NFL Cutdown Day

NFL rosters must trim their rosters from the offseason limit of 90 to 53 by 4 p.m. today. Cross your fingers for several former Cats who are currently fighting for a spot in the league. When training camp started, 26 Kentucky players were on NFL rosters; several of those players, like Josh Hines-Allen and Will Levis, are safe, but today could be a tense one for several more.