Kentucky

Kentucky Played with Only Two Healthy (and Inexperienced) Cornerbacks

Published

1 year ago

November 3, 2024

Kentucky Played with Only Two Healthy (and Inexperienced) Cornerbacks

The stars were aligning for a disaster class. For years, Josh Heupel’s uptempo attack put the Kentucky defensive backs out on islands and wrecked the Wildcat defense. Three cornerbacks were sidelined before the game even started. Then J.Q. Hardaway started cramping, leaving only two healthy players at the position.

Despite the incredibly difficult circumstances, the defense held up their end of the bargain for most of the game, limiting the Vols to 21 points over the first three quarters of the football game and only one reception of 30 yards or more.

“Overall, considering the situation we were in with being extremely thin, I thought we held up okay,” Mark Stoops said after the loss.

“The inexperience showed late with not being tight enough on that third down there late. We have to tighten up there. Obviously, we had an inexperienced guy out there, but we have to coach him. We have to do a better job with that play. But overall, in a tough situation and being down a lot of guys, they fought pretty hard.”

Mark Stoops is referring to two third downs in the fourth quarter that Kentucky could not get off the field, ultimately leading to the game-clinching touchdown for the Vols with five minutes to play. A few drives before, there was one more third down that could have swung the game Kentucky’s way.

Addison Almost Made a Game-Changing Interception

True freshman Terhyon Nichols has logged legitimate reps all season, but tonight needed to play starter’s reps. He shared some of them with Nasir Addison, a true sophomore primarily used in special teams that was tasked to play 34 snaps at cornerback.

Neither looked like a fish out of water. Addison may have gotten away with a PI early in the game, but late in the game he damn near flipped the script. Pressure in the backfield forced Nico Iamaleava‘s third-down pass to sail way off-target. Addison was there and got two hands on the ball, but he couldn’t catch the interception. If it wasn’t a pick six, Kentucky would have started the ball inside the red zone down 14-10. Instead, the Wildcats threw an interception of their own on the ensuing possession.

Even though the game-changing play didn’t happen, there was plenty of good sprinkled in. Nichols had another impressive pass break-up and Addison only allowed two receptions on four targets.

“They’re some ballplayers, real life. They love the game of football, Nas and Rhy. Shout out to both of them, and JQ on the other side, handling his business,” Zion Childress said after the game. “We’re thin, but if we get prepared by the best, everybody’s going to be ready to play and when those guys’ names were called, they made plays.”

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Related Topics:Featured Nasir Addison (23 - Irvington)Terhyon Nichols (24 - Withrow)

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Kentucky

Which Northern Kentucky boys basketball teams can win regional titles?

Published

9 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Which Northern Kentucky boys basketball teams can win regional titles?

The best week of the boys Kentucky high school basketball season is here, as the regional tournaments begin.

Three boys basketball tournaments with Northern Kentucky teams begin next week as they try to punch their ticket to Rupp Arena. They are all in their traditional homes: The Eighth Region takes place at Henry County, the Ninth Region at Truist Arena and the 10th Region at the Mason County Fieldhouse. Here is a look at those brackets.

Eighth Region (at Henry County)

Wednesday, March 4: Henry County (19-11) vs. South Oldham (20-8), 6:30 p.m.; Simon Kenton (16-10) vs. Spencer County (19-13), 8 p.m.

Thursday, March 5: Walton-Verona (17-15) vs. North Oldham (22-5), 6:30 p.m.; Woodford County (17-7) vs. Gallatin County (11-20), 8 p.m.

Monday, March 9: Semifinals – March 4 winners, 6:30 p.m.; March 5 winners, 8 p.m.

Tuesday, March 10: Final, 7 p.m.

What to watch: Simon Kenton edged Walton-Verona 56-51 for the 32nd District championship. Bray Bilton was the tournament MVP. SK did not play Spencer County this year, and lost to South Oldham in its half of the draw by 20. North Oldham and Woodford County are considered the two favorites, and are both 8-0 in the region as they have not played each other. WV lost to North Oldham by 20 on Feb. 6.

Ninth Region (at NKU’s Truist Arena)

Saturday, March 7: Highlands (25-5) vs. Conner (14-12), 1 p.m.; Covington Catholic (28-2) vs. Dixie Heights (18-12), 2:30 p.m.; Lloyd Memorial (22-4) vs. Holy Cross (21-9), 6:30 p.m.; Ryle (21-8) vs. Newport (21-9), 8 p.m.

Sunday, March 8: Semifinals – Highlands/Conner vs. CovCath/Dixie winners, 6:30 p.m.; Lloyd/Holy Cross vs. Ryle/Newport winners, 8 p.m.

Tuesday, March 10: Final, 7 p.m.

What to watch: CovCath is the overwhelming favorite. Its only losses are to other top Kentucky teams Male and Madison Central. CovCath has not played Lloyd or Newport but has beaten the other five teams in the field by an average of 27 points. The Colonels’ closest win against Ninth Region competition is by 18 (72-54) against its first opponent, Dixie Heights.

Conner beat Highlands 72-58 on Feb. 10. Ryle beat Conner by 12 in the 33rd District final for its first district title since 2014. Ryle beat Newport 45-30 on Dec. 17 but Newport has won seven of nine heading into the regional.

Lloyd is the hottest team in the region besides CovCath, winning 12 straight including a 21-point victory over Dixie in the 34th District final. Lloyd beat Holy Cross by 10, 63-53, on Jan. 6. Lloyd and Newport did not play each other this season, and time will tell if either can challenge CovCath if they get that chance. But barring injuries, it’s hard to imagine anyone other than the Colonels going to Rupp.

10th Region (at Mason County Fieldhouse)

Wednesday, March 4: Scott (15-14) vs. Mason County (7-19), 6 p.m.; Pendleton County (17-12) vs. George Rogers Clark (26-4), 8 p.m.

Thursday, March 5: Montgomery County (17-12) vs. Bracken County (14-15), 6 p.m.; Campbell County (21-9) vs. Nicholas County (20-12), 8 p.m.

Monday, March 9: Semifinals – March 4 winners, 6 p.m.; March 5 winners, 8 p.m.

Tuesday, March 10: Final, 7 p.m.

What to watch: George Rogers Clark is the heavy favorite here. Scott beat the host Royals 64-59 Dec. 18 in Taylor Mill. The hosts have struggled all year but won the 39th District. Scott survived a wild finish in the 37th District semifinals, with Jordan Clemons hitting a 3-pointer at the buzzer after a steal to give the Eagles a win over Brossart. Freshman Benjamin Brown has averaged 23 points per game in half a season. Pendleton County won the 38th District behind junior Kamden O’Hara, one of Northern Kentucky’s best shooters (15.4 ppg., 100 3-pointers). They drew the short straw after tourney favorite GRC lost the 40th District final to Montgomery County, 73-66. Campbell County has won four straight, including two dominant wins in the 37th District tournament. The streak started with a 90-89 win over its first-round regional opponent Nicholas County Feb. 13. Sophomore standout Austin Davie put up 50 points against Nicholas. Campbell lost by 12 to potential semifinal opponent Montgomery County Jan. 23.

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Kentucky

Cities Drive Kentucky License Plate fund aims to support disaster relief across the commonwealth

Published

22 hours ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Cities Drive Kentucky License Plate fund aims to support disaster relief across the commonwealth

(LEX 18) — With peak flood season approaching in eastern Kentucky, a new license plate is hitting the road with a mission: helping communities recover when disaster strikes.

The Kentucky League of Cities is launching the Cities Drive Kentucky license plate to raise money for communities affected by natural disasters. The plates are expected to arrive at county clerk’s offices across the state next month.

Kentucky League of Cities CEO J.D. Chaney said the idea grew from watching Kentuckians rally together during past disasters — most notably in 2021, when an EF-4 tornado touched down in western Kentucky as part of a widespread outbreak.

“We saw people from the far east going far west that weren’t even touched,” Chaney said.

Chaney said getting local governments back on their feet quickly is essential to helping residents recover.

“Getting the city up and going to be able to respond to the citizens they serve is absolutely critical for individuals to make recovery,” Chaney said.

The Kentucky League of Cities also aims to serve as a communication hub during disasters, helping local officials manage the flood of offers of support so they can focus on their communities.

“They’ve got [300] or 400 other phone calls they need to be doing, and we help on that other side. So, there’s one point of contact to facilitate those things,” Chaney said.

The need for that kind of support is growing. Research from the organization shows extreme weather caused $22 million in damages in 2025.

Chaney described the license plate program as a safety net for cities across Kentucky.

“It’s an insurance policy, for Kentucky cities to know that they have that backing with other communities that have the resources so they can immediately get back and start serving their constituency,” Chaney said.

“We hope others also see how important that is,” Chaney added.

The Cities Drive Kentucky license plates will be available at county clerk’s offices statewide next month.

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Kentucky

Western Kentucky residents share benefits of backyard chickens (copy)

Published

2 days ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Western Kentucky residents share benefits of backyard chickens (copy)

Members of the Kentucky House of Representatives voted to pass House Bill 276 earlier this month, which would allow Kentucky residents to keep up to six backyard chickens on residential properties while setting guidelines for local regulation.

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