Kentucky
First Down Kentucky: Offense Prepares for Disruptive South Carolina Defense
If you haven’t turned the page to South Carolina, the time is now. The Gamecocks did not show a lot of pop offensively in week one, but the defense is going to pose some problems for the Kentucky offense. The Wildcats shared how they’re addressing those ahead of Saturday’s SEC opener.
Ball Security is Job Security
Let’s be candid for a moment. South Carolina would be 0-1 if their defense did not create four turnovers. The Gamecocks narrowly won 23-19 and two scoring drives started in the red zone thanks to those turnovers.
A big reason why South Carolina has won consecutive games against Kentucky is because of the turnover battle. The Gamecocks have an 8-2 advantage in turnover margin over the last three games in this series. Ball security is always a priority, but even a bigger point of emphasis this week.
“I think there’s a correlation to playing clean and being fundamentally sound with your technique and it how it correlates to taking care of the football,” Bush Hamdan said Tuesday evening.
“For us, it’s all on the tape from a week ago in situations where those two defensive edge rushers have one-on-ones and were able to get takeaways. I think it’s a mixture. It’s fundamentally, but it’s also schematically, putting our guys in a position where we’re not forced to hold onto the ball too long and have one-on-ones on the perimeter.”
Communication is Key for the Kentucky Offensive Line
Speaking of those edge rushers, Kyle Kennard and Dylan Stewart combined to force four fumbles. Kentucky QB Brock Vandagriff faced a little pressure in the season opener. It’s up to the Big Blue Wall to make sure those talented defensive linemen do not go unaccounted for this Saturday.
“They do a lot of shifts and movements,” said offensive tackle Marques Cox. “Just communicating up front is huge for us, and also communicating through our back is huge, making sure we’re on the same page. Once we’re on the same page, just executing at a high level.”
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Kentucky Preparing for Experienced South Carolina Secondary
It’s not just the edge rushers that will stress the Kentucky offense. The Gamecocks have a deep, experienced group of defensive backs who picked off a pair of passes against Old Dominion. They’ve been there so long, Hamdan remembers scouting some of them during his time at Missouri three years ago.
“I feel like some of these guys have been here for seven years now,” said Hamdan. “That whole DB is similar. They got great length. They got long speed, can turn and run. So I think there’s a ton of experience.”
Learning to Operate with the Helmet Radio Technology
Before the 2023 season ended, Mark Stoops called on his offense to improve its operation. In short — they had to get much more efficient at calling plays, getting lined up, and executing. A new offensive coordinator with shorter play-calls played a part in helping that, as well as implementing new technology that allows Hamdan to speak directly into the quarterback’s helmet. There is still a learning curve with the new helmet tech.
“Sometimes you come out here in practice and you feel like you got three minutes to talk to the quarterback and it’s not really cutting off. Then all of a sudden, you get in the game and you’re talking to him and it’s like somebody hung up on the other line. I think that just hit me. There’s something to be said about getting calls in fast and having some time to talk to him, but I can’t tell you how many times I asked, Are you hearing me? And it’s already past that 15 seconds,” Hamdan laughed.
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Kentucky
Kentucky AG: Kroger ‘allowed the fire of addiction to spread,’ announces $110M settlement
COVINGTON, Ky. ‒ Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman announced Thursday a $110 million settlement with Cincinnati-based Kroger in his lawsuit against the grocer for its role in the opioid crisis.
Speaking at a press conference event at the Life Learning Center across the Ohio River from Cincinnati in Northern Kentucky, Coleman said Kroger fueled the opioid epidemic by prescribing the drugs with “shockingly” little oversight or means of reporting suspicious activity.
“(They) allowed the fire of addiction to spread,” Coleman said.
Kroger did not have an immediate response.
Why Kentucky sued Kroger
His office said the agreement is one of the largest opioid settlements in recent Kentucky history and ends one of his major lawsuits launched in 2024.
Last year, Coleman sued Kroger and pharmacy benefits managers Express Scripts and Optum Rx in separate lawsuits for their roles in Kentucky’s opioid epidemic.
Kroger is a $150 billion retailer with a pharmacy business that accounts for $14.3 billion of its annual revenues. Express Scripts is a subsidiary of Connecticutt-based health company Cigna Group. Optum is part of Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group.
Coleman, a Republican, took office last year after being elected in 2023.
The Enquirer will update this story
Kentucky
Kentucky Lottery Cash Ball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Jan. 8, 2025
13 things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball jackpot
Hoping to win the Powerball jackpot? Here are 13 things more likely to happen than becoming an instant millionaire.
The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 winning numbers for each game
Cash Ball
03-04-15-34, Cash Ball: 24
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Lucky For Life
13-14-24-37-38, Lucky Ball: 13
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 8-0-6
Midday: 9-8-2
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 3-5-9-9
Midday: 8-3-3-2
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball
01-20-36-38-43, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball Double Play
22-29-36-61-65, Powerball: 17
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Courier Journal digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.
Kentucky
Mark Pope recaps Kentucky vs. Georgia, plus postgame notes
The Kentucky Wildcats took another tough loss on the road and now stand at 0-2 in true road games after falling to the Georgia Bulldogs, 82-69.
The Cats also struggled to score, managing only 69 points and seeing only three players in double figures after putting up 106 against a top-10 Florida team and having six players with 14 or more points. Kentucky also shot just 27% from 3-point range, making it hard to win in any venue for a team that relies so heavily on shooting from deep.
Georgia’s increased physicality added to Kentucky’s troubles, with foul trouble being a constant issue throughout the game for the Cats. They were outrebounded 43-34.
Despite being 3-0 against top-10 teams this season, Kentucky now has three unranked losses. They’ll have a chance to bounce back as they travel to No. 14 Mississippi State, aiming for their first road win of the season.
And here are the postgame notes via UK Athletics.
Team Records and Series Notes
- Kentucky is now 12-3, 1-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Georgia is 13-2 overall, 1-1 in league play.
- Kentucky leads the series 132-29, including 44-20 in Athens.
- Mark Pope is 199-111 as head coach, including 12-3 at Kentucky.
- Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats stay on the road Saturday at Mississippi State. Game time is 8:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. in Starkville) and it will be televised on the SEC Network.
Team Notes
- Kentucky made 15 of 19 free throws (78.9 percent), the fourth straight game the Wildcats have made at least 75 percent at the foul line.
Player Notes
- Lamont Butler led the Wildcats with 20 points, his eighth double-figure game of the season and second game with at least 20.
- He also had a season-high four steals, his third straight game with at least three thefts.
- Playing a season-high 27 minutes, Brandon Garrison had a season-high 13 points and collected five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
- Otega Oweh had 12 points and has scored in double figures in every game this season. He also led UK in rebounds with seven, the first time this season he has paced the Wildcats in the boardwork.
In the First Half
- Kentucky’s starters were Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, Otega Oweh, Andrew Carr and Amari Williams. UK has a 10-3 record with this lineup.
- Koby Brea and Travis Perry were the first substitutions at 16:18.
- Kentucky was ahead 23-19 but Georgia closed the half with a 28-11 run and took a 47-34 lead into the locker room. UK is 2-3 this season when trailing at halftime.
In the Second Half
- Kentucky began the second half with the starters.
- The Wildcats chipped away, cutting the margin to 55-50, coaxing a Georgia timeout at 12:02.
- Kentucky got no closer as Georgia held steady for the win.
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