Kentucky
First Down Kentucky: Win the Week
Assessing How Hot Billy Napier’s Seat Is Following Loss To Miami
Kentucky handled its business Week 1 in a shutout victory against Southern Miss. Week 2 brings a sizable game with some stakes. The Wildcats have lost consecutive games to South Carolina and cannot afford that to become a three-game losing streak with the remaining schedule ahead.
Saturday will be a big moment for the program, but Kentucky needs to win its preparation before winning the football game.
“We gotta win the week. Last week was last week,” Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White said. “Nice job there by rising up in the red zone when we had the opportunity to do it but that’s last week.”
All attention is now on South Carolina. KSR’s First Down Kentucky is back to provide a full practice report after speaking with the defense after Wednesday’s practice.
Kentucky must slow down the QB run
Expect South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers to draw comparisons to Cam Newton, Tim Tebow, Dak Prescott, and Anthony Richardson throughout the 2024 season. The redshirt freshman is still growing as a passer, but Sellers is already a dangerous runner. In his first start, Sellers rumbled for 100 yards on 18 non-sack carries.
Kentucky must be ready to slow down the QB run.
“A really talented quarterback. Yes, one that may had some first game jitters. Anticipate him coming in ready to just light it up. He’s got all the tools,” Brad White said about Sellers. “He’s got the arm strength, he’s got the legs.”
“When a Q can run, it adds that extra dimension and it forces you to have to do some different things. Or play with a little bit of a different mentality.”
White pointed out that the QB run adds an extra gap in the running game and that Kentucky’s front would have to play more than their gap in run fits to shut down running lanes. Star tailback Rocket Sanders will get his touches but Sellers’ legs appear to be the biggest strength on the South Carolina offense.
“We’ve got our work cut out for us,” White said.
Kentucky needs more from the safety position
Expectations were high for Kentucky’s safety group entering the 2024 season. The Wildcats returned three players who played big snaps last season and added an SEC transfer to the room. Kentucky needs this group to be a positional strength.
That wasn’t the case in Week 1. Kentucky will need better play from the safety position moving forward.
“I thought they all got a chance to get in, and rotate, and played with some different combos. I do think maybe some played better than others,” Brad White told the media. “Again, it’s first game and sometimes there’s jitters. There’s some things we’ve gotta get cleaned up there — and they will.”
The safeties will play a big role this week helping fit the run and limiting explosives in the passing game. Kentucky will need a bounce-back week from an important position.
Weather delays are stressful
The wait was long for everyone on Saturday night in the Bluegrass. Mother Nature caused a multiple-hour delay that forced thousands to wait out a lighting delay. The fans were enjoying music, a stadium light show, and the Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M game on the jumbotrons.
While all that was going on, Brad White was trying to remain calm.
“He stresses,” White joked. “It was interesting. Everybody did a little bit of something. You walk around and then you realize it’s going to be extended. You sort of sit down and luckily some other games are on at that time so you can try and take your mind off it.
White mentioned that watching football only reminded him of different situational scenarios that his team may need to know. The defensive coordinator had to take a step back and remain calm in the moment. Not playing a game can be as stressful as playing in one.
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LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Recent heavy rainfall has left soil across the state completely soaked, contributing to localized flooding in some areas.
When rain falls, some water soaks into the ground through a process called percolation.
Soil can only hold a limited amount of water. Once the small air spaces within the soil fill with water, the ground becomes saturated and additional rainfall has nowhere to go.
Soil type plays a role in how quickly water drains.
Much of Kentucky has clay-heavy soil, which is made up of very small, flat particles packed tightly together.
That composition makes it harder for water to move through. In clay soil, water may drain at a rate of only 0.02 to 0.17 inches per hour.
When rainfall comes down faster than the ground can absorb it and water cannot drain into a stream or storm drain quickly enough, it begins to build up.
That buildup is what leads to localized flooding.
Copyright 2026 WKYT. All rights reserved.
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – Cyclosporiasis is a microscopic parasite that can contaminate food and water — is making people sick across several states, including Kentucky.
Dr. Patricia Tellez-Watson said, the illness is caused by Cyclospora cayetanensis and spreads when someone ingests contaminated food or water. “It is an intestinal infection caused by this water-borne, food-borne microscopic parasite,” she said.
Symptoms can include diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
Tellez-Watson said, cases are often sporadic, but outbreaks can happen — especially during hot, wet months, when the parasite can survive in the environment long enough to become infectious.
Health experts recommend taking extra precautions with food and water. Washing hands and thoroughly rinsing produce before eating or cooking can reduce risk.
Watson also urged people to be cautious with fresh produce, particularly pre-packaged items, and to consider using bottled water.
Officials have confirmed cases in Bowling Green, though it’s unclear how many.
Copyright 2026 WBKO. All rights reserved.
What will Moeller’s Matt Ponatoski bring to Kentucky football, baseball?
Hear what Moeller senior had to say about signing to play football and baseball at the University of Kentucky.
Dual-sport star and Moeller alum Matt Ponatoski’s final decision still awaits, but signs are pointing towards Lexington, KY.
After committing to the University of Kentucky as both a quarterback and pitcher, Ponatoski was selected in the 18th round (No. 542 overall) of the 2026 MLB Draft by the hometown Cincinnati Reds. While Ponatoski was ranked No. 208 on the MLB’s draft board and expected to be selected higher, doubts around whether he intended to go pro this year caused his stock to fall.
Ponatoksi has until the MLB’s signing deadline on July 27 to make a final decision, but the Moeller product has seemingly signaled his intention to stick with the University of Kentucky. He enrolled at the University of Kentucky on Wednesday, July 15, per a Kentucky Sports Radio report, indicating he will join the Wildcats football team in the fall.
The Man of Moeller was just the third player in the history of the Gatorade Player of the Year award to win for two different sports in the same season. Doing so in his junior year, he joined Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss and National Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Joe Mauer.
For Wildcats football, Ponatoski would come in as a four-star quarterback prospect and helped give new head coach Will Stein a top-25 recruiting class in the nation. He threw just one interception in his senior season for the Moeller Crusaders, completing 66% of his passes for 2,395 yards and 28 touchdowns.
For Kentucky baseball, Ponatoski would join up with fellow freshman and former Louisville Trinity pitcher Grayson Willoughby, who won Kentucky Mr. Baseball and withdrew his name from the draft. Willoughby, a top-rated pitching prospect, felt MLB teams were attempting to low-ball him and thus chose to stick with the Wildcats. Ponatoski is fresh from a season leading Moeller to the state championship game, recording a 1.37 ERA on the year.
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