Kentucky

Kentucky’s defensive front shows off depth in win over Toledo

Published

6 months ago

August 30, 2025

Kentucky’s defensive front shows off depth in win over Toledo

Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops told us that the strength of Kentucky’s team would be the team in 2025. Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White told us that the defense was going to lean into its depth more than it had in the past.

That all played out in the Week 1 win over Toledo.

UK’s defense controlled the game and kept Toledo out of the endzone until the fourth quarter. While the game was very much still in the balance early, the Cats found a way to make some key plays in high-leverage moments. Players you wouldn’t think of a top contributors stepped up in some key moments.

Kentucky showed off its defensive depth on Saturday at Kroger Field. KSR is taking a look at the three biggest plays from Saturday’s slugfest.

Sam Greene’s bull rush creates a big takeaway

Kentucky had a big need to fill at EDGE in the offseason. USC transfer Sam Greene became the program’s first addition from the transfer portal in December. The redshirt sophomore earned playing time last year in the Big Ten and flashed as a physical player who run with power and could be a real asset against the run. The pass rush needed development, but Green showed the ability to impact the game with a bull rush.

That showed up in the first game of the season. Greene’s pass rush win in the first quarter helped lead to the first takeaway of the season.

On a second-and-10, Greene gets under the pads of Toledo right tackle Cole Rhett and drives the second-year starter back into quarterback Tucker Gleason‘s lap. There isn’t any contact made with the quarterback but the pressure likely has something to do with the inaccurate throw. Veteran cornerback JQ Hardaway beats Toledo wide receiver Trayvon Rudolph to the spot for the game’s first big play.

Kentucky would take a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the game just seven plays later. A young player not known for his pass rush helped flip this football game early.

Steven Soles Jr. helps create quick change stop

Following a goal-to-go stop by the Kentucky defense, Zach Calzada and the Kentucky offense took possession of the ball at their own two with 13:13 left in the second quarter. The Cats held a 7-0 lead just before disaster struck.

Calzada took a safety on a poor RPO read and gave the football right back to Toledo’s offense just one play after an 11-play drive by the Rockets. The road team had some real momentum for the first time in this football game after that play.

Kentucky’s defense quickly bowed up.

The Cats quickly forced a third-and-eight before sophomore Steven Soles Jr. produced his splash big play of the season.

The undersized outside linebacker beats Cole Rhett with an outside rush move where an inside shoulder dip helps Soles turn the corner. Once he’s at the top of the rush, Soles is able to get his hand on Tucker Gleason’s throwing arm and dislodges the football. Kentucky is unable to pounce on the loose ball, but this pass rush win creates a quick win for the defense when Toledo had a chance to flip the game.

Kentucky’s backup outside linebacker came up big on a huge third down.

Tavion Gadson creates a turnover on downs

Just one possession after taking a safety, Zach Calzada connected with tight end Willie Rodriguez for a 23-yard gain on second-and-seven to set up the Kentucky offense just outside the red zone. Unfortunately for the Cats, Toledo star safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren punched the football out and gave the Rockets the football back.

Toledo quickly advanced the football to midfield following a 13-yard completion from Tucker Gleason to tailback Chip Trayanum. Head coach Jason Candle would call the former Kentucky running back’s number again on fourth-and-short a few plays later.

Kentucky bowed up again. Backup defensive lineman Tavion Gadson shows up in a big moment.

The redshirt sophomore shoots the gap to replace the pulling right guard and fights through the center’s block. Sam Greene does a good job of knocking the playside tight end back at the same time. The lead fullback gets caught in no man’s land while Gadson strains to finish the play. That effort leads to a tackle for loss that gets the defense off the field.

Kentucky would add three points on the very next possession to take an eight-point lead. The Cats would never lead by less than eight for the rest of the game. Gadson’s effort play is a big reason why UK was able to keep Toledo at arm’s length.

We saw the defensive depth show up in big moments on Saturday. Sam Greene, Steven Soles Jr., and Tavion Gadson are each players with three years of eligibility remaining who will have key roles this season and in the future for this defense. Each looked the part on Saturday.

Source link

Related Topics:Featured Sam Greene (23 - St. Frances Academy)Steven Soles (24 - Powell)Tavion Gadson (23 - Jenkins)

Click to comment

Kentucky

No. 18 Kentucky handles No. 14 Ole Miss to round out homestand

Published

3 hours ago

February 16, 2026

Press Room

No. 18 Kentucky handles No. 14 Ole Miss to round out homestand

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – The No. 18 Kentucky Women’s Basketball team played one of its most complete games, swiftly handling No. 14 Ole Miss 74-57 in the cats penultimate home game of the 2025-26 regular season.

Clara Strack led the way, scoring 28 points and grabbing nine rebound. Asia Boone had 15 points. six rebounds and three assists. Tonie Morgan had 14 points and nine assists.

Kentucky shot 51% from the field while holding Ole Miss to 27% and 20% from behind the arc. The Wildcats also scored 22 points off of turnovers and used a 19-0 run in the second quarter to take full command of the game.

Ole Miss scored first, but Kentucky tied the game on two Strack free throws. Strack scored again to give UK its first lead, 4-2, but Ole Miss responded to tie the game. A Morgan layup and a Strack jumper gave the Cats a four-point lead, but Ole Miss hit a three to get within one.

Strack scored underneath and Jordan Obi scored in the lane to give UK a 12-7 lead. After two Ole Miss free throws, Morgan scored to again give the Cats a five-point lead. Ole Miss cut it to three but Boone hit a three late and Kentucky led 17-11 after one quarter.

The Rebels scored first in the second quarter but Amelia Hassett hit a three to give the Cats a 20-13 advantage. After two Ole Miss free throws, Boone hit a three from the corner and was fouled in the process. The four-point play gave Kentucky a 24-15 lead.

Obi scored on a pass from Morgan to extend the lead to 11 and force an Ole Miss timeout. Strack would score twice, and UK got threes from Boone, Hassett and Boone to complete a 19-0 run that gave Kentucky a 39-15 lead. The Rebels scored the last five points of the half, but the Cats held a commanding 39-20 lead at the break. Boone led all scorers with 13 in the first 20 minutes.

Ole Miss scored the first five points of the third quarter before Strack got the Cats on the board. The Rebels scored the next four before Strack hit two free throws to give UK a 43-29 lead. Ole Miss hit two free throws before Strack made two more to extend the lead to 45-31. Ole Miss made a free throw to cut the UK lead to 13.

Boone scored on a mid-range jumper, but the Rebels responded with a bucket on the other end. Morgan scored and Hassett hit a three to extend the UK lead to 52-34. The Rebels scored the next six before a Morgan three-point play stretched the UK lead to 55-40. Ole Miss scored just before the buzzer but Kentucky led 55-42 after three quarters.

Teonni Key made her first basket early in the fourth quarter but Ole Miss answered by scoring the next nine to cut the UK lead to 57-51 with 6:45 to play. Strack scored to stop the run, then scored six more in a row to give Kentucky a 65-51 lead. A Morgan basket extended the lead to 16 and completed a 10-0 run.

UK would lead by 19 late in the fourth quarter before settling for the 17-point victory.

Kentucky gets the midweek off and returns to action on Sunday, visiting Nashville to take on Vanderbilt. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on SEC Network Plus.

Source link

Kentucky

Kentucky Gov. Beshear, AG Coleman talk ICE in national TV appearances

Published

15 hours ago

February 15, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky Gov. Beshear, AG Coleman talk ICE in national TV appearances

Two of Kentucky’s most prominent statewide officials differed on the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies during separate national TV appearances Feb. 15.

Before Gov. Andy Beshear criticized Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials in an interview with CNN’s “State of the Union,” which came days after he called for the removal of ICE agents throughout the country, Attorney General Russell Coleman blasted Beshear’s positions in an interview with Fox News.

“My view as the chief law enforcement officer of this commonwealth, someone who’s carried a badge and a gun, someone’s who been a federal prosecutor, (is) that statement that the governor made, it was absurd,” Coleman said.

Coleman’s comments came in response to takes Beshear dished on ABC’s “The View” Feb. 9, in which the governor said Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem should be fired and ICE “has to be reformed from the top down.” Beshear reiterated his stance when he went on camera again Feb. 15.

“ICE is out of control. They have an American body count,” Beshear said, in reference to the fatal shootings of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. “… And their leadership attacks anyone involved in an altercation with ICE as a domestic terrorist before they even know the information. This is a group that thinks they can barge into an American’s home with an administrative warrant. We have to stand up (to ICE), and Democrats should be using their leverage to try to get reform and retraining.”

Beshear’s past comments about ICE have drawn widespread backlash from Republicans, including from ICE officials who fired back on social media. In the days since Beshear first offered his stance, however, Trump administration officials ended an immigration enforcement operation in Minnesota, where as many as 3,000 agents were stationed. The shootings of Good and Pretti and the detention of 5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos during “Operation Metro Surge” sparked protests throughout the country, including in Louisville.

In his interview with Fox News, Coleman said “ICE is a great partner on many fronts” and there are “safer communities every day” because of ICE’s enforcement actions.

“I would encourage the governor to look around here in the commonwealth, because of the collaboration ― federal, state and local. ICE has been present here, the Department of Homeland Security … is a great partner. They’re out there every day making us safer, going after violent offenders. To eliminate them as a partner would make us less safe,” Coleman said.

The Courier Journal found at least 25 Kentucky law enforcement agencies have partnered with ICE as part of the 287(g) program, which allows allows state and local agencies to perform limited immigration enforcement functions under the oversight of ICE, including making arrests, serving warrants and identifying people without legal documentation who are housed within detention centers.

Courier Journal reporters Keely Doll, Marina Johnson, Katie Muchnick and Caroline Neal contributed. Reach reporter Leo Bertucci at lbertucci@usatodayco.com or @leober2chee on X, formerly known as Twitter

Source link

Kentucky

Kentucky woman arrested after drugs concealed in Lego pieces at airport

Published

1 day ago

February 15, 2026

Press Room

Kentucky woman arrested after drugs concealed in Lego pieces at airport

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WKRC) – A Kentucky woman was arrested after federal agents intercepted a package from Poland containing what investigators said were OxyContin pills hidden inside Lego pieces.

Agents with the Department of Homeland Security contacted local police Feb. 5 after seizing a package at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport, per WLKY. Court records state the package, addressed to Amber Back, 41, contained 100 OxyContin pills concealed inside Lego pieces, reports WAVE. That package was destined for her home in Mount Sterling.

Police said an officer delivered the package to Back’s address Feb. 6 before detaining her and taking her to the police station for questioning.

During an interview, Back told investigators another woman had arranged for the drugs to be sent to her address and said she was not involved. However, after Back provided the passcode to her phone, Fox 56 reports, investigators said they found messages discussing the sale of pills, including references to selling blue pills.

Police also said messages indicated multiple packages had been delivered to Back’s address over the past year.

Back is charged with first-degree trafficking in a controlled substance. She was released from the Montgomery County Detention Center on a $5,000 bond and is scheduled to be arraigned Feb. 26.

BE THE FIRST TO COMMENT

Mount Sterling police said the investigation remains ongoing and additional arrests are possible.

Source link