The 2024 college football season is officially underway for the Kentucky Wildcats, who came away with a 31-0 victory over Southern Miss in Week 1. Up next is the SEC opener vs. South Carolina on Saturday.

Ahead of the game, Vinny Hardy and Aaron Gershon dropped a new episode of Bleav in Kentucky.

On the show, the guys discussed:

• Getting win No. 1 amid multiple lightning delays.
• How Brock Vandagriff looked in his Kentucky debut.
• The versatility of JQ Hardaway and Alex Afari on defense.
• Kentucky beat writer Kyle Tucker calls it a career.
• Previewing Game 2 vs. the Gamecocks.
• And more!

Be sure to listen to the full episode below, then subscribe to the Bleav Podcast Network, Stitcher, iTunes, Audible, and Spotify!

Want more A Sea Of Blue coverage? Then follow our Twitter page and like us on Facebook to get all the latest Kentucky Wildcats news and views. And Go CATS!

Defending state champion Trinity is No. 1 in Class 6A in the first Kentucky High School Football Media Poll of the season.

The Shamrocks are 2-0 after a pair of road victories in Lexington over Bryan Station and Frederick Douglass. Trinity will host Indiana’s Center Grove at 7 p.m. Friday.

Watch KHSAA football games on NFHS Network all season long

Following Trinity in the Class 6A poll are Male (2-0), St. Xavier (2-0), Frederick Douglass (1-1) and Manual (2-0).

Male will host St. Xavier at 7 p.m. Friday, and Manual will host Frederick Douglass at 7:30 p.m. Friday.

The No. 1 teams in the other classes are Bowling Green (Class 5A), Boyle County (4A), Christian Academy (3A), Owensboro Catholic (2A) and Campbellsville (A).

The Kentucky High School Football Media Poll is conducted by 16 sports journalists throughout the state, with one representative for each of the 16 football regions in order to provide geographical balance. Starting next week, the poll will be released each Wednesday morning throughout the regular season.

Here are the complete polls. First-place votes are in parentheses.

Rank-school (FPV)            Record  Pts

1. Trinity (16)                        2-0     160

2. Male                                 2-0     136

3. St. Xavier                           2-0     127

4. Frederick Douglass           1-1      117

5. Manual                             2-0       90

6. Ryle                                   2-0       72

7. Bryan Station                     0-2       47

8. Bullitt East                         2-0       34

9. Great Crossing                  2-0       24

10. Simon Kenton                 2-0       23

Others receiving votes: Madison Central 21, Ballard 10, George Rogers Clark 10, Central Hardin 3, Oldham County 3, Tates Creek 3.

Rank-school (FPV)                     Record  Pts

1. Bowling Green (6)                     1-1     144

2. Cooper (8)                                 2-0     143

3. Highlands (1)                            2-0     130

4. South Warren (1)                      2-0      123

5. Woodford County                    2-0        70

6. Madisonville-North Hopkins   2-0       58

7. Pulaski County                          1-1       40

8. Owensboro                                0-2       38

9. Atherton                                     2-0       31

10. North Laurel                             2-0       27

Others receiving votes: Graves County 23, Scott County 20, Southwestern 10, South Oldham 9, Dixie Heights 6, North Bullitt 5, Greenwood 2, South Laurel 1.

Rank-school (FPV)            Record  Pts 

1. Boyle County (16)            2-0      160

2. Paducah Tilghman           2-0      141

3. Corbin                              2-0     123

4. Franklin County                2-0     111

5. Ashland Blazer                 2-0      91

6. Covington Catholic           0-2      62

7. Johnson Central                1-1      52

8. North Oldham                   2-0      46

9. Warren East                       2-0      36

10. Bardstown                       1-1       34

Others receiving votes: Spencer County 6, DeSales 5, Henry County 3, Logan County 3, Allen County-Scottsville 2, Mason County 2, Wayne County 2, Taylor County 1.

Rank-school (FPV)                 Record  Pts 

1. Christian Academy (16)         2-0     160

2. Hart County                           2-0     120

3. Central                                   0-2       97

4. Belfry                                     1-1        95

5. Lexington Catholic                0-2        82

6. Bell County                            1-1       69

7. Franklin-Simpson                   2-0      67

8. Glasgow                                 2-0       46

9. Union County                         1-1       39

10. Rockcastle County                2-0       34

Others receiving votes: East Carter 26, Lawrence County 22, Mercer County 13, Hancock County 5, Adair County 2, Lloyd Memorial 2, Hopkins County Central 1.

Rank-school (FPV)                  Record  Pts        

1. Owensboro Catholic (12)      2-0      153

2. Beechwood (4)                      2-0      144

3. Mayfield                                1-1       120

4. Lexington Christian               0-2       103

5. Somerset                               2-0        97

6. Murray                                   1-1        62

7. Crittenden County                 1-1        46

8. Green County                        1-1        34

9. Washington County               2-0        20

10. Breathitt County                   0-2       19

Others receiving votes: Betsy Layne 18, Prestonsburg 17, Caldwell County 14, Knott County Central 13, Martin County 8, Shelby Valley 7, Bracken County 3, Monroe County 2.

Rank-school (FPV)                  Record  Pts        

1. Campbellsville (5)                  2-0      139

2. Pikeville (9)                            0-2       135

3. Sayre (1)                                2-0       114

4. Raceland (1)                          1-1       113

5. Newport Central Catholic      2-0       96

6. Paris                                       2-0        78

7. Kentucky Country Day           1-1        49

8. Bethlehem                             2-0        46

9. Hazard                                   2-0       34

10. Newport                              2-0        23

Others receiving votes: Williamsburg 20, Ludlow 17, Bishop Brossart 10, Louisville Holy Cross 6.

Voters: Chelsea Parker (The Paducah Sun), Edward Marlowe (WKDZ-FM), Mark Mathis (Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer), Micheal Compton (Bowling Green Daily News), Josh Claywell (The Kentucky Standard, LaRue County Herald News), Kendrick Haskins (WAVE-TV), Jason Frakes (The Courier Journal), James Weber (Cincinnati Enquirer), Brendan Connelly (Cincinnati Enquirer), Evan Dennison (LinkNKy.com), Jared Peck (Lexington Herald-Leader), Mike Marsee (Danville freelancer), Les Dixon (13thRegionMediaNetwork.com), Brendon Miller (Bluegrass Sports Nation), Randy White (Appalachian News-Express), James Collier (WLGC-FM).

More high school football: Jason Frakes’ top 10 teams in state after Week 2

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Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.

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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