Wildcat Quickies: NFL Returns Edition

Good Thursday morning, BBN! America’s favorite sport officially returns today, as the NFL’s regular season kicks off with a Thursday night rematch of last year’s Super Bowl. The Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos will square off in Denver tonight at 8:30 ET.

It’ll be great to see a rematch of last year’s Super Bowl, although it’ll be far from the same game since one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time won’t be under center for the Broncos. Nonetheless, it’s the start of meaningful NFL games, and it’s followed up by a full slate of NFL action on Sunday, and then the first Monday night game of the season between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Washington Redskins.

Tweet of the day

I have to agree with you on that, Nick!

Your quickies

Kentucky Hosts No. 1 Florida on Thursday in SEC Opener | UK Wildcats News
The SEC season kicks off at the Bell Soccer Complex on Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET live on the SEC Network as the Kentucky women’s soccer team will host the No. 1 Florida Gators.

Spring setbacks have turned into fall fun for Kentucky wide receiver Johnson | Lexington Herald-Leader
Junior wide receiver Garrett Johnson openly struggled with the new offense this spring and had his leadership challenged by coaches, but he worked his way through the frustration and is having fun on the field again.

UK Developing Front-Seven Depth before Florida | UK Wildcats News
“We do have to continue to bring some guys along,” head coach Mark Stoops said. “We played 95 snaps this past week. We played our starters too many snaps. We’re going down in The Swamp, different talents, probably very hot and humid.Hopefully we won’t have 95 snaps again but you never know.”

Offensive coordinator Eddie Gran says little things crucial to Kentucky offense - 247
With two deeply disparate versions of one offense on display, which is Kentucky's true identity? Are the Cats highly combustible or a flash in the pan?

Three Wildcats Earn USA National Team Appointments | UK Wildcats News
National champion Danielle Galyer, former Wildcat Tina Bechtel and head coach Lars Jorgensen have earned appointments to the United States National Team.

Q&A: Karl-Anthony Towns on Call of Duty, Summer Highlights, Acting, NBA and More - NBPA
Towns chatted with the NBPA about his love for Call of Duty, the championship event and the impact of the game in his life. He also talks about his summer highlights, acting interest, training progression and next season.

2016 NFL - Biggest injury questions Week 1 - ESPN
NFL Nation reporters assess the biggest injuries across the league for Week 1, including Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones, who's dealing with an ankle issue.

Verne Lundquist’s final season thankfully includes Kentucky football | Lexington Herald-Leader
Verne Lundquist is celebrating his 17th and final year of doing SEC football on CBS. He teams with Gary Danielson for the Kentucky-Florida game Saturday in Gainesville.

Brennan Fields Named SEC XC Freshman of the Week | UK Wildcats News
Kentucky cross country freshman Brennan Fields was named SEC Freshman Runner of the Week after a solid debut at the Wildcats Opener. The Richmond, Kentucky, product ran a 4k time of 12:00.24 in his first collegiate race, helping UK to a season-opening team victory.

Ryan Lochte suspended 10 months by United States Olympic Committee, USA Swimming - ESPN
Ryan Lochte, the 12-time Olympic medalist who became a focal point of the Rio Games for his involvement in a late-night incident at a gas station, has received a 10-month suspension.

Andy Murray upset in US Open - New York Times. Kei Nishikori topped Murray 1-6, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5 en route to the semifinals of the Open.

Tiger Woods planning return - ESPN. Tiger has announced that he wants to return in October and has planned to compete in three events.

Drew Brees, Saints agree to extension - USA Today. The Saints have finally managed to get Brees under contract for two more seasons, as Brees signed a deal worth $44.3 million guaranteed.

The differences between the iPhone 7 and the iPhone 7 plus - Forbes. Yep, it’s that time of year again. New iPhones!

Google is using search to fight terrorism - Android Headlines.