Saturday Quickies: Beat Mississippi State Edition

Good morning Big Blue Nation! I hope you are ready for a big Saturday evening as the Kentucky Wildcats are gearing up for a showdown with the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Kroger Field.

If you have other obligations, like me, then you can tune in to ESPN 2 at 7:00 PM to watch the game.

A win tonight would solidify Kentucky as a team to be reckoned with in the SEC this season. At 4-0 they would be ranked when the polls come out on Monday. Mark Stoops will have successfully turned the program around completely.

But it’s going to be a tall order to fil. The Bulldogs have two of the best offensive and defensive lines in the country and they will be as physical as any team UK will see the rest of the season. They have two extremely talented players on offense with QB Nick Fitzgerald and running back Kylin Hill.

The crowd should be electric tonight and I believe the Cats are up for the challenge.

Tweets of the Day

I have no idea what’s going on here but I love it.

Wildcat linebacker commit looks like he’s having fun on his visit.

Quickies

Is the UK defense for real? | Courier-Journal- The Kentucky defense has looked great through three games. But the challenges that the Bulldogs will pose are unlike anything they have seen so far.

UK Hall of Fame induction speeches | UK Athletics- It was a special night as Anthony Davis and Jacob Tamme were among five Hall of Fame inductees. Davis is one of the all-time greats to ever play basketball at Kentucky and Tamme is a hometown kid that was a part of an era of football that was as successful as any in the history of the program. Congrats to all involved.

Bold predictions for week 4 | Saturdays Down South- If this happens then it’s going to be a fun night in the Commonwealth.

Kylin Hill shines, but Kentucky pulls the upset

The Mississippi State-Kentucky game may end up being the best game of the week. Kentucky remains underrated after beating Florida, and as State hasn’t played anybody yet, there are still some who scoff at the notion that they could be the best challenger to Alabama. This game goes down to the fourth quarter, in large part based on Kylin Hill, who not only can run the ball on a tiring Kentucky defense but will catch some key passes out of the backfield. Snell may outrush him, but Hill has a 120-yard rushing, 75-yard receiving kind of game. Kentucky plays State tough at home, and the UK passing game oddly looks a little sharper than State’s attack. That matters late, as for the second time in three years, Kentucky knocks off State on a late field goal.

Benny Snell a mix of Rudi Johnson and Deuce McAllister | Cats Pause- This sounds like a pretty good comparison. Although I would argue Benny Snell is his own player and I wouldn’t compare him to anyone.

Mark Stoops and players to be pallbearers at four year old’s funeral | WDRB- Tragedy struck last week as a young fan was killed by an impaired fraternity member driving under the influence. Young Marco Shemwell passed and that fraternity has been rightfully shutdown by officials at UK. Mark Stoops and the team will be honorary pallbearers at young Marco’s funeral on Monday.

Keys to victory over MSU and a prediction | Courier-Journal- The CJ predicts a win for the Bulldogs but I like the keys that the Cats need to focus on to win.

Kentucky soccer edges Charlotte | UK Athletics- The #7 ranked Wildcats win 1-0 as they improve to 6-0-1 on the season.

Week 4 predictions | CBS- There are some big games on tap toda as college football really starts to ramp up conference play.

Maryland found culpable in death of offensive lineman | ESPN- The Maryland Terrapins failed to diagnose and act on 19 year old Jordan McNair’s heat stroke symptoms on May 29th. The coaches’ reactions according to players to McNair as his body started to fail him are truly disturbing.

Timberwolves brass at odds over Jimmy Butler | USA Today- Thom Thibedou wants to keep Butler in Minnesota despite his desire to be traded while owner Glen Taylor told other owners that Butler is available. Free KAT.

This is the first look at Joaquin Phoenix in the Joker makeup for the origin story movie of the iconic villain. While I’m not sold on the look, Phoenix is a talented actor that I trust can pull this off.

Joker portrayals ranked:

1. Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)
2. Jack Nicholson (Batman)
3. Mark Hamill (Batman the Animated Series)
4. Cesar Romero (Batman series)
5. Cameron Monaghan (Gotham)

1,009,027,999. Jared Leto (Suicide Squad)

Don’t forget to check out the ESPN 680 UK Postgame Show immediately following the game. I’ll have Mark Stoops’ press conference and Jason Ence will be on the scene at Kroger Field to get player sound. Call in at 502-267-9680 or text in at 502-437-9680.

Here’s how you listen:

iHeartRadio app is also recommended.