Good morning and happy Saturday, Big Blue Nation.
As the fog from the smoke machines continues to dissipate from last night’s Big Blue Madness, the fan base is ready to turn focus back towards the football team.
The Kentucky Wildcats are set on to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in a game that is a must win for both teams. Neither has won an SEC game yet and both are sitting at 2-3 on the season.
If Kentucky does indeed lose this game, then I’m afraid that’s all she wrote. The Hogs are considered the worst team in the SEC and they haven’t won a conference game since they beat Ole Miss 38-37 back in 2017.
The last time the Razorbacks took the field, they lost a hard fought battle against the Texas A&M Aggies, 31-27 on a neutral field in Dallas, Texas. We haven’t seen that kind of fight from the Wildcats since the end of the third quarter against the Florida Gators.
Sawyer Smith is banged up and honestly we have no idea he will play or if he can even throw the football. Mark Stoops started this week saying that Smith is ready to go but that talk has changed immensely as game day approached.
With the games left on the schedule, Kentucky can still go to a bowl game. But this is it. After today the fans will know whether or not it’s time to turn their full attention to the basketball team (Not that I’m advocating for that, it’s the reality of the situation).
Tweets of the Day
Rupp Arena has nearly cleared out, but Cade Cunningham has hung around to take pictures with fans for 15 minutes. Kentucky staff eventually had to usher him to the back.
— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) October 12, 2019
I’m not sayin’...I’m just sayin’.
Blue ➕ Chrome #BringIt
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) October 12, 2019
Presented by The Summit at Fritz Farm pic.twitter.com/lSOa5QMUb6
Cats usually do well in the chrome domes. I think.
Got in to Lexington and of course went to Malone’s and ran into this guy. Son Denny me and coach Stoops. Go Cats!! pic.twitter.com/u9WHKoIQ6T
— Rich Brooks (@UKcoachbrooks) October 11, 2019
A good omen for today?
Quickies
Cats will honor Jared Lorenzen on Saturday | UK Athletics- Terry Wilson was going to wear the #22 in honor of the fallen UK great. Unfortunately Wilson is out for the season. I’m not sure what UK has planned but it’s going to be special.
Kentucky needs this right now in this moment of the season.
Georgia snaps Kentucky’s winning streak | UK Athletics- The Cats had won 29 match sets in a row but tonight they came to an end as the Bulldogs took the win.
How every fan base is feeling for Week 7 | Saturday’s Down South- YIKES
A bye week was a good opportunity for Kentucky fans to remember what it was like to have a Saturday in 2019 not ruined by your football team. Now they’ll get a chance to turn things around in a cross-division game against Arkansas — an SEC game so depressing they might have to put it on the ACC Network.
Top ten moments of Big Blue Madness | Just the Cats- Dr. John Huang was at the event and was up close and personal with the Cats. I had the pleasure of meeting the good doctor as well. He’s a great guy.
Calipari boasts program’s NBA success | Cats Pause- Calipari is ready for the next ten years and he wants more guys in the NBA making more money. I think this speech was directed right at Cade Cunningham.
SEC QB Week 7 power rankings | Saturday’s Down South- Sawyer Smith is ranked one spot ahead of the QB he will be facing off against today. Here’s what they say:
Smith is expected to play Saturday against Arkansas, although for how long or at what capacity remains in doubt. He visibly struggled through shoulder and wrist injuries in Kentucky’s losses at Mississippi State and South Carolina, and the Wildcats spent the bye week prepping WR Lynn Bowden Jr. to take the reins if Smith can’t go. The updated depth chart for this weekend lists Smith as the starter, untested sophomore Walker Wood as the backup, and Bowden as a wide receiver, as usual. Whether that’s how it will actually look after kickoff is an open question. (Last week: 12)
Top 25 under 25 in the NBA | CBS- Plenty of Cats on this list. Karl-Anthony Towns is the highest at number three.
Ex-Redskins teammates blast Kirk Cousins | ESPN- Look, I’m not saying Kirk Cousins is good, but it seems to me the cool thing to do in the NFL right now is to trash him.
Nationals upset Cardinals in game one of the NLCS | Sporting News- Fresh off of upsetting the Dodgers, Washington was back at it as they defeated St. Louis 2-0. Are they bound for the World Series?
Miami beats Virginia | USA Today- The 20th ranked Cavaliers lost 17-9 to a bad Miami team. The ACC Coastal is a joke.