Kentucky Kernel: September 23, 2021

kentuckykernel

Thursday, September 23, 2021 est. 1892 | Independent since 1971 www.kykernel.com @kykernel @kentuckykernel

The opposite of a dorm shortage | 8 news

5 David Hawpe memorial

column

Both sides of the abortion debate

6

sports

11

Preview: Across the (By)Line

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Thursday, September 23, 2021

Humans of UK:

kentuckykernel

Nicole Darland finds a new home in America

By Hannah Stanley news@kykernel.com

This is Humans of UK, inspired by the Humans of New York Instagram series by photographer and author Brandon Stanton. This series dives into the individuals of UK as well as their stories, strifes and passions.

Sophomore Nicole Darland has lived her childhood traveling back and forth from the United States and the town of Vicenza, Italy, residing for the past two years in Lexington, Kentucky.

Darland, a kinesiology major on the physical therapy track, was born and raised in Washington, later moving to Georgia. When she was eight years old and her brother was four, her family moved back to Vicenza. Not only was Vicenza her mother’s hometown, but it was also where her parents met.

When recalling her parents’ first interaction, Darland described it as “a Hallmark movie.” They first encountered each other at a carnival in Vicenza while Darland’s father was active in the U.S. military and deployed to Italy. Darland’s mother approached him, but she was interrupted before they could get to know each other. However, they would later reunite at a local club.

“Later on that week, my mom goes to the club, and, lo and behold, my dad is

JACK WEAVER | STAFF Nicole Darland poses for a photo on Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021, at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

there,” Darland said. “My dad approaches my mom and talks in the most terrible, terrible Italian, and asks my mom if she wants to dance.

So they did, and that’s how they met.”

Darland holds her parents’ story close to her heart, as it connects her to her family in Italy while she attends school in America. Darland never planned to attend UK and said she “applied as a joke.”

Now, Darland is in her second year at the university.

“I kind of wanted to experience what it was like going

to school in America,” she said. “It was a really different experience growing up in a military-based school because we weren’t really Americanized. We were more on the European side.”

The Department of Defense Education Activity school that Darland attended focused heavily on academics, due to it being a Blue Ribbon School, and was specialized for students who had parents in the military or that were overseas.

There were aspects of sports involved, as well with three sport seasons to participate in, although the

travelling aspect was a little different in comparison to most American high school sports.

“We had to drive like eight hours because my school was not one of the highly paid ones, so we would have to drive a majority of the time,” said Darland.

“We weren’t allowed to go on plane rides like the other schools were able to.”

Yet another major difference that Darland experienced was driving. In Italy, the age limit is 18 rather than 16 in the U.S., so driving to and from school was also something that caught her by surprise, as well as school parking spots.

“The most exciting part was when I heard someone say, ‘Yeah, we have these things where we decorated our own parking spaces,’ and I was like, ‘Wait, you have parking spaces?’” Darland said. “We can’t drive until we’re 18. I just got my license.”

Although there are many differences between her Italian home life and American school life, Darland has found comfort in her time at UK. “What made me feel most at home at UK is actually probably the people I’ve met throughout the two years I’ve been here,” Darland said. “I feel like by creating a bond with others, I feel like I have another family, even though I’m not with mine.”

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JACK WEAVER | STAFF A new student pushes a cart of belongings up a hill during move in on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, at Holmes Hall at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.

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Thursday, September 23, 2021

news

New census data reflects changing Kentucky population

By Emily Girard and Audrey Fones news@kykernel.com

Fayette County has experienced multiracial population growth that parallels the increasing racial diversity of America as a whole, according to U.S. Census data released Sept. 16.

The white, non-Hispanic population still remains the largest ethnic group in Fayette County as a proportion of the county’s total population. However, the percentage of people who identify as solely white has decreased in both Fayette County and the U.S. from 2010 to 2020, from 75.7 percent to 68.3 percent and from 72.4 percent to 61.6 percent, respectively.

According to these demographics, Fayette County has become more diverse. The county’s diversity index, or the probability that two people chosen at random will be from two different racial or ethnic groups, increased from 44 percent to 52 percent from 2010 to 2020. The diversity index of America as a whole has also increased from 54.9 percent to 61.1 percent.

The 2020 census gathered data about participants’ races using two separate questions. One question asked if a person was of Hispanic, Latino or Spanish origin, and another asked participants to identify themselves from a list of races or write in some other race. Participants could

choose one or more options from a list of 15 groups, including a write-in category labeled “some other race.”

This new two question system allows Americans to accurately identify their race.

Before this census, multiracial people were allowed to choose only one of the races with which they identified, and as a result, these answers weren’t a correct depiction of the country’s demographics.

The Bureau also increased the number of characters provided for people to write in a specific Hispanic origin. The Bureau said it increased the character limit from 30 to 200, “to reflect more fully and accurately the complex details of how people identify their race and ethnicity.”

In 2020, 7.1 percent of Fayette County’s population identified as two or more races, nearly three times the 2.5 percent of Fayette County’s population that marked two or more races on the 2010 census. A similar increase — from 2.9 percent to 10.2 percent — occurred in the United States as a whole.

The Census Bureau reported that these increases in diversity were both a product of actual demographic changes and changes to the way the census records race. After testing alternative questions in 2015, the Census Bureau added write-in response areas for the “White” and “Black or African American” options of its race question.

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5.2% Some other race alone

7.1% Two or more races

4.2% Asian alone

.3% American Indian and Alaska Native alone

14.9% Black alone

68.3% White alone

Percentage of total Fayette County population by race.

80

75.7% 68.3%

70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

2010

2020

Percentage of total Fayette County population White only.

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Thursday, September 23, 2021

news

‘He sincerely cultivated relationships.’

Friends, co-workers honor life of Kentucky journalist

By Sophia Shoemaker news@kykernel.com

Over 50 colleagues and friends celebrated the journalistic legacy of late Kentucky native and UK alumnus David Hawpe at a symposium held on Sept. 17.

Hawpe passed away on July 18, 2021. Al Cross, a professor in UK’s School of Journalism and the organizer of the symposium, said the event was organized so that others could honor him properly, as Hawpe did not have a public funeral.

“This is the best chance that David’s friends and colleagues have to pay tribute to him,” Cross said. “David was one of our most outstanding journalism graduates … and the program is all about why he was significant.”

Among the 11 guest speakers at the symposium were Stephen J. Ford and Richard Wilson, former co-workers from the Louisville Courier-Journal. Hawpe began writing for the Courier-Journal in 1969 and continued working there for 40 years, retiring in 2009. Not only did Wilson work with Hawpe in Louisville, but they were previously on staff at the Kentucky Kernel together in the 1960s. Wilson discussed, like quite a few of the other guest speakers, how Hawpe was not afraid to voice his opinion, referring to him as the “proverbial skunk at the garden party.”

Multiple speakers at the symposium talked about Hawpe’s career with the coal industry. While

working for the Courier-Journal as Appalachian Correspondent in Hazard, Kentucky, he covered the 1970 Hyden mine catastrophe and the 1976 Scotia mine disasters. Because of his reporting on these incidents, the dangerous conditions in Appalachian coal mines were exposed and improved.

Perhaps one of the most personal remembrances at the symposium was given by State Sen. Morgan McGarvey, who grew up down the street from the Hawpe family and with whom Hawpe would later work as a senior aide.

“Growing up, I was oblivious to the figure and titan that he was,” McGarvey said. “He was just David down the street.”

Hawpe and McGarvey worked together in Frankfort, where Hawpe volunteered with the senator. McGarvey told the crowd that the only thing Hawpe ever asked for in return for his work is that they drive to Frankfort together every day. He recounted that they drove without noticing their cell phones or other distractions, just appreciating the everyday beauty surrounding them.

“I miss him. I think we all do. I miss the car rides,” McGarvey said. “David appreciated the beauty in life, and I appreciated that beauty in him.”

A common theme of the symposium was how much Hawpe cared about people. Many speakers shared accounts of his inquisitiveness when getting to know someone, and how when they spoke, he listened. He cared

AMANDA BRAMAN | STAFF People gather during a symposium in remembrance of David Hawpe on Friday, Sept. 17, 2021, at Worsham Cinema in Lexington, Kentucky.

about where people came from, who they were. Betty Winston Bayé, retired reporter at the Courier-Journal, shared stories of how David fought for diversity in journalism.

“He was an ally before that word was cool to say,” Bayé said.

Teary-eyed, Bayé shared a story about how, when they were in New York City covering a story together, Hawpe asked to see her hometown in Brooklyn.

“David Hawpe cared about the little people,” Bayé said.

The symposium also featured

a panel discussion, where participants could reflect more on Hawpe’s career and how it related to the current state of journalism. Louisville media lawyer Jon Fleischaker referred to Hawpe when discussing the inherent subjective nature of journalism, saying that trying to be completely objective in reporting is “foolishness.”

“David and I used to talk about this all the time,” Fleischaker said. “I truly do not believe that there is any such thing as totally objective journalism.”

UK president Eli Capilouto, who worked with Hawpe from 2013 to 2019 while Hawpe served as a trustee for the university, said he had “immense respect and an abiding, deep sense of affection” for Hawpe. He referred to him as candid and unfiltered, with the zeal of an advocate and the skill of a politician.

“He sincerely cultivated relationships because he liked people; it was that simple and beautiful,” Capilouto said. “I will miss him. We will miss him. So will Kentucky.”

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Thursday, September 23, 2021

ABORTION: The debate

By Aidan O’Brien, Hallie Rice and Kiarah Raglin UK College Democrats President, Vice President and Secretary

PRO-CHOICE Abortion has been a hot topic in the media in light of current events, and this is not without reason. The recent law passed in Texas that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy is a threat to the reproductive rights of millions of people and sets up dangerous precedents that will almost certainly be copied by other states.

The law’s contents create a system that not only infringes on the rights protected by Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey; they also establish an enforcement system that has broad implications for getting blatantly unconstitutional pieces of legislation through the courts in the future.

There is no lens through which the Texas Senate Bill 8 looks morally correct, and there are a plethora of reasons for this.

In banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, the law effectively bans all abortions, since most women will not know that they are pregnant at the 6-week mark, according to an article from The New

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF President of UK College Democrats, Aidan O’Brien, poses for a portrait on Wednesday, Jan. 27, 2021, at William T. Young Library in Lexington, Kentucky.

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York Times.

As if that were not bad enough, the law’s enforcement is to be carried out by citizens, who can sue abortion providers if they provide services after the 6-week mark, according to a Texas Tribune article.

This enforcement mechanism is essentially what allowed the law to pass through the Supreme Court unscathed. The law carves out new provisions that make it significantly easier to be a plaintiff in these abortion cases. Any plaintiff who wins their case against an abortion provider will receive a $10,000 reward and have their legal fees covered.

The law simultaneously bans defendants from recouping their legal costs if they win the case, making lawsuits costly to them even when they succeed in defending themselves in court.

Now that the law has made it past the Supreme Court, we should not expect its reach to stop in Texas.

“While our own heartbeat bill remains tied up

in litigation, we could consider adopting some of the Texas language when we return to Frankfort next session,” said Kentucky State Senator Whitney Westerfield , as reported

by Tessa Redmond of Kentucky Today.

Although Texas’ law is the main focus in the news and other media at this time, similar laws need to be fought with protests, letters, court fights and donations to relevant organizations.

We cannot stand idly in this. The reproductive rights of millions are being demolished to promote a false sense of superior morality by an ideology that views half the population as nothing more than hosts.

Abortion should be the individual choice of the person affected by it, not the collective eyes of society. Today’s society should not resemble that of any past period. The Constitution was made to reflect and represent today’s ideals and the needs of its people rather than uphold archaic beliefs.

Thursday, September 23, 2021

e continues

The executives of the UK College Democrats and College Republicans come together

in these dueling columns to debate the legality of abortion. Texas Senate Bill 8 sparked an uproar in both support and opposition of the legislation. As Kentucky has already enacted restrictions on abortion, this issue is not far from home for UK students.

By Jacob Patterson

PRO-LIFE Life begins at conception. Abortion is wrong in all cases except extraordinary health circumstances faced by the mother. Still, I support public funding for medical procedures to transfer the child out of the womb at an early and safe viability date for women who have suffered the unconscionable horror and trauma of rape.

With the medical technology we have, which will continue to improve in the future, options exist for both victims of rape and their children to be protected. As a country, we should focus on developing such options.

Once someone is alive, we have a duty to protect their life. This, I think everyone should agree on.

Acknowledging that life begins at conception stops people from discriminating based on physical and mental development levels. This allows society to acknowledge everyone’s personhood equally.

Unfortunately, history is littered with the horrors committed by those who decided they had the power to decide who is human and

who isn’t, and we should learn from those mistakes.

One can then deduce, correctly, that I support the Texas Heartbeat Bill, and so do a plurality of Americans. According to Big Data Poll, 46.7 percent of Americans oppose abortions after a heartbeat is detected, while only 32.1 percent support them being an option, with the remainder undecided.

Even for people who generally consider themselves pro-choice, aborting a fetus after it has a heartbeat is too much. I look forward to more states passing similar legislation.

One question in this debate that isn’t focused on enough is, how has our society gotten to a point where a woman thinks abortion is her best option?

According to research done by the Guttmacher Institute, 73 percent of women who had an abortion cited not being able to afford a baby at the time as a reason.

Seventy-four percent cited disruption to education or career. Forty-eight percent cited single motherhood or relationship problems.

There is a rot in the core

UK College Republicans President

of our society that cuts deeper than just the issue of abortion.

We have built an education system that puts pressure on women to avoid having children so they can focus on feeding the college tuition beast.

We’ve built an economy that treats women and men like interchangeable parts of a machine stripped of individuality. We built a welfare net that gives males the ability to shirk responsibility. We’ve built a culture that tells young people that money and stimulating your nerve endings is more important than relationships and true joy.

Abortion is both a symptom of and a contributing factor of the hollowing out of our society and people, especially women who see an 81 percent increase in risk of developing mental health issues after getting an abortion, according to CBS news. If America is going to find peace on this issue, we have to start addressing the issue in the core of our society, something for which I hope we find the stomach.

MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF President of UK College Republicans, Jacob Patterson, poses for a portrait on Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021, in Lexington, Kentucky.

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Thursday, September 23, 2021

opinions

Dorm living declining at UK as more students move off campus

By Haley Woods opinions@kykernel.com

UK is struggling to fill on campus housing with returning students. Even with the plentiful incentives, students are choosing to live off campus instead.

Over the summer, UK Housing announced, “Pick Your Perk!,” an incentive program for returning students to live on campus for the 2021-2022 school year. If students completed their housing application and selected their room between July 2 and July 30, they could choose between incentives that included AirPod Pros, a $250 Visa gift card, a $250 UK Bookstore credit, Apple TV 4K or a free year of laundry.

These sound like amazing incentives to me. However, there is a catch. The university noted that the value of prizes would be counted as financial assistance.

So, you could win a brand new pair of AirPods, but you’d then lose $249 of financial aid.

Instead of using existing financial aid on these prizes, students could have spent their money on the increased price of the dorms and taken their financial aid overflow and used it at their own discretion.

Every year, the cost continues to rise, and I think a large part of that comes from UK’s leasing terms with Greystar, the university’s partner.

This year, the university has raised the housing rate by 3 percent and the dining plan by 3.1 percent.

Jay Blanton said that there are

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no plans to offer monetary incentives to live on campus in the future. “We believe that the benefits of wraparound service as well as proximity to classes and on-campus activities are an added benefit to the amazing facilities we have to offer,” Blanton said.

Although strict statistics on on-campus housing were not provided, Blanton offers insight to what this year’s on-campus numbers might look like. “Historically, about 88 percent of the firstyear class voluntarily chooses to live on campus and we believe numbers will be comparable to that this year as well,” he said.

However, this percentage is just of the first year students on UK’s campus. There are four dorms that are currently being used for students who need to isolate due to COVID positivity, according to Blanton, including University Inn, Smith, Baldwin and Ingles.

Donovan Hall, however, is completely empty and unused.

Although the rest of these dorms are used for COVID-19, it could be because they were vacant anyway and of good use to the university for isolation dorms.

Although their motivations might vary, students are choosing to stay off of campus.

After my sophomore year, I decided to move off campus because of cost and comfort. I wanted easier access to my vehicle, I did not like sharing a bathroom and my financial aid wasn’t enough to cover the cost of my dorm.

Like myself, many other students decided to move off campus

JACK WEAVER | STAFF A student pushes a cart of belongings past the Gatton Student Center during move in at the University of Kentucky on Monday, Aug. 16, 2021, in Lexington, Kentucky.

for various reasons. Junior Alexis Montgomery said she moved off campus because of the price of campus housing and issues with shared living spaces.

“I didn’t like paying over $4,000 a semester to share a bathroom, and I didn’t like having an RA,” Montgomery said. “The incentive is nice, but with the money I’ve saved from moving off campus, I can buy AirPods myself.”

Senior Aerin Mitchell said she chose to live off campus for independence, convenience and cost.

She also said she wasn’t aware that the university offered the in-

centive program.

“It’s not surprising, since they need the revenue,” Mitchell said.

“However, they couldn’t pay me enough to live on campus. I have too much freedom now.”

Another reason many people chose to live off campus is because of the pandemic. After COVID-19 caused classes to go online, staying in the dorms was sometimes seen as risky. Students went back to their hometowns in droves to stay with family during the nationwide lockdown.

This year, some students and parents may have felt it was a good decision to live off campus

just in case we went into lockdown again. When the pandemic first hit, things were hectic trying to move out of dorms and other on campus facilities. A lot of people were possibly looking to avoid that again.

There isn’t much the university can do to keep upperclassmen on campus. The biggest reason, cost, is something that administrators have control over. If UK was able to lower the rate per semester and add more accessible parking for students, it may be able to turn things around. Until that happens, this issue is most likely going to continue to grow.

Thursday, September 23, 2021

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Thursday, September 23, 2021

sports

One day, four UK victories

JACKSON DUNAVANT | STAFF Kentucky celebrates during their game against Bellarmine on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, at the Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex in Lexington, Kentucky. UK won 4-0.

By Hunter Shelton sports@kykernel.com

Sunday, Sept. 19, proved to be a victorious day for UK athletics, as all four teams who were in action defeated their opponents in Lexington.

Women’s Softball

Kentucky softball, fresh off of an NCAA Super Regional appearance last season, defeated Louisville 5-4 in their fall season opener at John Cropp Stadium.

After allowing four runs early, Wildcat pitchers did not give up a run in the final seven innings, retiring 15 consecutive Car-

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dinals.

Freshman Izzy Harrison delivered the game-winning run via a sacrifice fly, scoring Kentucky’s fifth unanswered run of the game. Emma Boitnott and Rylea Smith both collected two-RBI hits for the Wildcats.

Kentucky will travel to Columbus for its second fall game of the year, taking on the Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday, Sept.

26. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. E.T. Women’s Volleyball

No. 8 Kentucky volleyball earned its first ranked win of the season, defeating No. 16 Stanford 3-2 (20-25, 25-20, 25-19,

22-25, 15-10) at Memorial Coliseum.

Sophomore Madi Skinner led the way for Kentucky with a career-high 24 kills, including six in the fifth set.

Skinner spiked the final three points for the Wildcats in front of 3,642 fans, the eighth-largest crowd in program history.

Azhani Tealer tied her personal best in kills; the junior logged 18 eliminations against the Cardinals. Freshman setter Emma Grome accumulated a career-high 58 assists. Kentucky finished the match with a .304 hitting percentage.

The win improved Kentucky’s record to 7-3 on the year. The Cats will begin conference play on Friday, Sept. 24, hosting the Missouri Tigers at Memorial Coliseum at

8 p.m. E.T. Men’s Soccer

No. 17 Kentucky men’s soccer remained undefeated, defeating Western Michigan 1-0 at the Wendell and Vickie Bell Soccer Complex.

Following a near two-hour lighting delay, UK earned their fourth clean-sheet of the season, holding the Broncos to just seven shots.

Kentucky broke the deadlock in the 74th minute; senior forward Brock Lindow scored his first goal of the season, putting See RECAP on page 12

Thursday, September 23, 2021

sports

Across the (By)Line:

South Carolina Gamecocks

By Barkley Truax sports@kykernel.com

Kentucky

The “Across the (By) Line” series will give Kentucky football fans an indepth look at their opponent for this week — from the mind of the opposing school’s sports editor.

This week: The Daily Gamecock, South Carolina, Michael Sauls Who should we expect to see under center for the Gamecocks?

Michael: Luke Doty’s expected. I know Zeb Noland left in the second quarter against Georgia.

He reportedly had a big cut on his throwing hand and didn’t have any feeling in it. Doty came in and didn’t do too bad. He had 158 passing yards — he looked good. Noland is going to be a gametime decision.

I think it just makes most sense for Doty to start, but nothing is 100 percent official yet.

What have been your general thoughts on Kentucky football the past three weeks?

Michael: I’ve considered the Kentucky, Missouri and Tennessee game as 50-50 games for South Carolina. Last time Kentucky came here, Carolina won — the last time South

AP PHOTO/MICHAEL CLUBB Kentucky wide receiver Josh Ali (6) and wide receiver DeMarcus Harris (86) celebrate after scoring a touchdown during the first half of a NCAA college football game against Chattanooga in Lexington, Kentucky, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021.

Carolina went to Kentucky, Kentucky won. I think Mark Stoops has the Kentucky program in a great spot right now and I think Coach Beamer is working to get South Carolina back into a good spot. I think Kentucky probably has a good shot on Saturday night, but at the same time, the game being primetime and at Williams-Brice Stadium will probably give a solid advantage for South Carolina, but it’s a 50-50 game for sure.

What are some positive takeaways from South Carolina’s 40-13 loss to No. 2 Georgia?

Michael: The defense has shown sparks as well as the wide receivers during the Georgia game. Jalen Brooks had that phenomenal one handed catch on the sideline. Josh Vann has been a continued spotlight on the Gamecock offense, he’s continued to improve all season.

What should traveling Kentucky fans expect from a night environment inside Williams-Brice Stadium?

Michael: No matter what the record of the South Carolina football team is,

it’s going to be loud. It’s going to be rowdy. Coach Beamer has already made it publicly known that he wants everybody to show up early and be loud. Night games and Williams-Brice are something else. As a student, I went to the night game freshman year when Kentucky came and it was an electric atmosphere and we went 4-8 that season.

This one is an SEC opener, it’s at home, it’s a night game — it’s going to be loud, for sure. It’s just a matter of can South Carolina fans keep that loudness going the entire game and I

Stats:

• Offense — 38 points per game, 16 touchdowns, 1,439 total yards, 480 yards per game, eight turnovers • Will Levis — 51-79, 800 yards, 7 TD’s, 4 INT. 18 rushes, 37 yards, one TD • Josh Ali — 12 rec, 219 yards, 18.3 yards per reception, 1 TD • Wan’Dale Robinson — 18 rec, 337 yards (No. 2-SEC, No. 16-NCAA), 18.7 yards per reception, 2 TD’s • Chris Rodriguez Jr. — 59 rush, 377 yards (No. 1-SEC, No. 7-NCAA) 6.4 yards per carry, 4 TD’s • Defense — Weaver, 3 sacks; Valentine, 17 tackles (12 solo); Square 17 tackles (13 solo), 1 sack; Ajian, 14 tackles (7 solo), 1 INT, 1 TD

South Carolina

• Offense — 26 points per game, 9 touchdowns, 1,066 total yards, 355 yards per game, six turnovers • Quarterback — Zeb Noland, 27-47, 407 yards, 5 TD’s, 1 INT; Luke Doty, 13-26, 153 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT • Josh Vann — 10 rec, 282 yards, 28.2 yards per reception, 2 TD’s • ZaQuandre White — 22 rush, 167 yards (7.6 per carry), 1 TD • Defense — Foster, 15 tackles (9 solo), 3 INT; Staley, 15 tackles (9 solo), 1 INT, 1 TD; Johnson, 13 tackles (6 solo), 2 sacks

See ACROSS on page 12

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Thursday, September 23, 2021

sports RECAP

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

away a rebound after WMU goalkeeper Isaac Walker deflected a shot from Lucca Rodrigues.

The win makes five in a row for UK, setting up an important C-USA clash as the Wildcats head to Huntington, West Virginia, to take on No. 6 Marshall on Saturday, Sept. 25. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. E.T. Women’s Soccer

After the conclusion of the men’s match, Kentucky women’s soccer took the field, recording a shutout of their own, defeating the in-state Bellarmine Knights, 4-0.

In the 30th minute, Hannah Richardson made the first goal for the Wildcats. The junior striker followed up with a second goal just four minutes later. Richardson’s multi-goal effort is her third of the season.

Kentucky would get a third goal in a seven-minute span, as Sara Makoben-Blessing collected her second assist of the match, passing to Miranda Jimenez who connected from outside the penalty box for her second goal of the season.

Maria Olsen would score the fourth and final goal of the night, the sophomore’s first of the season. Kentucky outshot the Knights 19-3 while not allowing a corner kick in 90 minutes.

UK improved to 6-2-2 with the victory and will return to SEC play on Thursday, Sept. 23, traveling to Gainesville, Florida, for a date with the Florida Gators. The match is set to kickoff at 6:30 p.m. E.T.

AP PHOTO/MICHAEL CLUBB Kentucky wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson (1) celebrates getting a first down during the first half of a NCAA college football game against Chattanooga in Lexington, Kentucky, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021.

ACROSS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11

honestly think that they’ll have a solid chance of doing that.

Name one key player on either side of the ball Kentucky should be wary of Saturday night.

Michael: Defense — Jalen Foster leads the team in tackles and interceptions. He’s kind of come up out of nowhere. He wasn’t really expected to have a breakout year.

JACK KOLESAR | STAFF Kentucky Wildcats infielder Erin Coffel (21) catches a pop fly during the University of Kentucky vs. Louisville softball game on Sunday, Sept. 19, 2021, at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Kentucky.

12 | kentucky kernel

Offense — Any running back, depending on the day, could pop off and make a difference in the game.

Whoever’s at quarterback is going to be important. Luke Doty showed signs of getting back to where he was last season, despite his injury earlier in the year. Josh Vann at wide receiver has really come into his own. Jalen Brooks is, in my opinion, getting toward that top tier wide receiver in the SEC. He’s just got to be able to consistently catch the ball.

What has been South Carolina’s biggest weakness thus far?

Michael: The rushing attack hasn’t gotten off to what has been expected of them. Kevin Harris, the 2020 SEC leading rusher, didn’t play week one. They’re struggling with the fact that they have four high caliber backs that can play and they can’t exactly find the right rhythm with them. ZaQuandre White led the team in rushing against Eastern Illinois, but was nowhere to be seen against ECU that second game. Juju McDowell led the team in rushing against ECU, then against Georgia, he was nowhere to be found, so I think they’ve got to find that perfect balance.

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