Tanner and Peyton Whitt, born and raised in Lexington, make up the self-proclaimed “adrenalized American pop-rock” brother duo called Rags and Riches.
By Jennifer Sadler opinions@kykernel.com
Ah, fall. The time of year beloved by many and thought of lovingly through its many traditions – changing colors, can dles, warm clothes, Halloween and, how could anyone forget, pumpkin everything.
We all have our special traditions con cerning the changing season, and as I’ve found my place at UK, I have wanted to extend my search for fun fall activities. Through my own experience, this is what seems to stick out.
One of the oldest (and best) fall tradi tions, especially here at the University of Kentucky and in Lexington generally, is attending football games.
Even though I have never been much into sports, I will forever love the joy of tailgating, putting on my favorite whiteand-blue outfits and spending time with the people I love most cheering for the same team. Going to football games as a student will forever be some of my fondest memories, and going when the weather is cool and the trees are changing colors makes it an infinitely better experi ence. Plus, who doesn’t love concession stand food?
You don’t like the football craze? That’s fine, I can’t say I blame you. Luck ily, Lexington might have something more your speed.
One of my personal favorite fall tra ditions is the Lexington Farmers Market, which takes place in Tandy Centennial Park downtown from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays. Though the Farmers Market is a year-round Lexington perk, I specif ically love going in the fall when farm
ers and vendors bring pumpkins, breads, coffee, cider, pastries and many other sea sonal goods that remind me of home and warmth. Making fresh baked goods and meals with these foods is so rewarding, and I look forward to it every year.
Sometimes, when I want a more hands-on fall experience, I try going to a farm or a pumpkin patch! If you’re will ing to make the trip, Evans Orchard and Cider Mill in Georgetown has pumpkins, mums, apple cider and lots of other goods and family fun that can get you into the fall spirit.
If you’re more into the season in an ticipation for Halloween, Lexington has some spooky experiences like Fright
Nights at Jacobson Park and Wicked World Scaregrounds, both of which open at the end of September.
As a coffee fanatic, nothing like a nice transition from iced summer drinks to hot drinks for chilly mornings to get me feel ing ready for the end of the year. Lexing ton is full of amazing places to get great coffee.
On campus, there are Starbucks and PJ’s Coffee to enjoy in-between classes, and if you’re willing to venture out into the greater Lexington area, there’s a lot more! Old School Coffee and Third Street Stuff and Coffee have some of my favorite drinks, both with great atmospheres.
If you want to enjoy the season but
want to save money, get involved on cam pus! There are plenty of campus events and organizations that are free to join and attend, and many of which have plans for fall outings and activities that will get you feeling festive. Even just walking around campus or the city this time of year and seeing the trees change and decorations in and outside of homes and buildings is enough to make me feel happy and excit ed for another fall season.
As the temperatures keep cooling and with football season in full swing, I’m excited for what the season holds for me. But for now, I’m going to light my candle, get under my covers, and rewatch “Gilm ore Girls” for the thousandth time.
JACK WEAVER | STAFF Fallen leaves collect under a row of trees outside of William T. Young Library on Friday, Oct. 30, 2020, in Lexington, Kentucky.This is Humans of UK, in spired by the Humans of New York Instagram series by pho tographer and autho Brandon Stanton. This series dives into the individuals of UK as well as their stories, strifes and pas sions.
As of Sept. 1, 2022, UK student Mafe Chaves has beat cancer.
Chaves, a 21-year-old junior majoring in political science, said she always sees the bright er side of things, despite her almost nine-month-long battle with stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lym phoma, a type of cancer that compromises the lymphatic and immune systems.
Chaves was forced to uproot her entire life after her diagno sis in February 2022. This made her school and social life much harder to maintain. She start ed to realize day-to-day things people her age could do became a struggle for her.
She said she always had a strong understanding of how she wanted to live life, and her diagnosis changed all of that. She was forced to loosen her strong grasp on life and to start to live in the moment.
“Your life isn’t really lin
ear,” she said.
In other words, she ex plained, people cannot live life according to a specific plan, be cause that isn’t living.
Though she said she feels like she missed out on so many things, she still remains opti mistic.
“I decided at the very be ginning I was gonna be the most positive person about it,” Chaves said.
She also mentioned what an amazing support system she had to rely on throughout; there’s always someone to reach out to. She says one never knows who will reach out in times of hard ship, and they never know who their biggest supporters will be.
Going into her second se mester of junior year, she said she is excited to be back on-campus surrounded by some who supported her most. She
said she is nothing but appre ciative for her sorority sisters at Tri Delta, who were so helpful throughout her journey, making UK a home away from home.
One of her biggest fears when swinging back into col lege was being pitied, but she says the people in her sorority never made her feel that way. She said it was so cool to see how many sororities and frater nities reached out to her.
Recently Chaves had the op portunity to travel to New York City, where some of her biggest goals lie. She said she would love to go to law school, be come a big fashion lawyer and be one of the “unique” people in the big city.
She said she continues to go through life with the best mindset possible, and she en courages others to do the same. She doesn’t believe in sweating over the small stuff.
Coping with cancer for her was about not making cancer the defining aspect. She said there’s “so much life to live,” so she encouraged others to make the most of every opportunity.
Chaves mentions what an inspiring journey one like hers could be to just about anyone, and how God always has a plan.
“Everything happens for a reason,” she said.
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KENTUCKY KERNEL OFFICES 340 McVey Hall University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 40506
CARTER SKAGGS | STAFF Violinist Reisa Fukuda practices her violin part in the mirror of a dressing room on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, at Singletary Center for the Arts in Lexington, Kentucky.
ABBEY CUTRER | STAFF Cancer survivor Mafe Chaves poses for a portrait on Monday, Sept. 26, 2022, in Lexington, Kentucky.UK Family Weekend kicked off with a Welcome Reception Friday, Sept. 23, at the Gatton Student Center. The weekend featured a Pep Rally, Bluegrass Biscuit Bash and the Kentucky Doughnut Trail.
Freshman Caroline Hensley, a communication sciences and disorders major, grew up in Lex ington and decided to attend UK after seeing her family members enjoy it so much.
“It was close to home, and I’ve always loved the school,” Hensley said.
Caroline Hensley’s moth er Leanna Hensley is not a UK alumna, but the choice of college still remains important to her since she met her husband at the University of the Cumberlands.
“For me, it’s just having her close to home, being able to get together often, just spending time together,” Leanna Hensley said.
Families were also able to see the UK Marching Band, Dance Team and UK Cheer at Pieratt Fields for no charge leading up to the football game.
The UK Wildcats played the Northern Illinois Huskies, win
ning the game with a final score 31-23.
Junior hospitality, manage ment and tourism major Sarah Randle and her mother, Lisa Randle, attended some of the events.
Lisa Randle said she liked the benefit of having her child close to home when needed, but where her daughter can also get the “big college experience.”
“My mom went to UK, and I’m from Lexington,” Sarah Randle said. “If I wasn’t gonna go out of state I wanted to be at a state school, so I chose UK.”
Students and families play Jenga at the Bluegrass Biscuit Bash as a part of Family Weekend on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022.
A family poses for a picture at the Bluegrass Biscuit Bash as a part of Family Weekend on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022.
Kids play on an inflatable wildcat at the Bluegrass Biscuit Bash as a part of Family Weekend on Satur day, Sept. 24, 2022, at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky.
After two years online, the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame hosted an in-person induc tion ceremony on Sept. 22 in the Gatton Student Center Ballroom.
Director of UK’s School of Journalism and Media Erika Engstrom welcomed the eight inductees and introduced the first speaker of the night, Dean of the College of Communication and Information Jennifer Greer.
Greer expressed excitement for being able to attend her first in-person Journalism Hall of Fame induction as dean.
“What a joy for us to be all back together in a room, and see ing each other’s faces without masks, and feeling like we can gather again,” she said. “What a joy to be here.”
Greer is the first dean of the College of Communication and Information with a journalism background.
“I will tell you that I am a for mer journalist myself, although I would correct myself in saying, nobody is ever a former jour nalist; it gets in our blood and it sticks there forever. I called my self last week a non-practicing
journalist, which I think is a more accurate description,” she said.
The president of UK’s Jour nalism Alumni Association, Duane Bonifer, presented the in ductees and read an introduction of each journalist’s awards and achievements before they gave their acceptance speeches.
Bonifer poked fun at the re cent “Basketball vs. Football School” debate at UK during his introduction of the event.
“I think they both missed the point,” he said. “The University of Kentucky is neither a foot ball nor a basketball school. It is clearly a journalism school.”
Each journalist honored dis played their clear ties to Ken tucky and how journalism has shaped their lives.
“My Kentucky roots are dug in like an acre of kudzu,” Scott Applewhite, a senior Associated Press photojournalist and Eliza bethtown native, said during his acceptance speech.
Jerry Brewer, a Paducah na tive and national sports columnist for the Washington Post since 2015, said of his career, “I was born to be a journalist. I never had a single job outside of this profession. ”
Three of the eight inductees
JACK WEAVER | STAFF Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame inductees pose for a photo on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, in Lexington, Kentucky.
were inducted posthumously. These three include news anchor and reporter Melissa Forsythe, publisher John B. Gaines and re porter and editor Bill Mardis.
Forsythe’s former co-work er, Doug Proffitt, alongside For sythe’s sister, Cynthia Gibbs, accepted Forsythe’s induction in her honor. Forsythe was the first woman to co-anchor a newscast in Louisville.
The son of John B. Gaines,
John Pipe Gaines, accepted his father’s induction. John B. Gaines spent 60 years as the pub lisher and president of the Bowl ing Green Daily News.
Bill Mardis’s son, Steve Mardis, also accepted his father’s induction, when he gave a mes sage for the journalists in the room.
“Don’t retire; you are needed. Keep writing; you are our fu ture,” he said. “If you keep doing
that, it would be a great honor to my family and to my father.”
Bill Mardis was an editor and reporter for the Somerset Com monwealth Journal in Pulaski County.
Writer and editor Mark May nard and sports editor Stuart War ner told humorous stories of the jobs that inspired them to become and continue to be journalists and those who helped them along the way.
See JOURNALISM on page 16
The University of Kentucky Symphony Orchestra (UKSO) opened its 104th con cert season Friday, Sept. 23, in the Otis A. Singletary Center for Fine Arts Concert Hall. The 100 person orchestra performed a total of three pieces, including Hector Berlioz’ “Symphonie Fantastique.”
UKSO Conductor John Nardolillo called “Symphonie Fantastique” one of the most famous compositions of all time. He said that while working with seasoned pro fessionals and fresh new students are very different experiences, he much prefers the energy students bring to the stage.
“[Students] are not afraid to get out on stage and really be expressive and feel,” Nardolillo said. “They aren’t afraid to be vulnerable on the stage and they aren’t afraid to express the deep emotions of mu sic.”
The Singletary Center Box Office dis tributed 1,149 tickets for Friday night’s performance. The house of the theater slowly filled as musicians awaited their curtain calls backstage.
Ahead of the performance, bassoonists Kyla Stephens and Ben Wesley said they were not nervous, just excited to be back on stage for the 2022-2023 concert season.
Stephens said she is often anxious if she has a solo, but during this performance she only shared a soli with the rest of the bassoon section. Soli refers to the part of a composition played by one section of the orchestra rather than only one musician.
Stephens was not the only one looking forward to the concert. Violinist Andrew
Lyn also said he was excited to be back on stage with the ensemble. Lyn participat ed in a co-op program during the spring semester, making opening night his first performance back with the ensemble since last spring.
The orchestra played “Symphonie Fan tastique” as the closing number of their performance. Berlioz wrote the piece as an outlet for the emotional torment of unre quited love.
Berlioz became enchanted by actress Harriet Smithson after seeing her perfor mance as Ophelia in Shakespeare’s Ham let. He soon after wrote her love letters to dispel his feelings, though he received no response.
The opening movement of “Sympho nie Fantastique” follows the first time the young musician saw the woman of his dreams. The four following movements
unravel a festive party, walk along the countryside, opium induced hallucinations and a witches’ sabbath.
The 50 minute composition features the sound of church bells, often mimicked by smaller more accessible instruments. However, per request of UK Bands Visit ing Lecturer Joshua Smith, the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra agreed to loan the ensemble two custom made bells for their opening night performance.
The bells, each weighing 200 pounds, were played by UK Senior Percussionist Jacob Davidson in the closing movement of the composition. With mallets each weighing 15 pounds, Davidson called the new equipment a “beast to play and man age.”
Davidson said the new equipment and new positioning on stage took some adjust ing.
“Playing on the Berlioz bells seems to be a bit of a challenge, because I am a lit tle bit further away from the ensemble, the people I have to listen to, than I normally am,” Davidson said. “I have to make sure that I’m actually with them all the time, tempo wise.”
The orchestra also performed Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero” and Gabriella Smith’s “Tumblebird Contrails.” The performance marked the Kentucky debut of Smith’s composition.
While Davidson played a key role in the performance, he was not the only per cussionist excited to be back on stage. Per cussionist Ford Smith said he was looking forward to his friends and family hearing an energetic percussion section during the performance.
Smith aimed to keep the energy of the musicians high throughout the long pieces, something that took a lot of practice.
“I think what I’ve found to be more difficult or maybe more of a challenge is creating energy as a percussionist,” Smith said. “At a certain point you can be pre pared to play but what I’ve tried to do in rehearsals is bring the same amount of en ergy to things each time … delivering a lot of energy when (I) need to.”
The crowd felt the energy Smith aimed to provide. Georgetown College junior Kate Ruggles said her favorite piece of the night was Maurice Ravel’s “Bolero” due to the build from a few sections playing at the beginning, to the entire orchestra playing at the end.
“At the end it was very powerful,” Rug gles said. “Everybody loved it and we’re going to come back for more.”
CARTER SKAGGS | STAFF The symphony orchestra begins the third and final piece of the night, Hector Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique,” on Friday, Sept. 23, 2022, at Singletary Center for the Arts in Lexington, Kentucky.
A lone violinist practices on stage before the audience is let into the house for the opening night’s concert.
CARTER SKAGGS | STAFF Director of music and conductor John Nardolillo looks onto the stage before making an entrance for the second piece of the night.
CARTER SKAGGS | STAFF Conductor John Nardolillo takes a bow after directing the second piece of the opening night.
CARTER SKAGGS | STAFF
Director of music John Nardolillo conducts Gabriella Smith’s “Tumble bird Contrails.”
Wildcat Wheels Bicycle Li brary offers free bicycle services including bike rentals, quick up keep and the renewal of aban doned bikes found on campus.
UK students, faculty and staff can bring in bikes to have tubes re placed, parts installed and updates made.
Patrons can rent two-wheelers, tandem bikes and even a bicy cle powered blender through the
organization’s rental programs.
Wildcat Wheels staff member Ryan Kraft highlighted the adapt ability of the shop’s personal bike maintenance services, available 2-6 p.m. on weekdays.
“If some parts happen to fall off the bike we can probably find recycled parts that are recycled in the back of the shop,” Kraft said. “If we cannot, people are welcome to bring in their own parts which we will install for free as long as they are students and staff.”
According to the Wildcat
Wheels website, the bike rental programs are used to encourage environmental friendliness and awareness. Students can rent bikes for weeks, semesters or one year through the various rental pro grams.
Wildcat Wheels also restores abandoned bikes as a part of their “yellows on campus” program. If an abandoned bike is found in good condition, the organization scraps the bike for recyclable parts and spray paints it yellow.
The shop, located in Blazer
Dining Hall, maintains a bicy cle-powered blender available to be rented for special events and functions. Kraft said the blender bike is mostly used to promote the services Wildcat Wheels offers to students.
“We usually have our smooth ie bike out to promote people to bike on campus and get our name out,” Kraft said. “We also have little fun things like ‘pimp your bike,’ which is where we put tas sels and little fun things on peo ples’ bikes.”
Wildcat Wheels participates in the Community Bike Ride which allows students to take a bike tour of UK’s 918-acre campus. This event allows students to not only learn their way around campus but to effectively utilize one of the many transportation options offered at UK.
Around Earth Day, students are encouraged to participate in Bike Week, an event sponsored by UK Transportation to promote the use of bikes on campus as an alternative to motor vehicles.
Shop manager William Varney (left) demonstrates to mechanic Alex Grence (right) how to use a specific tool on Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2022, at Wildcat Wheels Bicycle Library in Lexington, Kentucky.
CARTER SKAGGS | STAFF Wildcat Wheels Bicycle Library shop manager William Varney tends to the misaligned seat of a client’s bike.
Wildcat Wheels Bicycle Library shop manager William Varney tends to the misaligned wheel of a client’s bike.
CARTER SKAGGS | STAFF
Wildcat Wheels Bicycle Library shop manager William Varney tends to the misaligned wheel of a client’s bike.
Work tables full of tools line the walls of Wildcat Wheels.
Tanner and Peyton Whitt, born and raised in Lexington, make up the self-proclaimed “adrenalized American pop-rock” brother duo called Rags and Riches.
Tanner Whitt, 29, is the lead singer and guitarist, while Peyton Whitt, 24, is the drummer and pro ducer. The duo has done over 200 performances in over 40 states. They also charted in the top 200 on NACC College Radio and won two Lexington Music Awards for Pop Artist of the Year and Song of the Year. In the past three years, they have received a total of over 3 million streams and over 1.5 million video views.
The two got their start in music by playing at their church grow ing up. They were also inspired by the 2005 film about Johnny Cash, “Walk the Line.”
From a young age, Tanner Whitt knew that he wanted to do some thing in the entertainment industry.
“I liked being an entertainer as a whole. Once we started playing more music, I would say, once we were getting in front of a lot of peo ple, I realized I wanted to do this full time,” he said.
Once Peyton Whitt asked his brother to create the band in 2017, they knew that it was the path that they were supposed to take.
“We kind of felt like we had
something special, just because it was super, like, natural,” Tanner Whitt said.
Two years later, they released their debut single titled “Speed of Sound,” which is what “lit the spark for a wildfire breakout” for the band, according to the group’s website. The song has received over 875 thousand streams, and the video has gotten over 520 thousand views.
“After ‘Speed of Sound’ did so well, we were like, ‘Okay, this is what we’re going to do for the rest of our lives,’” Tanner Whitt said.
On June 10, 2022, the band re leased their debut album titled “Al ways Gold,” which got over 1.4 mil lon streams in the first week. They decided to release the album on that date because it is their mother’s birthday.
“That was super special to us because, while we were on tour, we had already planned on releasing it then, but then we found out she had breast cancer, so it was even more special to us to be able to release this album for her,” Tanner Whitt said.
The band is now signed to SonaBlast! Records, an indepen dent record label based in Louis ville, which was Jack Harlow’s first record label.
The brothers have been creating a catalog of their music since 2017, and some of those songs are what make up the album.
“We played our first show, and
we only had ‘Speed of Sound’ out with a lot of the other songs that are on the album. We played it, and it went over extremely well with the crowd. It’s basically the crowd fa vorites,” Peyton Whitt said.
When it comes to the songwrit ing process, they like to switch it up.
“Sometimes he [Tanner Whitt] will come with a chorus or some thing and I’ll, like, start producing music or I’ll already have some thing musically created and then we start to come up with lyrics for it,” Peyton Whitt said. “We like to
keep it creatively open.”
Tanner Whitt said his favor ite song to perform is “Victim” because he thinks it’s their most underrated song, but the crowds always seem to love it when they perform it live.
Peyton Whitt’s favorite song to perform is “Pressure,” which features Will Levis and other UK football players in the music video.
They just released their latest single, “Talk,” on Sept. 23 and per formed it live for the first time at their headliner show at Clubhouse as a part of their “I’m That Problem
Tour” with Jay Joseph.
As a word of advice to others who want to pursue a career in mu sic, Tanner Whitt said:
“Anytime you feel like you’re building a bit of momentum, like, don’t ride off that moment. Let it keep driving you more and more. For us, there’s been moments where we get a lot of momentum going and then we kind of, like, don’t have anything to follow it up with. I would recommend stay ing extremely consistent with ev erything that you’re doing in that path.”
Peyton Whitt, left, and Tanner Whitt, right, pose for a photo at the University of Kentucky.
By Bridan Braun opinions@kykernel.com
The prequel to “X” was fi nally released, and it was tru ly frightening, just not in the way I expected.
Unlike the slasher film “X,” “Pearl” — set 60 years before the events in X— is a character study about a young girl who just wanted
to be loved. And she would do whatever it took to get that love.
Pearl dreamed of being a star as a form of escapism from her reality of taking care of her sick father under her mother’s watchful eye. She donned her mother’s dress es, practiced her dancing and performed for farm animals that were safe from her rage
as long as they paid her prop er attention.
Pearl’s kills were person al. They were full of rage and sorrow, and they were direct ed toward anyone who doubt ed her or dared to get in the way of her path to stardom.
Her mother disapproved of her dreams, her father’s illness was too much of a bur den, the projectionist she slept
with didn’t like her enough, and her sister-in-law knew too much about her. These were all reason enough for Pearl to justify her actions in viciously ending their lives.
However, the scariest thing about Pearl is that she reflects the desires of a generation that is obsessed with the need to be noticed. The only thing that makes her different from any one of us is her homicidal tenden cies.
In the age of TikTok, it’s easier and more accessible than ever to achieve virality and garner an audience. We see influencers who started off posting silly videos of themselves, and now have millions of followers and brand deals that fund their expensive lifestyles.
This was what Pearl was after. A life in which the love she received from the masses was able to replace the need for familial and romantic love. The adoration she felt for the girls in the movies she watched was something that she sought after for herself.
The likes and comments we get are validation that we’re good enough, we’re attrac tive enough, we’re funny enough, people like us. If we didn’t want to be seen and we weren’t searching for that validation, then we wouldn’t be posting at all. We would be keeping the moments we document for ourselves.
In Pearl’s final perfor mance during the credit scene, she can be seen gazing at the audience with a huge smile plastered on her face, while her cheeks twitch and tears begin to fall from her eyes. Behind her smile, you can see just how desperately she longs for us to love and accept her.
This sort of desperation can be dangerous. It can drive us to say and do things that we would not normally do in order to get attention, and it can even drive Pearl to kill.
CHRISTOPHER MOSS | ORIGIN PICTURE SHOW LLCAnd at the end of the day, isn’t that what each of us is looking for when we post on social media? Every time we make a post, we’re per forming for our followers.
The post credit scene promises another addition to the X franchise. “MaXXX ine” will follow the lone survivor of X, an adult film star with a hunger for fame to rival even Pearl. It will be interesting to see what MaXXXine does with the stardom that Pearl was will ing to kill for.
Mia Goth in Pearl (2022).Heading into the bulk of its SEC schedule, Kentucky looks to remain un defeated against one of its toughest foes this season: the No. 14 Ole Miss Rebels.
One of four total road games all season, Ole Miss stands to be one of the toughest road game all year, arguably being the biggest challenge behind No. 1 Georgia in week 11.
The Rebels currently stand at 4-0 on the season, not dissimilar from Kentucky, having defeated Troy, Central Arkansas, Georgia Tech and most recently Tulsa this season.
Barring the recent matchup against Tulsa, which Ole Miss won close 35-27, the Rebels have blown out all of their opponents defeating Troy 28-10, Central Arkansas 59-3 and Georgia Tech 42-0 on the road.
Starting quarterback Jaxson Dart, a sophomore transfer from USC, has thrown for 697 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions on the season. Dart won the battle for starting position from sophomore quarterback Luke Altmyer, who has 125 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
For the Wildcats, Will Levis has led the charge for the offense with 1,185 yards, 10 touchdowns and four inter ceptions, tied for 18th in the country in passing yards and touchdowns.
On the ground, Quinshon Judkins leads the Rebels in rushing yards with 429 yards on 70 attempts for five touch downs.
He’s followed closely by junior Zach Evans, with 365 yards on 59 attempts for four touchdowns, and Dart himself with
29 rushes for 201 yards.
In the red zone, Ulysses Bentley IV only has 75 rushing yards but four touch downs, signifying the Rebels’ love for punching the ball into the endzone with a power back.
Alternatively, based on the rushing metrics, Dart will need to be contained by the defensive line to prevent signif icant rushes, not dissimilar from Levis and his playstyle.
For Kentucky, an offense that has struggled on the ground this season, Kavosiey Smoke leads the Wildcats with 263 yards and one touchdown, with the next highest rushing total being 76 yards from La’Vell Wright.
This is not necessarily indicative of how the Wildcats will do on the ground against Ole Miss though, as UK is sure to benefit from the return of Chris Rodri guez Jr., it’s starting running back that is coming off a four-game suspension for off the field issues.
With both offenses ripe with weap ons it’s no surprise that Vegas predicts a shootout, with the over/under for Caesars Sportsbook being 54 points. With Ole Miss favored by a touchdown, that score comes out to be around 30-23.
Looking at the defensive side of the ball Ole Miss has allowed 10 points per game, though Tulsa, which boasts by far the best offense the Rebels have played, managed to put up 27 points on the road.
Kentucky, on the other hand, has al lowed 13 points-per-game, with Northern Illinois’s 23 last Saturday being the most it has allowed this season, more than the 16 it allowed against then No. 12 Florida.
Despite the teams seeming close on paper, ESPN’s power index favors Ole Miss by 78.5%, not all of which can
MICHAEL CLUBB | STAFF FILE PHOTOKentucky Wildcats running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. (24) celebrates scoring a touchdown during the UK vs Iowa Vrbo Citrus Bowl football game on Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando.
come from just home-field advantage.
Being the second top 15 opponent UK has faced all season, a win in Oxford could propel Kentucky into the top five, especially if No. 2 Alabama or No. 5 Clemson are upset by Arkansas or Wake Forest respectively.
While a loss wouldn’t crush the season for Kentucky, it may make fans much more weary of UK’s later road trip to Knoxville against No. 10 Tennessee and home game against No. 1 Georgia.
Stepping back, the matchup in Ox ford, similar to week two in Gainesville,
may be instrumental in determining where the Wildcats stand this far into the season, especially with outsider claims of UK being a “fraudulent” top 10 school.
Whether or not those criticisms hold merit is yet to be seen, but the matchup against Ole Miss is certain to lead many to lean one way or the other.
Kentucky and Ole Miss are set to kickoff at noon EST on Saturday, Oct. 1, in Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Ox ford, Mississippi, with the game airing live on ESPN.
The “Across the (By)Line” series will give Kentucky football fans an in-depth look at their opponent for this week — from the mind of the opposing school’s sports editor.
This week: The Daily Mississippian, Aidan Gallardo, Ole Miss
Both teams struggled last week against smaller schools. On your end, do you think Ole Miss got caught looking ahead, or did Tulsa expose real flaws in the Rebels’ team?
I think it was a little bit of both. It’s easy to look ahead to next week’s matchup against Kentucky not only because they’re a top 10 team, but also because they’re our first SEC opponent of the season. I think the team kind of felt like the game against Tulsa was going to be an uncontested contest and they were looking forward to the next week, (but) you’ve got to give credit where credit’s due. Going into the game, Tulsa had the best passing offense in the country, so there was no question they were going to score points. I think the question was, ‘how many points can the Ole Miss defense can hold them to?’ I think Ole Miss was so focused on defending the pass and preventing the deep ball that Tulsa took advantage and turned to their run game. The Rebels seemed like they couldn’t stop it. Tulsa had a total of 262 rushing yards, and that’s what got them back in the game. I think head coach Lane Kiffin will make it a point of emphasis this week in practice to make an improvement on stopping the run and
we’ll find out how much they’ll improve by Saturday.
It was always going to be difficult to replace Matt Corral, but heading into the SEC schedule, what are you expecting to see from transfer quarterback Jaxson Dart?
Everyone can agree that a player like Matt Corral is practically irreplaceable, but I think Jaxson’s done a good job so far early in the season. Kiffin announced after the Tulsa game that Dart officially won the starting job (he’s been having a lengthy quarterback battle with Luke Altmyer), and Dart mentioned that it really boosted his confidence. In my opinion, he’s a great athlete to have under center for Ole Miss. He’s great at utilizing his legs, and his pocket presence is terrific. A couple things that he can improve on is decision-making and his accuracy on the long throws. He’s already thrown a couple interceptions this season against pretty weak defenses, mainly due to trying to force the ball in a tight window instead of throwing it away or scrambling for extra yards. If he can limit the turnovers, I think that he will really excel in the offense. Another thing I noticed is his inaccuracy with the deep throws. In the games he’s played in thus far, there are always a couple of deep throws that he tries to complete and he tends to overthrow the receiver.
Don’t get me wrong. I think Dart is a great quarterback and should be the starter for the Rebels. If he can improve on those few things, I don’t think he’ll have trouble competing against SEC opponents.
What aspect of this Rebel team is
going to give Kentucky the biggest issues in Oxford?
I’ve got to go with our rushing attack. There’s really not much else to say. The offense revolves around the ground game and so far this season, defenses don’t know how to stop it. Ole Miss averages 280.8 rushing yards per game which is good for first in the SEC and fourth in all of college football. Headlined by TCU transfer Zach Evans and true-freshman Quinshon Judkins, the Rebels might just have the best running back room in the nation. Just look at this statistic and tell me that they’re not. Judkins averages 107.25 rushing yards per game
and Evans averages 91.25. With both running backs averaging around 100 yards per game, it better be a major point of emphasis for any defense to stop those running backs from running all over you. If you can take Ole Miss’s rushing attack away, then it’ll be a long day for the Ole Miss Rebels. Something else I want to mention is that the team has had trouble playing through all four quarters. Last week, Ole Miss didn’t score during the second half while Tulsa scored 10 to get their team back in the game. So come Saturday, Ole Miss needs to keep their foot on the pedal for the entirety of the game.
HG BIGGS| THE DAILY MISSISSIPPIAN Tight end Michael Trigg and running back Quinshon Judkins celebrate after a touchdown by Judkins during Ole Miss’ season opener against Troy University on Sept. 3, 2022.
By Luke Fetzer sports@kykernel.com
It was apparent from Kentucky’s first drive that starting quarterback Will Levis was dialed in with his receivers in Saturday’s football matchup against Northern Illinois.
Posting 303 yards and four touchdowns off of 18 completions, Levis hit his targets and let them do the rest.
Senior wide receiver Tayvion Robinson made the most of his opportunities, catching seven passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns.
Perhaps the more impressive stat line for Robinson was his 107 yards after catch, using his speed and route running ability to work his way down field.
Levis himself was even impressed by the playmaking ability of Robinson.
“You gotta have electric playmakers,” he said. “Tayvion, he’s got that ability to make moves and decide on moves before he even catches the ball.”
Robinson’s longest reception was a 69-yard touchdown with five minutes left in the second quarter in which he took advantage of a poor read by the cornerback.
“You play football for so long at this level the game starts to slow down for you,” Robinson said. “You got a better understanding of it.”
Robinson wasn’t the only wide receiver to show out either, with true freshman Barion Brown also having an impressive showing against NIU.
Barion Brown hauled in four receptions for 102 yards, recording 76 of those yards after catch also with two touchdowns.
Brown’s explosiveness was on full
display during his 70-yard touchdown in the opening minutes of the 3rd quarter.
Finding open space in the middle, where a majority of Robinson’s and Brown’s catches came from, Levis gunned the ball straight into the path of Brown, and he was home free from there.
“As soon as he got past the safety there’s no one catching him,” Levis said. “That was really cool to see.”
Levis looked in sync with Brown all game despite the freshman playing his fourth career game for the Cats, something that Brown said they’d worked on in practice.
“I’m just building chemistry because I’m the new guy,” he said. “You know, building trust, making sure (Levis) trusts me. He’s just been a great quarterback throughout the game so far.”
The big play potential in the Cats’ offense can easily dictate the momentum of any game, and this was no different against the Huskies.
“We’re all striving for perfection, and maybe we’re not there yet, but we want to be explosive and we’re certainly getting that,” head coach Mark Stoops said. “Right now we have a very talented quarterback and we have some explosive wide receivers, and so we’re creating some big plays.”
One reason for the successes of both Robinson and Brown was the Huskies playing double coverage on true freshman Dane Key, who recorded 13 receptions for 226 yards in three games and was seen as one of the biggest threats on offense.
While Key looked quiet on paper against NIU having only caught two passes for 15 yards, seemingly a success by the defensive scheme of the Huskies,
ABBY SZYDLIK | STAFFKentucky Wildcats wide receiver Barion Brown (2) takes the ball in for a touchdown during the No. 8 Kentucky vs. Northern Illinois football game on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.
he proved vital in freeing up crucial space for both Robinson and Brown to operate in.
Now, with the addition of Chris Rodriguez Jr. returning from his suspension, the Cats will hope to balance out their playbook from the air raid it has been, using the imposing running style of Rodriguez Jr. to ease the coverage on the receivers.
“He’s a difference maker,” offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello said. “I think that provides you with something different and I’m excited to get him back. I think it’d be a shock to everyone and
you know, he’s arguably as good as any back in the SEC.”
While the receivers room looked strong in the opening games, the SEC defenses are a different animal entirely, something UK will have to prepare for as it moves into the bulk of its conference schedule.
The Wildcats will look to maintain their offensive successes heading to Oxford on Saturday against No. 14 Ole Miss.
Kickoff between the Rebels and Wildcats is slated for noon EST and will air live on ESPN.
By Katelyn Perkins sports@kykernel.com
In its first SEC matchup of the season, No. 15 Kentucky finished back-to-back games against LSU 1-1, losing the first match in five sets and sweeping the second match on Sunday.
The weekend saw the Cats’ record move to 6-5 on the season after falling to 5-5 after match one, the first time the Cats hadn’t had a winning record since they defeated Ohio University in the second match to move to 1-1 on the season.
The weekend started rough for Kentucky, with the Cats defeated in five sets by the Tigers on Saturday, marking the first time LSU had defeated UK since 2014 and the first time the Wildcats have suffered five home losses in a season since 2005.
The Cats started the match on Saturday strong, winning the first set, but were unable to find a rhythm in their game.
Momentum quickly took a turn in favor of the Tigers in the second and third sets.
Kentucky was able to recover in the fourth set, recording 18 kills compared to the Tigers’ 10, which allowed it to force a fifth set.
Although they were able to tie it up at two sets a piece, the Cats lack of blocking and amount of errors caught up with them in the end, falling short 15-11 in the final set and dropping the overall match.
Kentucky had a chance at redeeming itself after the loss on Saturday, getting a rematch on Sunday.
ISABEL MCSWAIN | STAFF Kentucky players celebrate during the Kentucky vs. LSU volleyball match on Sunday, Sept. 25, 2022, at Memorial Coliseum in Lexing ton, Kentucky.CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5
Warner offered a piece of advice to the practicing jour nalists and students in the room that a mentor had once given him: “Good enough is never good enough. Don’t settle.”
Investigator and writer Deborah Yetter echoed similar sentiments of encouraging her fellow journalists to keep re porting and writing.
She wore a cicada pin and referenced a comment made by former governor Matt Bevin in which he referred to the press as cicadas. Yetter said she took this comment as a compliment.
“So all my fellow cicadas out there, keep up the good work and keep making the noise,” she said.
The Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame induction was an evening of celebrating journal ists who have their origins or influence in Kentucky. Many of the journalists have previous accolades, including Pulitzer Prizes, and all holding numer ous accomplishments through out their careers as journalists.
Each inductee’s acceptance speech presented what the im portance of journalism meant to them. Duane Bonifer also made note of this in his clos ing.
“Thanks again to all who made this event possible,” he said. “And most important of all, those whose lives and ca reers continue to help make so ciety a more just, a more fair and a more equitable place for everyone.”
ESPN currently favors Ole Miss by 78.5%, but Vegas is expecting a close shootout. How are you expecting Saturday to go?
There’s no question that both teams will be able to score some points. It’ll be close for the first three quarters, but I do have to lean towards the Rebels to ultimately close it out. I expect a back-and-forth shootout and I think it will come down to the team that can make that lategame stop. Like I said earlier, I think our ground game is too much for the Wildcats to handle and also given home field ad vantage, I just don’t see how Ole Miss loses this game. I predict a Rebel victory with a score of 3128. I do want to say though that Kentucky has had a great season thus far and they are definitely a high-caliber team not only in college football, but in the SEC. They’ll definitely be a contender to reach the SEC Championship game.
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The Cats took this chance of redemption and ran with it, sweeping LSU on Sunday.
From Saturday to Sunday, each opponent’s attack percent age flipped, with Kentucky’s overall attacking percentage on Saturday being .276 while LSU’s was .364. On Sunday the Cats ended with an overall .330 attack percentage but LSU ended with a .274 percentage. Another area where Kentucky improved from the first match was service aces.
were hoping for in their first matchup against the Tigers, they were able to end the series with a clean sweep, hoping that the second match will provide the momentum required to succeed on the road against Missouri.
Kentucky travels to Colombia, Missouri, this Wednesday, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. EST to take on the Mis souri Tigers in the first road conference matchup of the season.
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On Saturday the Wildcats ended with five, but on Sunday they were able to tack on two more aces overall, contributing to the victory. Although the Cats did not get the result that they