KSR GAMEDAY: Kentucky Embarks on High-Octane Road Trip Clash with Ole Miss

The SEC is unforgiving, especially on the road. Today Kentucky football fans are learning that firsthand as the Wildcats travel away from Kroger Field for the first time to face one of the best teams in college football.

Ole Miss has spent the first four weeks of the season lighting up college football scoreboards. It’s a points-a-palooza, led by quarterback Jaxson Dart , the nation’s top passer, who’s throwing to the nation’s top receiver, Tre Harris . They’ve outscored their first four opponents 220-22 and have won 24 of their last 26 games at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

“They got weapons all over the place. They got a big offensive line, a quarterback that’s playing at a really elite level. We know we gotta be at our best,” Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White said earlier this week .

It’s not just the passing game. Ole Miss has an elite rushing attack and an overly aggressive defense that seeks out knockout punches. They rank second nationally in havoc rate and you better believe they will have their ears pinned back against Kentucky’s porous pass protection.

If it sounds like Kentucky is overmatched, you might be right. But we thought the Cats were overmatched against Georgia and they went toe-to-toe with the best program in college football. The key to having success in Oxford is weathering the early haymakers, sustaining long drives, and winning the turnover battle. Mark Stoops has kept it close with this program in all three previous meetings. If the Cats can apply some game pressure on this untested Ole Miss team, we might have ourselves another instant classic.

Kentucky vs. Ole Miss: How To Watch, Listen

• Kickoff : 12:00 p.m. ET
• TV : ABC (Sean McDonough, Greg McElroy, Molly McGrath)
• Watch college football games live – try Fubo for free! Click HERE NOW.
• Local Radio : UK Sports Network (Tom Leach, Jeff Piecoro, Dick Gabriel)
• AM : 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
• FM : 98.1 WBUL
• Online : iHeart Radio
• Sirius XM : 374 (UK); 106 or 190 (Ole Miss)
• Live Stats : StatBroadcast

You can also keep up with the game and chat with other fans on our game thread on KSBoard , with Nick Roush, Adam Luckett, and Drew Franklin providing updates from Kroger Field and the rest of us from home.

Kentucky vs. Ole Miss Hype Video

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Saturday Gameday Schedule

If you’re making the trek to Oxford, The Grove is already opened. That happened at 7:30 pm CST on Friday night. It will remain open until three hours after the end of the game. KSR will be prowling through the tailgaters en route to the Cat Walk. Come see about it.

9:00 am — The KSR Pregame Show
9:45 am — The Cat Walk outside Gate 19/Visiting Team Gate
11:00 am — KSBar opens
Noon — Kickoff on ABC

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Kentucky CB Hairston Injured

There was a surprising late scratch on the injury report . Initially omitted, Maxwell Hairston was listed as questionable on Thursday, then ruled out on Friday. A nagging shoulder injury is taking Kentucky’s preseason First Team All-SEC Cornerback off the field against the top passing offense in the country. Not ideal!

Meanwhile, Ole Miss may be dealing with some attrition in the trenches. Two starting defensive linemen, JJ Pegues and Jared Ivey , are questionable, while Walter Nolen is tagged as probable. Starting cornerback Isaiah Hamilton was also listed as questionable on Friday night.

Ole Miss Stripes Out the Stadium

If today feels like deja vu, you’re not crazy. Ole Miss was untested through four weeks when Kentucky traveled to Oxford back in 2022. The Wildcats were breaking in a rusty running back who missed the start of the season and Vaught-Hemingway Stadium was participating in a Stripe Out. The Cats lost a close one as the seventh-ranked team in the country, paving the way for the Stripe Out to become a tradition. Now they open each SEC season at home with a Stripe Out and they have yet to lose one of these home SEC openers under Lane Kiffin, who is seeking his 100th win as an FBS head coach.

Fit Check and Weather Report

It was a long, rainy slog to Mississippi. Hurricane Helene spent the last 24 hours dumping rain all over the country, and that includes Oxford. The Vaught-Hemingway Stadium turf will be saturated, but it looks like fans in the stands will stay dry. We are expected to get a reprieve from the rain with overcast skies and temperatures in the low 70s.

On the road for the first time this fall, Kentucky is rocking the icy look. The Cats will be wearing all-white from head to toe. On the other sideline, Ole Miss is putting on powder blue jerseys and helmets with white pants for their first game in SEC play.

College Football on TV

Two Friday night games went down to the wire. Miami and Virginia Tech left us wondering, was it a catch ? When the ball popped into the air, the Hokies’ prayers appeared to be doomed. Nevertheless, one can only hope today continues to deliver more outstanding drama on the gridiron.

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Kentucky Stars Traded in the NBA

The Kentucky Knicks are receiving a transformation. New York is sending Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle to Minnesota to bring Karl-Anthony Towns to the Big Apple. The T-Wolves are also getting a first round pick in the deal.

Randle was a catalyst in the Knicks’ revival, turning into an NBA All-Star, but he was absent through the last postseason with an injury. Towns has spent his entire career in Minnesota, producing middling results, although they were on the uptick. Now he’s getting a fresh start near his home in New Jersey.

Spotted at Rupp Arena

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