LEXINGTON — Regardless of position, division or conference, Ashton Jeanty was one of college football's best players in 2023.
Starring for Boise State , the all-everything running back had 1,347 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns on 220 carries. He also was a weapon in the passing game, with 43 receptions for 569 yards and five scores. Jeanty's multifaceted efforts helped him capture the Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Year award.
Jeanty accomplished those numbers under then-Boise State offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan , who now is working in the same capacity at Kentucky .
Can the Wildcats ' running backs come close to approximating what Jeanty achieved last season?
Ohio State transfer Chip Trayanum was expected to be UK's top tailback this fall. But he's sidelined with a broken hand for now. Which leaves starting duties to senior Demie Sumo-Karngbaye . He showed off his hands throughout the 2023 campaign, regularly lining up in the slot. Whether he can run between the tackles consistently — and successfully — still is up in the air.
But Hamdan has Sumo-Karngbaye's back.
"You use that statement with guys: 'You hope he's a dog.' And he's kind of got that to him," Hamdan said. "He's physical. He loves the game. He comes to work every day, and that's the biggest thing. I think he's one of those guys, very rarely is he ever too high, too low. He knows what it takes from a practice standpoint, and he knows what he's got to do to get ready for games."
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops also praised the progress he's seen from Sumo-Karngbaye since joining the program prior to last season as a transfer from N.C. State.
"When guys stay in a program longer and longer and longer, they get better. They understand our system," Stoops said during his weekly radio show Monday night, "and you're seeing that with him. So we have a lot of confidence in him. He was neck and neck with Chip when he got hurt. We looked at them both as starters.
"So we don't feel like there's a major drop-off at all with Demie."
Yet even Hamdan conceded it's impossible to predict how a player will respond until the games begin.
"Is there a little bit of nervousness or (a thought of), 'What's it going to look like?' Absolutely," Hamdan said. "But, at the same time, as you guys know, that's what college football is all about: the guys that sometimes surprise you in a good way, sometimes surprise you in maybe not as good a way. So we're excited to see that group. I think they got a chip on their shoulder and certainly have a big opportunity for 'em Saturday."
Here's your guide to Kentucky's Week 1 matchup against Southern Miss.
- Kentucky is 90-37-5 all time in season openers, with a 7-3 record under Stoops , who enters his 12th season with the program. (The Wildcats ' on-field record in openers is 91-37-5 and 8-3 under Stoops. Because of NCAA violations , however, UK was forced to vacate its season-opening victory over Louisiana Monroe in 2021 .)
- Kentucky has won 16 straight nonconference games during the regular season. That is the second-longest active streak in the FBS, trailing Georgia (24).
- UK has won its last 14 nonconference contests at Kroger Field, a streak that dates back to 2018. Its last home defeat to a nonconference foe came against Louisville in the 2017 regular-season finale (a 44-17 win by the Cardinals).
- This will be the fifth meeting between Kentucky and Southern Miss. The Wildcats hold a 3-1 advantage in the series. In the last matchup, UK held on for a 24-17 win in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on Sept. 2, 2017.
- Kentucky wide receiver Barion Brown has returned a kickoff for a touchdown in each of the last two season openers. Brown ranks first in program history in kickoff return average (31.75 yards per return) and kickoff return TDs (four). He set single-season school marks in return average (36 yards per return) and scores (three) in 2023. His four career kickoff return TDs are tied for the most in SEC history , alongside six other players: Evan Berry (Tennessee), Brandon Boykin (Georgia), Andre Debose (Florida), Willie Gault (Tennessee), Felix Jones (Arkansas) and Deebo Samuel (South Carolina).
Kentucky 34, Southern Miss 10: The loss of Trayanum takes away one option for the Wildcats' offense. But the players UK has available will be more than enough to send Southern Miss (which went 3-9 last season) back to "The Magnolia State" with another loss.
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Kentucky is a 28-point favorite against Southern Miss, according to the DraftKings college football odds .
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Who: Southern Miss (0-0) at Kentucky (0-0)
When: 7:45 p.m. Saturday
Where: Kroger Field; Lexington
TV: SEC Network; Tom Hart (play by play), Jordan Rodgers (analyst) and Cole Cubelic (sideline) will be on the call for the game.
Radio: Tom Leach (play-by-play), Jeff Piecoro (analyst) and Dick Gabriel (sideline) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington and online at UKAthletics.com .
Streaming: Authenticated subscribers can access SEC Network via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com , the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.
You also can stream SEC Network on Fubo, which offers a free trial here .
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky vs Southern Miss prediction, odds and notes ahead of college football Week 1 game
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