2025-09-29- KSR - Hour 1

00:00:00
Speaker 1: From the Bob and Tom Show in tosh Point, Oh. Comedy Off Broadway in Lexington welcomes Greg Hunt October second through the fourth, and from Chelsea Lately and Comedy Central. Catch John Caparulo October tenth and eleventh. Then it's a clean comedy show featuring the hilarious Greg Warren October sixteenth through the eighteenth four. Tickets to all Comedy Off Broadway shows called E five nine two seven to one joke or visit Comedy Off Broadway dot com Offay.

00:00:30
Speaker 2: This is Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Now here's Matt Jones.

00:00:37
Speaker 3: Welcome in, lady, gentlemen, boys and girls, Grandpa's and grandma's, aunts and uncles. This is the Monday morning edition of Kentucky Sports Radio, and it's gonna be a tough show. Ryan Lemon, Drew Franklin and our special guest will introduce here in just a minute. Kentucky Sports Radio sponsored every day by the TJ. Smith Office called TJ. What happened Shannon?

00:00:54
Speaker 2: He will make them pay.

00:00:56
Speaker 3: He will absolutely make him pay. Our Clark's Pumping Shop phone number will be open. We'll play group therapy today. Eight five nine two a H two two eighty seven. That's the Clark's Pumping Shop phone number. And the Avision Glass Tex Machine, which I forgot at my house is five O two seven thirty five thirty six eighty. You can use my own personal phone cause I forgot to bring the Avision Glass Tech Machine phone.

00:01:13
Speaker 2: This is twice now, right, twice so instance Mario, Yeah, yeah, we need to yeah, your consistencies off and we need to just give out Ryan's phone numbers since you don't have the other phone number, how well, okay to contact you without knowing your personal phone number.

00:01:25
Speaker 3: Well, you know those people that have it can send us text match because it was just blowing up all weekend, the a Vision Glass Tech Machine blew up all weekend. Because fortunately we have to play Monday morning quarterback and we're bringing in an old quarterback. Dusty Bonner agreed to do to the show today. Man, you picked a great day to do a show after the Kentucky lost kind of embarrassing at times thirty five to thirteen at South Carolina on Saturday. First of all, great to have you on. I think this may be your first time ever on Kentucky Sports Radio.

00:01:55
Speaker 4: It is I appreciate it having fun. Yeah, well, what are your you stress the old art there for well you there was an emphasis on that. He kind of hung in there a little bit right.

00:02:04
Speaker 3: Well, he admitted to me he's forty six years old. Ye, that makes me feel like ancient when Dusty Bonner is forty six years old. Well, just the other day you were playing with the Lexting Horsemen in the UK. Seems like a different life ago. Man, it does been a long time. Let's get into it with you. That's we're playing Monday morning quarterback. What uh, just what are your thoughts about what you saw on Saturday? But we'll start with that.

00:02:27
Speaker 4: You know, I think everybody that's ever played has been in those games where no matter how hard you try, no matter what you do, it's like the wheels just keep coming off. And it was just kind of one of those games where it just felt like no matter what they did, it just it just you know, the wheels came off. Man. It was just just started out hot, looked great, and then it was just things just started just falling apart, you know. And you know part of that is as you're playing a quarterback in South Carolina, the seller's kid. He's a fantastic quarterback, very very difficult to defend. Uh, probably one of the better players in the country, So that that certainly is part of it. But then their defense, you know, the way that we had to play offensively, and you're trying to come back and you've made some mistakes and give them the ball and yeah scored. Now you've got to come back. And those guys that their defensive style where they can pin their ears would come after just what we had to play into and didn't work out very well.

00:03:19
Speaker 5: Tree Franklin, Yeah, I mean I was convinced it would be a game in the fourth quarter. I picked South Carolina to win before the season, so I stuck with that in my final prediction. But I was shocked that they came back with a thirty five thirteen loss. I mean, it all happened right there in the second quarter with those turnovers, completely inexcusable, but it was We knew it was over from there. It's sometimes it just feels like a comedy of errors with how Kentucky football loses. Not to pick on Pete, but if you just fall on that ball, yeah, and you punt and get out of there, who knows it's a different game. But you know, they went up seven oh, scored on the first drive for the second time this year. Get a little bit of life, and I think we have something. It just stinks the way it got absolutely ripped away immediately was all downhill from there, not really any hope after that first drive.

00:04:01
Speaker 3: So let's let's let's start with that. They go down March right down in the field and score on their opening drive that ends up being their only touchdown of the game. What what happened after that first drive that was different?

00:04:13
Speaker 4: Well, I mean, I think some of it was just our own mistakes and things that we did, you know, not securing the football and then not protecting the quarterback and some of those deals. But you know, at the end of the day, our run game was really effective and really strong in the beginning of that, and I think South Carolina could just kind of pin their ears a little bit and load the box and do some things to take the run away from us. And then whenever we did get into those those positions where you get down to the third down and it's not third and short where you can really you're really a threat to run the ball, Like if you know, if it's third nine. They don't have to load the box. They can play play the pass, and they can still still stop the run if you decide to do it. But you know, you're getting those positions where you're behind the chains a little bit. They know you got to pass the ball, and they pin the ears and here they come. And I think that was just you know, they talked about it on the broadcast a little bit, but you're really kind of playing in their hands with the defense that they have, and the Stewart kid in particular, the defensive end I call him defensive end outside linebacker. But you know, when when it's when it's an obvious third down situation where you're going to pass the ball, that's that's one of the best guys in the country, right, that's one of the best guys. And so but but I but I do think, you know, like you said on the when when Cutter got sacked and fumbled and we didn't recover that ball, that that was the moment that everything just kind of went downhill. And and and that's what I was talking about, like when the wheels fall off, you know, that was that was the first sign that the wheels were something bad. Was gonna happen. We needed something good to happen right away. And again instead of that, something bad happened right away, and you know, you just start digging that hole.

00:05:37
Speaker 5: You can't get out of it to when they just needed to run the ball, Cutter manage get out of there with autum mistakes once they fell behind. When South Carolina score like four straight touchdowns there for a stretch, Yeah, once you get to that point and you can't just lean on your run game and play field position, you're actually trying to play from behind. That's that was just too much task of that offense and Cutter Bowlie, especially in that spot. And the fact that it's now, what's the stat every Bush Hampden game SEC game, they haven't scored more than two touchdowns. It's like ten and oh or h to ten and to eleven, whatever it is. I mean, it's the the cast is changing. But it's now been a year and two more SEC games and not even being able to score more than two touchdowns in a game, it just gets frustrating. I didn't expect this one to be high scoring, but when you turn it over like that, you can't expect to win it all, especially in Colombia.

00:06:23
Speaker 4: Well, you know, another part of that is is what you just ended with. South Carolina is a tough place to play. Oh my goodness, that is rowdy play. It was rowdy when I played, and they were like one in ten, so they were terrible, and it was still rowdy, you know, until everybody realized they were going to lose in the left. But you know, so when those big play type things happened that happened in that game early on, just all the momentum and all the energies on the South Carolina sideline and that that plays into it, and I think it probably did in this game, and.

00:06:47
Speaker 6: They already have energy.

00:06:49
Speaker 5: But when you get back to back defensive touchdowns, yes, yeah, the place is blowing up.

00:06:53
Speaker 3: You got a scoopid score and a pick six and then forty five seconds that just makes the roof blow off the top of a place like that.

00:06:58
Speaker 4: It does. Yep.

00:06:59
Speaker 3: So Drew mentioned Bush Hampton. He's getting a lot of a lot of pushback. Now, what what's your thoughts about the game he called? Is he calling the right plays to put Cutter in the best position we can succeed or what are your thoughts?

00:07:10
Speaker 4: Well, you know, for me, I'm you know, you remember when I played, we threw a lot of short passes, and we threw a lot of short passes and dinked and dunked all over the field. And you know, that's something that I would love to see in the Kentucky Arsenal. Is more just simple pass plays, you know, instead of instead of kind of some of the longer stuff where you've got to hold hold the hold the ball for a deeper drop and then you got to make a great throw because in the sec if you're throwing a fifteen yard out route or you're throwing a twenty yard dig, there's not very much much margin for air when you're when you're throwing those kind of those kind of big you're asking a lot of your quarterback in those plays. And I certainly think Cutter is capable. You know, I'm very high on Cutter as a quarterback. But just some of the just some of the little stuff, man, just just you know, tighty in over the middle five yards, ten yards, shallow routes, just this little stuff across the middle of the field, just to help a little bit get them outside the pocket. I think sometimes when you have a younger quarterback and you know, you know, get them outside of the pocket, just give them something easy to start out with.

00:08:06
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:08:07
Speaker 4: Again, the course of that game kind of kind of kind of determined what happened. Right when you get behind like that. Now, all of a sudden, you've you've gone away from who your identity is, because I think their identity wants to be let's pound the ball and let's do enough in the passing game to win, play great defense. Well, they took that identity away from you, and you had to be something that you're not, which is now we got to we've got to figure out a way to move the ball down the field in the air, and you know that's that's not our game plan.

00:08:34
Speaker 3: What's your take on the Bush Hampden experience right now?

00:08:39
Speaker 5: Okay, I mean I just said the fact that you can't score two touchdowns. Also, I keep thinking about this season. I go back to that safety against Toledo, that fake pitch on fourth and whatever, when Bowdley first came in a couple of weeks ago, then what was it third and five and they tried the little reverse to Gilmore. You're in It's almost like you were settling for a field goal. There very aggressive. You know, I'm not going to sit here and start firing people. That's not my spot. But it has been very disappointing, extremely disappointing. But it's also consistent across this several years. It's not just been on him, but he does not seem like he has the answers either.

00:09:16
Speaker 6: After two games this year.

00:09:17
Speaker 5: I gave him a little bit of a break last season because he came in February, wasn't his roster Cohen kind of left him in a bad spot when he left for the NFL. I thought maybe we'd see a big jump. So far through four games, I haven't seen any jump at all in the play call.

00:09:30
Speaker 4: And that's the other thing too, is when when you bring in a new offensive coordinator, or you bring any offensive coordinator, and we don't know all the behind the scenes stuff. So last year, you don't know, as a quarterback hurting a little bit, as a shoulder messed up. Are they afraid that, hey, we can't really pass the ball because we can't protect the guy. You know that that kind of stuff. A lot of that plays into it too, and a hamstrings an offensive coordinator. But to your point, I think you know regardless of who, you know, trying to blame who or whatever. The end result is something's got to happen, something, something's got to change offensively where we can we can move the ball through the air, because I just don't think you can line up in this conference and and we're gonna run. We're gonna run the ball and we're gonna get away with winning. You know, I think that was a model of years ago. But it ebbs and flows and it's back to you gotta be able to score a lot of points in this league now. I think if you don't score twenty, if you score twenty eight, you're in the game. You gotta be able to score thirty five to win it, you know. So at the end of the day, I think it's something's got to be figured out.

00:10:25
Speaker 6: So, you know, it's fun getting the tight ends involved.

00:10:27
Speaker 5: For a couple of weeks, I was going now Catus I don't think was targeted once. No Columbia, but Rodriguez leading yards. If there's one thing that that has been going to the offense, it's after years, you know, Kentucky fans every season it's when we get the tight ends going, they've at least gotten that going a little bit. It's the only thing that's been working in the passing game so far.

00:10:47
Speaker 3: So you know where Rodriguez had that one long pass play. Outside of that, they suck the tight ends away. I mean, obviously the game tape, they know what clutter Bully likes to do, so that means our receivers need to find a way to get on. But they went to mic many a couple of times. But the receivers as a group, as a corps, have been kind of quiet already this season. What's what's the problem.

00:11:07
Speaker 4: Well, you know, I'd have to go back and look at a lot of tape to determine that, because you know, when you're watching it on TV, you kind of pick out the one guy or you pick out the one spot and you watch it. So you know, I think that's hard to determine without really diving into film. But I but but but to that point, there has been times where you'll see the quarterback drop back and it looks like they're waiting on somebody to get open. Now, you know that could be something else too, Yeah, but at the same time, it looks like they're waiting for folks to get open, and you know, as we we saw the other night in this league, if you're taking a five step drop, you can't wait. You don't have that kind of time. You know you people got to get open. They got to get open now. And so I do think that that is a little bit of a concern. Is is as a group or a receiving corps. You know, Law's doing a great job and he's getting some action, but you can't get away with just one. You got to have more guys than that, or else they can take that away pretty easily. You get you get somebody on both sides of the field that they're worried about, and now all of a sudden, that opens up everything, particularly in the middle, opens up your tight ends more. But if they can just say if we stop this guy outside, then we're good and we can kind of hunker down and take care of the tight ends, that puts you in a numbers game. That's that's not beneficial for you.

00:12:14
Speaker 5: And that one of Rodriguez's catch was absolute chaos when they started lattering laterally, I didn't love that in the first half of a game. That's something you do, is the clocks ring at the end. That could have been another touchdown. As reckless as they got, but it was good. They got him going a little bit, but needed a lot more.

00:12:30
Speaker 3: So we got Drew Franklin and we got Dusty Bonner here making his KSR debut. We want to hear from you eight five nine two eight h two two eight seven. That's the Clark's publish opt phone number eight five nine two weeto two to eight seven. We're playing Monday Morning Quarterback. Kentucky now loses their last four games in a row to South Carolina, all in four against South Carolina in their last four games. Ouch, well, right back. This is Kentucky's sports Radio. Welcome back to take a Sports Radio, Ryan Drew and Shannon with Dusty Bonner here playing Monday Morning Quarterback. Shan, I didn't ask you what was your big takeaway from the game on Saturday.

00:13:03
Speaker 2: Then it was over at halftime because when South Carolina had twenty eight points, I had zero confidence that Kentucky's offense could score that many points. I mean their last nine possessions. I had this stat on the pre show. The last nine possessions they averaged two yards per play, zero points, four turnovers. And that's now eleven consecutive Power Conference games without scoring more than two offensive touchdowns in a game. So once they got to that twenty eight points, really, once they got to twenty one, I thought, well, it's probably over at this point.

00:13:34
Speaker 4: Yeah.

00:13:34
Speaker 3: That second quarter was ridiculous. Scoop and score pick six South can I scores twenty one and answered like quick? And that second quarter, I mean, I just you said, at the wheels just completely fell off, and I think we all knew his fans there wasn't no coming back. It was over.

00:13:51
Speaker 4: Yeah, And that's pretty tough, I think as a fan, you know, it's more fun to lose thirty four to thirty five, you know, if you got a chance. Yeah, And but yeah, I mean that's the only way to say. As the Wheels fault, you know, they just came off. And look, it happens to to everybody. If you play long enough, it happens to you. You know, you'll have that game or those games where you know you just kind of wish the ground would open up and you could just hide, you know, because it's just it's it's bad, and no matter what happens, it just gets a little bit worse, you know, And you know, I've I've been there. I've I've been in those spots for you know, Cutter where you know you get hit you you know, and that's sill of thing too, is like look at you know on that on that scoop and score fumble. I mean, you know, he took a shot, man, he did. He took a big shot. And and you know, as a quarterback coach, you always get you gonna tell your guy, hey, you got to you gotta secure the ball. You gotta do what you gotta do. And but sometimes you get hit and the ball, the ball gets separated from you. And I think it was one of those deals. And you know, I've been there, done that. I got hit one time, I got sacked out a Mississippi State and have no idea where the ball went.

00:14:51
Speaker 3: I gotta tell you my Misissippi State story by Dusty Though. I'm glad you said that.

00:14:54
Speaker 5: You all said some stuff off there. I want to hear some of these behind the scenes stories too. We everybody can talk a little South.

00:15:00
Speaker 4: We may need to approve all this. But in between the break here, but.

00:15:04
Speaker 3: Kentucky was playing at Mississippi State on a Thursday night night. Yeah, it was a big ESPN game on Thursday night. So we went down there and got there with the team. As they're walking on the field, Dusty walked the length of the field, spit in the end zone. Walk the length of the field the other way, spit in that end zone. And I've always remembered there you were spitting an the end zone, almost like hey, I'll be back, don't worry.

00:15:26
Speaker 4: So did I ever tell you why I didn't that? No, so literally, and you know I was back in those days. I was probably I'm not superstitious at all, but but in those days, I was a little bit. But every every pregame, that was my That's what I did every time, was I'd walk. I'd walk all the way down going to the end zone, walk all the way down, come back to this end zone. In my mind, I was like, hey, look, this is where we're going to be and I'm coming.

00:15:48
Speaker 3: Back, so I'm got to find my way to get there.

00:15:50
Speaker 4: Just go ahead and get our path lined out here because this is what we're But it also had helped remind me like, look, your your job as a quarterback is to get there, Like that's your purpose is to get in the end zone. And so that was that was for me. That was That was kind of how I did it, Like, Hey, I'm gonna go ahead and do this now, and we're just gonna keep doing it during the game.

00:16:08
Speaker 3: Now you obviously you're a former Kentucky quarterback won the Harlan Hill Trophy of Valdosta Quarterback. You know the game. I know you're an LCA guy too. Cutters an LCA guy. He's got got a lot of pushback after the game Saturday night. Is it deserved or what are your what's your thoughts about Cutter as the quarterback?

00:16:25
Speaker 4: Well, first, you know, whether it's deserved or not, it's just part of the deal. You know, that's just what happens. You know, people give you that. But you know, I remember before I ever saw him play in high school, I talked to another guy that knows a couple of things about quarterback couch and.

00:16:37
Speaker 3: And and him Couch yeah, and he heard of him.

00:16:39
Speaker 4: He yeah, yeah. And he told me, you know, he said, hey, have you seen this Cutter kid. He's the real deal, you know. And when he says that that that's that's pretty good indicator. But then I wanted watched him play, and I mean, you know, he is the real deal. And I, And like I said, I'm high on him. I think he's got a bright, bright future. I think he's a guy that can play on Sundays. He's got that kind of arm. But the other thing, you know, I saw him in high school throwing throw an interception that wasn't his fault, by the way. It got tipped and he got intercepted, and I was watching the guy return the return it and out of nowhere, you just see this blur and this kid just drills him as hard as he can. And it was Cutter, you know, And that that's I think there's some things you learned about Cutter on Saturday night that were for me. You know, he took some shots, he got right back up. Every single time he got right back up, things the wheels fell off. I don't think he ever really looked flustered. He never looked flustered to me. Frustrated, yeah, because you can't not be frustrated in that situation, but he never looked like flustered. He never looked like bright eyed, like oh my goodness, this is too big of a moment for me. He didn't look like that at all. And so to me, you know, like I said, he's got a tonne of talent. He's got the arm talent, but he's got a little bit of vinegar in his veins too. And by that, you know, he's just he's he's not like, hey, I'm the quarterback, look at me. He's a guy that's like, hey, I threw a pick and I'm fixing right over here and try to knock somebody down. And I think the other night one of the picks, like you couldn't see it real well because it was kind of a kind of a group of bodies, but I think he was one of the He was and you could see him. He was full speed, but he didn't make to play, but he was.

00:18:11
Speaker 3: Blocked by our own guy.

00:18:13
Speaker 4: And so like to me, like if I'm taking away anything from that game on on Cutter, those are the two things. Is number one, he got he took some shots and he got sack what six times? Yeah, he took some and he got hit more than that, But he took some shots and he got right back up and he never really looked like he lost his composure. And so I think those are both really really good signs for him. But again, talent wise, like I think he's a guy that plays on Sundays, he's got that kind of arm. But I think he's got that attitude and that confidence. And like I said, I said vinegar in the veins is kind of the way to express it. He's just he's a competitor. So I think he's got a bright future.

00:18:49
Speaker 3: Where are you on Cutter?

00:18:49
Speaker 5: Right as you mentioned him bouncing back after play, I mean, he's gonna have to bounce back after an ugly Saturday and getting some criticism. You think he's got that that switch where he can I mean, of course it's Georgia and your big underdog, but can he at least put that behind him and try to put his best foot forward for next Saturday.

00:19:05
Speaker 4: So I think those things that I just talked about, like where he never looked, you know, sometimes you can see it in the guy's face when things are going that bad, where they just kind of like the moments too big for him and and and wasn't for him. And so I think that that is like answers to that question of like, yeah, I think I don't think there's gonna be any problem with that. But but I will say this, you know, when you're playing and it was a completely different world when I was playing. I mean, like, you know, information you had to go look for, you had to go on the websites and stuff and look what people were saying about you. And we used to look at it, you know. You know Nolan DeVaughn, who was my center, he'd be like, hey, bon or guess.

00:19:36
Speaker 6: What they're saying about you?

00:19:37
Speaker 4: Man, don't don't tell me. I don't want to know. But you know, nowadays, with the way social media is, I mean, these kids can't hide from it. But you're right, like, listen, I don't I don't care. I don't care if you're making money. I don't care if you're if you're the best player on the team. That kind of stuff. You say, Hey, don't let it bother you. It bothers you. I mean, you know, so that's part of it now and it's more so than ever. But I don't to me, he doesn't strike me as the kind of guy that's gonna get too bogged down and that I think he's gonna be fun.

00:20:04
Speaker 5: And right now, I think most fans are all behind I mean, and you can be disappointing the game. There's a little bit of that, but people still want him to work out and be the future of being local. They know the circumstances he was just put in. Yeah, he expected to have a probably a full year behind Calzada and next thing, you know what, you're going to Columbia. So as far as the criticism he's getting, I think most fans are still behind him and kind of aware of the circumstances even though they wanted it to go better.

00:20:26
Speaker 4: Listen, I mean, I think if if you can frame it the right way, and I'm not trying to ride off the rest of the season because we don't know what's gonna happen. But but uh, you know, to me, this year is about like, hey, let's let's let's let's get him some experience, let's build him, and then next year is kind of is kind of the year. I don't think that's a bad plan at all. I think you gotta shift. Maybe you're shifting your expectations as a fan a little bit, But to me, you know, I thought he was in a good spot sitting behind a quarterback getting that because I didn't I didn't start and play until my third year. I was a rich shirt sophomore and having those two years, man, it helps out a lot, both phys physically and sure, and so I don't think he was in a bad spot. But at the same time, you know, now that he's playing, I think you just I think it's you know, you just you let him go out there and you realize there's gonna be bumps on the roads, there's gonna be learning, but you're building towards something else, and I think that's the future. And I do think it's him. Drue.

00:21:17
Speaker 3: You and I both got tons of messages about fire Stoops now they need to have a clean clean the house. It's not gonna happen. They're not gonna fire Stoops in the middle of the season. The buyout is just too big, and I don't think Mitch Barnhart would do that to the program. What how do you respond to all these people that want Stoops gone? Now?

00:21:37
Speaker 5: Well, I hosted the postgame show, and I think Billy could confirm. I think we batted a thousand on people wanting them out, like not even me asking just the calls.

00:21:47
Speaker 6: That's what they were saying.

00:21:48
Speaker 3: It was just about are you on it?

00:21:51
Speaker 4: Me?

00:21:51
Speaker 5: Personally, I don't see this get any better. I mean, I don't have a lot of faith. I don't think you fired the guy now. I said this, and it sounds like there's a lot of comparisons to basket with football. You're not gonna get that hard lost to a fifteen seed in your season, which is obvious. Yeah, it's these gradual keep losing SEC game. There's not gonna be a loss where you're just like, oh, that's cannot do it anymore like we had with Cal, with Oakland Saint Peter's. But I'll admit I don't see him winning an SEC game the rest of this season, and I think you'll have to have that conversation now. Now if they were to do it, we all know it's like thirty eight million got to be paid to sixty Day. You can't do that either. So when it gets to that point, I think they'll have to come to an agreement. Stoops might have to look around and see that his legacy and what he wants to be, and you'll have to come up with something.

00:22:32
Speaker 6: But you know it's Matt always says, no point talk about it. Can't afford it.

00:22:36
Speaker 5: I really don't know how they would afford it if they wanted to do it right now, but the fans are definitely upset as if anyone heard Saturday night at one am.

00:22:42
Speaker 3: I wonder your thoughts on that team we come back. We got to take a break, Ryan Drew Franklin, Shan the Dude and Dusty Bonner ks bar Patio. We gotta talk about the reds Ryder Cup. A lot of stuff talk about yet don't go ahead. This is Kentucky's Ports Radio.

00:22:54
Speaker 6: TJ Smith personal injury attorney Call TJ.

00:22:57
Speaker 2: He'll make them pay now more Kentucky's Tridio presented by Stockton Mortgage.

00:23:02
Speaker 4: Here's Matt Jones.

00:23:04
Speaker 3: Ryan Lemon, Drew Franklin sharing the Dude in Dusty Bonner here on the playing Monday Morning Quarterback on KSR, and I got Dusty stop over pain for sunglasses? Would you Are you tired of buying expensive sunglasses only to lose them or break them, or worse, you never even wear them at all because you can't find them well, you don't want them to get dirty. You need Shady Rays Dusty Shady Raised Sunglasses. They're an independent American owned company and starry right here in Kentucky. Cheatey RaSE has premium polarized shades for every activity running, fishing, biking, watching, bad football. You name it. From their tangle free aviators that won't get stuck in your hair to their color Rush lenses that provide ultimate color enhanced visibility. Every member of the family, all three of your kids, Dusty, can find their perfect pair at Shady Rays. Cheerrey's offers the best protection program in the industry with lost and broken replacements. So take on your next adventure with the team that has your back. Shady Rais Sunglasses. All Right, Drew said his thoughts about Mark Stoops the buyout coaching change. I want to give you time to absorb it because I want to hear what you have to say about it.

00:24:00
Speaker 4: I think you know, first of all, when you talk about we talk about where do we go from here in the season, and you talk about wheels falling off and this is a different world now, like the wo would transfer portal and everything that's going on, Like you know, you got to keep your team together, and when all those whispers are out there about your coach and all that kind of stuff is you'll see teams generally do one or two things. They either come together as a team and they all stick together and they rally behind their coach, or they don't. And so I think that's that's kind of what you'll see in the future. And I expect them to rally around Stoops and you know, the whole Stoops conversation about trying to get rid of him or not. You know, at the end of the day, I want to say this, you know, I think I think Mark Stoops has done as good of a job as anybody's ever done here as a head coach through a period of time.

00:24:42
Speaker 3: Charlie.

00:24:43
Speaker 4: So I do think there's a there's a there is a an amount of grace that he's probably he's earned in my opinion. Uh. At the same time, I understand the fact that in the last couple of years it's it's not going in the direction everybody wants it to go with. And I think, you know, particularly offensively, that's where we struggled, and we've seeing the turnover and offensive coordinators, and so I think something's going to have to happen, whether it's this offense comes a line under Bush Hampden, or there's gonna have to be a big move made on the offensive coordinator side. That that's that's that's what I think, And what a big move. It's kind of a kind of kind of maybe like something like Florida State did with myles On. And I'm not saying that they need to get rid of Hamden. I'm just saying because I'm like you, I'm not in the firing business, but I do think something's got to change there because the SEC has changed a lot, you know, and when Stoops was really doing well and winning here, there were a lot of teams that focused on let's run the ball and let's play defense, and we got really good at it. If you'd have told me, hey, we're going to be as good on the offensive and defensive lines as everybody else we play, I'd have been like, that's not a great plan here. That's what he did, yeah, you know, And so you know, I think he's earned some grace there. But at the same time, I totally understand the factor, like, look this world, and we all know it is what have you done for me lately? You know, yesterday doesn't count. It's all about today and and what you're giving me to today. So you know, and I think the other part of it too, And I talked about this briefly on the break with you. You know, where are we at in the nil world, and I and I and I say this because I think that the athletic directors are going to start being put more in the spotlight for every team where it's a what are they doing in the NIL world to make sure their coaches have the resources to get the players that they need and if they don't, then it's going to shine back on them, and it should because that's just the world that we're in right now. I don't love it. I don't love the whole NIL world. I don't love you know, all this stuff. But at the end of the day, that's where we're at, and it's like, you know, you got to have the money to go get the players. Don't love that that's the way it is. But that's the way it is. And so where are we at there when you're looking at the rest of the SEC? Where do we ranking that. I wish they would put out standings every year in the SEC of NIL because because at the bottom probably because at the end of the day, I guarantee you, I guarantee you it'll line up where you finish in the SEC.

00:26:50
Speaker 5: I completely agree, And they said they're not going to do it. I wish they would show how the revenue is split up because it's not fair to a coach if they're coaching and recruiting on one hand, by on their back. Fans need to judge them and grade them kind of based on the scenario they're in. So I did wish we knew more about whenever you show up at a stadium which side has the big bank roll, because you would your expectations would be a little different, and I would guess that in most games, Kentucky's is gonna be a little lower. Now, I don't think that's an excuse to lose, however many straight SEC.

00:27:20
Speaker 4: Games or but you look at that, and you look at you look at pro sports, and that's really what this is all kind of turned into a little bit more than before. Yeah, you know, the gms get looked at a lot too. They get looked at a lot too. So anytime there's dysfunctional team, they look at the coaches, they look at the GMS, And I think that's gonna be a trend moving forward in college football where the GM's are gonna be looked at. They're gonna be looked at pretty harshly too.

00:27:42
Speaker 5: I look at GMS for the Titans because I want all of them fired, including the new one.

00:27:46
Speaker 6: I can name them all on me.

00:27:49
Speaker 3: Take your UK hats off for just a minute. You know you're wearing a UK pullover memorial golf tournament, So take your UK stuff off. If you tell me your your current coach has won three EI their last sixteen SEC games, They're lost their last four to South Carolina in a row. They're sixteenth out of sixteen in the SEC. They're the worst team in the SEC right now? How can you be supportive? I guess that's what the lot of fans are saying right now.

00:28:16
Speaker 4: Yeah. I think that's a fair argument, and I totally understand it. I would say this that that I think I think in the last I think our defense has been good enough to win a lot more games than we've won. I think our offense is is where we struggled at the Stoops is a defensive guy. Yeah, and it's so I'm making the argument you asked me to make.

00:28:34
Speaker 3: Yes.

00:28:34
Speaker 4: The other part of it too is and I had somebody mentioned this to me. You know, let's say, Okay, you're gonna fire Stoops and you're gonna pay the thirty something million dollars that's going to deplete whatever you that's supposed to be going into your NIL. And so now now we're in this world of college sports where it's like, if you really want to pay the buy out, that's fine, But where's the money gonna come from the nil? Because you got to have that kinda have And so you know, the flip side of it is, hey, instead of us firing you and paying you thirty eight million dollars, we're gonna give you ten million bucks next year for nil and let's see what we can do with it. And I don't know how that works, but I'm just saying in this world, you know, if you go out and you I mean, look at Old miss the quarterback they got from the D two school that's doing so well. Yeah, you go out and get the right player, you can make a huge difference. But again, I understand from a fan perspective, I understand like that things got to change, Things got to get better one way or another. But but they got to get better. That's we all agree on that. It's just how you go about doing it.

00:29:29
Speaker 5: I don't think they'll really fill it over at the stadium until maybe the end of the year because the schedule bails them out a little bit to actually see. You know, if we played Eastern Michigan in a week, I think you'd see a lot of bleachers. But you have Georgia, then you have what Tennessee and Texas. I think that'll be full, even if it's mostly orange and burnt and orange. So you won't actually fill the fan disappointment until you have Florida later in the year.

00:29:51
Speaker 6: So they're bailed out a little bit.

00:29:52
Speaker 5: If you had a Toledo or Tennessee Tech or one of these games at noon coming up, I think the fans would be sending a message coming up very soon. But with those two be in the games Keenland season, people have already playing weekends around that. I think they're kind of lucky. They won't actually feel it over at Kroger Field if it stays on this course still later in the year.

00:30:08
Speaker 4: That's a really good point.

00:30:10
Speaker 3: So how do how can they save it? How can they save the fan because basketball is coming up, people are gonna switch to basketball. How do you save keep the fans in in in interested in what's going on on the football field.

00:30:21
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think you gotta figure out you gotta fix the offense because because you know to that point, the fans are gonna show up for these games. Hey, if you go out there and you lose to Georgia thirty five to twenty eight, but we we're out there scoring points and it's a great game. But the fans are in. I think most of them are gonna be happy about that. I think they're gonna celebrate. And you got the fact that like, hey, we got a young guy cutter, we're rolling with him. We're gonna do some bumps and bruises, but we're growing him for the future. But I think at the end of the day, what they have to do, offense gotta start scoring some points. And they gotta and I think they gotta. They gotta do that through the air, and I don't I don't know all the ways and how they're gonna do that, because I don't know what their system is, but I think they got to. I think they got to. The offense has to come alive. And I think if the offense does come alive and they can go out there and compete, I don't think it's I think that's one of the more one of the hardest things for the fan base is that it's not that it's not that we've we've lost some of these games against teams that are really tough. Is that How competitive were we in some of these games? And I think if we can go out there and compete and listen, you know, we used to say that in the Mummy days. You know, we won six games a year and people were thrilled.

00:31:24
Speaker 3: It's having parties naming streets after the man over there.

00:31:27
Speaker 4: But but we could, but we could. You know, we might lose, but it'd be forty to forty five, you know, and that's a lot more fun for a fan in a stadium than twenty eight seven.

00:31:38
Speaker 5: And of all the teams to play next, I mean, you have played Georgia close, Like, yeah, Georgia when you lose by one last year, I think they lost by two or three h three years before or two years before that. You know, I don't know that I'll expect that this year. I mean, you got Georgia coming off of a loss, which is unique. They're going to be dialed.

00:31:56
Speaker 3: In lost at home, and now you got hosting US.

00:31:59
Speaker 5: And I don't know that a moral victory could save anything right now, but it is so how do you say? I hate saying george is a good matchup, but their style of play can't allow you to at least not get smoked in this game, which would which would might have people hang on another week.

00:32:13
Speaker 4: For whatever reason, we've always played Georgia will Yeah, that's just one of the teams we've played well, and that's South Carolina. For whatever reason, that's not the team that we've played.

00:32:20
Speaker 3: We did though for so long we won like, what was it, eight out of nine, and now they've won the last four in a row.

00:32:25
Speaker 5: Turnovers flipped that and Stoops and Kirby are really close. Not that Kirby's gonna let up, you know, he's trying to win a national championship and they've lost, but that might play into it a little bit. Style of plays kind of similar. They're obviously on a complete other level of talent, But uh, if Kentucky can hang in, I'm in no way saying they're gonna win, but at least play Georgia close like they have many times in the past when they were a big underdog. Maybe you can keep fans somewhat interested to see if Cutter can turn it around.

00:32:51
Speaker 4: Beyond that, I think you're I think you hit the nail on the head when you talk about style of play with Georgia, because a lot of times when Georgia comes in here, it's in a colder month, the weather's not good, and and they're just they run the ball and play good defense, and once they get up by fourteen, they're just trying to get the game over with, you know. And so I think that style of play we match up really well with because that's what we try to do, is we try to run the ball and play good defense.

00:33:12
Speaker 6: It's probably gonna want to kill us after losing that.

00:33:14
Speaker 3: That's what I'm afraid of.

00:33:15
Speaker 6: First needed Georgian and probably whin that mad.

00:33:17
Speaker 3: As a hornet we walk in there on Saturday. You know, this is I think it's the apathy is something that's It's not just started. It's been going on for the last couple of years. You know, they can't win an SEC home game, the Georgia game last year, he didn't going on fourth down. The Missouri game. Was that three or four years ago. They're just kind of stuff's been kind of building, this apathy and now it's all come to a head. That's why I wanted to ask you guys, how can they stop it? How can they save it? And I like what you said about, well, fix the offense, score some points, get us a little hopeful for Cutter as our future quarterback.

00:33:48
Speaker 4: Yeah, I mean I think at this point, I mean, you got nothing to lose. You gotta let it rip, you know, And I think that. But but again, you know, how how do they can can they can they do that? Can they pull it off where they can go? Hell, you know what, We're gonna go out there and score thirty five points. That's just what we're gonna do. We're gonna let it rip and we're gonna absolutely attack on offense. And you know, you don't. You can't completely get away from the run game because we're so good at it. But I mean I would, I would go out there and be like, hey, look this is you know, and you gotta be careful too, because as a coach you can't. I can say things on the radio that a coach can't say in the locker room, Like you can't say, hey, look this is about We're gonna go out here and we're just gonna attack. We're gonna score a bunch of points. We're gonna get Cutter really ready for next year. Can't do that because a senior that's sitting there is going, wait a minute, what about me? Yeah, you know, you can't say that. And I don't think it's just that, but I think at this point, what do you have to lose? And I think that's the way you I mean, you ask for the answer to the question of you know, how can you get the fans to re engage? And I think that's one way you can other than going out and winning a bunch of ball games.

00:34:43
Speaker 6: I know not everybody watching the Titans. In fact you shouldn't.

00:34:46
Speaker 5: Maybe I'm the only one, but there's so many comparisons with them, every with Kentucky and the Titans, and like this year, I'm watching the Titans. We have a rookie quarterback. People want to see what we have for the future. Nobody knows we're not making the playoffs. Okay, third and four, why don't we just go for it? We get why not, Let's see what we have, Let's have some fun. I feel the same way about Kentucky. At this point, you needed to beat Ole miss or South Carolina to really want to get back to a Bowl game.

00:35:09
Speaker 6: I think everyone can agree.

00:35:10
Speaker 5: This isn't gonna be some special season that they're gonna flip a switch. So moving forward, let's take some shots, Let's gamble a little bit, let's see what we have. We're all on the same page as it doesn't look good right now. I know Stoops can't just abandon his philosophy and get reckless. But let's play with a little aggression and see what we have and at least give Cutter a few more opportunities to prove that he can be the guy on down the road.

00:35:30
Speaker 6: Maybe they will.

00:35:31
Speaker 3: We got one more segment with Dusty Bonner. He's been great so far, breaking it down playing Monday Morning quarterback. I said, you picked a heck of a Monday to come in. Man debut coming in.

00:35:40
Speaker 6: Let me do the post game show Saturday. Yeah, that was my first ever postgame.

00:35:46
Speaker 3: Perfect time for first postgame, Perfect time for you to come into your first KSR. All right, we'll take our final break, come back, our final side with Dusty Bonner. This is Kentucky's Ports Radio Final set with Dusty Bonner. Here in Kentucky's Ports Radio, Ryan Drew, Shannon, Dusty Drew. Who's this agment sponsored by?

00:36:01
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00:36:29
Speaker 3: Back to you, right, That's when callers want to ask you some question, Dusty, So let's get to him real quick. Shannon, who we got first?

00:36:34
Speaker 6: All right, let's go to Mike.

00:36:37
Speaker 3: Mike, go ahead, and you're own. Dusty Bonner, Good morning.

00:36:43
Speaker 7: I really don't have a question. This statement. Two weeks to prepare and this is what we get. We don't even really have a chance to win the game. And then if we look to compare to other schools, Stoops has gather foundation here, he's been here a while two years time. What Indiana has done and what little brother has done. Are we being too hard. I don't blame the quarter.

00:37:12
Speaker 3: I appreciate it, Okay, appreciate what you think about that, Dusty.

00:37:16
Speaker 4: I mean I understand that he's upset about it. I mean I get it. I mean he's he's got a point. It's not it's not going in the right direction. Yeah, you know.

00:37:23
Speaker 3: And it's when other schools seem to be going.

00:37:26
Speaker 4: Seemed to be Yeah, And I think that makes it, That makes it all the world. And so I think it's at the end of the day, something something has to change, and it's it's we'll see, it's gotta change, though, Shan.

00:37:36
Speaker 3: Who's next. Let's go to j C. J C. Go ahead, j C.

00:37:43
Speaker 7: Hey, guys, thanks, thanks.

00:37:45
Speaker 8: Well. Uh, he forgot to mention Vanderbilt in too lane, And.

00:37:51
Speaker 4: That's true.

00:37:52
Speaker 3: Other schools that turned it around.

00:37:53
Speaker 4: Pretty quick, right.

00:37:56
Speaker 8: Uh. I just don't understand, uh something. You can look at them as several of them, particular the teams we just mentioned as they all they have dual threat quarterbacks and student's insistence on being a pro style offense. Being a little Georgia ain't gonna work. I mean, I just get sick, and it's like we have a good defense, take care of the defense. Hire an exciting, explosive offensive coordinator and let him do his job. It's likely when mommy was coach is like, oh my gosh, offense is great. Just hire a defensive coordinator and let him do his job. I just get so frustrated. I appreciate your appreciate it.

00:38:44
Speaker 3: Thank you.

00:38:44
Speaker 4: JC so. So one of the downsides are one of the knocks on like the mummy style air rai type offense, and this is kind of throughout college football, is that you know, it's great when it works, and it's really bad for the defense when it doesn't. You know, when you go three and out and the defense out there, the defenses on the field the whole time, and so a lot of these you know, if you look at the some of the bigger coaches in the SEC, like they really got away from that and they really went more to kind of the run game, playing good defense. Now those schools have opened up their offenses more because they realized they had to. There came a point I think Nick Saban kind of made some comments about this, but you know where you had to change the style of your offense because running the ball and scoring twenty one points wasn't gonna want you couldn't. The offenses were so good, the defenses couldn't hold them to twenty one points anymore. And so you do have to adjust. I don't think you have to go all the way to the air RAI Hey, I'm a big fan of the air raid. I like it a lot. Thet Yeah, and I mean, and again from a fan perspective, I mean, you know, if you're in every game you play, I think that's what a lot of the fans want, you know, they want to see that. But but uh, to the college point, I mean, you know, it's I think we've we've been hopeful on the different offense coordators that it was going to turn into something more than what it's been. But you know, it's something. Something's got to get better. They got to figure something out. And they know that. They don't need me to tell them that. But we've got to be able to pass them. You got to be able to do both. You got to be able to run the ball, but you got to be able to pass the ball. You got at the end of the day, in this in today's sec you gotta be you gotta be capable of score and score in thirty five points to have a chance to win most of your games.

00:40:20
Speaker 5: Will levis Is don't grow on trees. But we saw how fun it was when you had a guy that could do a both. Yeah, especially at WANDELL. If there's any of those laying around too, When God get more.

00:40:28
Speaker 4: Of those, those don't hurt, and the wandlle's don't hurt, you could get open.

00:40:32
Speaker 3: Let's get one more call before we go to the break, Shaan? Who we got?

00:40:35
Speaker 4: Andy?

00:40:36
Speaker 3: Andy, you got about a minute?

00:40:38
Speaker 9: Okay? If if we get finished three and nine, which it seems very likely, and Mitch does not pay the buyout, and that seems very likely, what does more stukes do? I mean, the schedule is going to get nothing but harder, going to nine games next year. I mean, how about where his mental health is even one sick with the fan base is checked out and has no faith in it for another year of this. I mean, I think that's a realistic question.

00:41:09
Speaker 4: Appreciate it, Andy, Yeah, you know, I think that's tough. I think you know that'd be hard as a head coach. And it's kind of something that's been created with the way these buyouts are on the way nil is now is where maybe they stay longer than what they normally would have. But you know, again, if it were me and this is this is not I'm not taking a shot at anybody. But if it were me and they were gonna sign me back up for next year, we finished three and nine, they're gonna sign me back up for next year, I'd have to. I'd probably go find that huge name offensive coordinator and then just recruit around that like crazy, from quarterbacks and receivers and playmaker type guys. And then I'd look at the athletic director and I'd say I need some money. I need some help, and I'm not gonna be silent if I don't get it.

00:41:52
Speaker 3: Dude, appreciate you coming in.

00:41:53
Speaker 4: You picked that.

00:41:54
Speaker 3: I said a heck of my money to come in play Money Money Quarterback. Good to heg on here. Then we miss you on the JMI pregame show. But you always did a great job with Christy Thomas and Jeremy Jarman, so appreciate you join us on KSR this morning.

00:42:04
Speaker 4: Absolutely all right.

00:42:05
Speaker 3: Dusty Bonner, former UK quarterback, play Monday Money Quarterback. We're back with Drew and Shannon right here. I'm gon take his Ports Radio