2025-09-22- KSR - Hour 1

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Speaker 1: From Hit Comedy Specials and social Media Comedy Off Broadway in Lexington. Welcomes Kelsey Cook September eleventh through the thirteenth, Then Cats Rising Comedy Star and UK grad jowe Ying summers September nineteenth and twentieth, and from TV and the Movies. Don't miss Kevin Farley September twenty fifth through the twenty seventh. Four tickets to all Comedy Off Broadway shows call E five nine two seven to one joke or visit Comedy Off Broadway dot com co Offay.

00:00:29
Speaker 2: This is Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage. Now here's Matt Jones.

00:00:35
Speaker 3: Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, grandpa's and grandma's, aunts and uncles. This is the Monday edition of Kentucky Sports Radio. It is Monday, September twenty second. We are on doing a pop up show today and we got a lot of exciting things to talk to you about, so I'm excited to get the show started. As always, Context Sports Radio sponsor about the TJ. Smith Office called t J Shanna, what happened?

00:00:55
Speaker 4: He'll make them pay.

00:00:56
Speaker 3: He'll make them pay, all right. Basical glass tech machine I've got it. Do you remember the text machine number.

00:01:00
Speaker 2: Shannon five O two seven thirty five thirty six eighty.

00:01:06
Speaker 3: I'm telling you everybody remembers the number. With our little formula we got ye and the of course the Clarks publish out phone number eight five nine two to eight seven. All right, our boy drew his back. Hey, miss missed you last week. Yeah, I know it wasn't the best way you wanted to spend a week off. Welcome back.

00:01:27
Speaker 4: Yeah, thank you guys for giving me a little time there. I lost a best friend on Monday. I had just been with him a little before, completely unexpected. Everything seemed fine. Then you just never know. But uh yeah, our world got pretty rocked, and I appreciate you all let me step away to grieve, be with his friends and family, help out with some of the services. You know. I just had had a long week of trying to be with friends and family, and I know that put a lot more on your all's plate. But you all knew, Manny, we lost a good one.

00:01:53
Speaker 3: Yeah.

00:01:54
Speaker 4: I mean, I like to say he's I was the best friend. But that was the thing about Manny. I think about everyone in that church thought they were a best friend because that's what he did. And heck, the turnout was huge. The police told us it's one of the longest funeral processions they've ever seen. They did him have enough cars, Thank you to them. They were having to fly to go get up to the front and how they do that. But we uh we uh laid Manny to rest on Saturday to the little lap around Rapperena, which is very many. Yeah, very no. Yeah, I'm all out of tears. It's good to get back to the grind, but yeah, I'm gonna be missing him forever.

00:02:24
Speaker 3: Well, your your tribute you put on Instagram that was then also on Facebook was awesome. You summed up what everybody feels. Everybody wishes they had a friend like Manny, and like you said, he was that friend to everybody.

00:02:37
Speaker 4: Everybody thought they were his best friends. That nice of a guy. But I mean you all knew him too, not nearly as close as me. I I talked to him daily. But I mean, you've got plenty of Manny memories. I'm going through photos and I have several that you're in including for those that don't really know much about Manny. Back in the day when Ryan would do the wild Cat and re Parena. He would always go get him fired up, Manny over in his seat. So I have several videos you two Wildcat and tin roof at SEC and other stuff, but a Big Blue Nation lost one.

00:03:05
Speaker 3: Of it's lost a good one. You know. I was looking through my phone for some pictures and the one I have just I found one picture of Manny and it's him wearing a fireball bottle at Halloween.

00:03:14
Speaker 4: He did like his fireball. That was one of his favorites. And I will say might have had a few of those in the last six days as we were celebrating in morning Manny's life.

00:03:24
Speaker 3: Well, you I saw the one picture he's not posted, but you sent us a picture of when you're giving the eulogy and behind you is Aaron Fleener belly laughing. You obviously said something funny and that was kind of refreshing to see that. You guys remembering Manny that way, you know, every telling the funny stories and getting a good laugh out of everything.

00:03:44
Speaker 4: Yeah, his family asked me to speak, and you know, hope I never have to do that again, at least not for another fifty years. That's honestly the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. But when it's your best friend, you don't just sit up there and you know, cry and this and that. I got a few jokes in, so there were some smiles, and that he would have done the same thing, absolutely and I would expect it. But that actually helped keep me grounded, you know, because right when you feel that lump in your throat, you know, got a little bit in there poking fun at him too and sharing some fun memory. So that was insanely difficult to do, but it was an honor and I'm glad they asked me.

00:04:15
Speaker 3: Everybody knew Manny. I mean he was you know, he loved his Kentucky Wildcats, and if he wasn't watching the Kentucky Wildcats, he was spearheading a party to watch the game somewhere. We called him your ride or die on the show because I know he was that way. But you know, he was a roommate with Abby before you guys got married, Oh he did.

00:04:32
Speaker 4: Yeah, so she's just as close as That's why it's been so hard. I mean, it's not like what we both need to lean on someone leaning on each other there because we were both so close to him.

00:04:41
Speaker 3: Well, our thoughts and prayers to you and your family. Scottie, his brother, his mother.

00:04:47
Speaker 4: Connie, Stacey, nieces, Molly, and Mea. I will say one thing. It's cliche about hug your friends and all that, but the day before we lost him, he texted me completely out of the blue, said, hey, can you come pick me up up? We'll hang out for a couple of hours before you go to work. I mean it was just random. I we hang out all the time, but that was kind of We didn't say anything. I was like, yeah, man, let's absolutely do that. And then a few hours later that was what it was. But just now, anytime you have those opportunities, I know you hate these reminders that you have to have that, but all of you out there, friends, family, whatever, stay close and love your people.

00:05:18
Speaker 3: We said that when we talked about on Monday. When on Tuesday, I guess when you weren't there, man, he was me and we're not supposed to show our emotion, not supposed to cry. But you why why can't you tell your buddy you love them?

00:05:30
Speaker 4: Yeah? You know you miss them absolutely. And then to get light hearted again last night, I'm like, all right, I'm gonna do the show on Monday, We're in studio and then you're like, Hey, we're gonna do a Jared Lorenzen tribute show at Hollins And I was like, oh great, let's just let's just keep these tears going. I don't know, Ryan, if you want to go live from my grandparents Headstone tomorrow in Madisonville or what you have lined up for the rest of the week, but trail tears here. But uh yeah, that's just appreciate it again. Thank you all for letting me be away. I know that was hard on you, Ryan, picking up a lot of the load with Matt being gone and Billy gone on the pre show, so you were wearing a lot of hats. But I'm glad to be back to work.

00:06:03
Speaker 3: Man.

00:06:03
Speaker 4: He was a big listener. I actually had his phone. I was doing the playlist for his party. That was one of my assignments, and I thought, instead of me trying to come up with songs, I'll just go to his actual Spotify because we were able to get into his phone, I just play all the songs in his top four searches were the KSR recent searches where this show, the Football podcast which I do cover zero and Matt Jones interrupted, So he was the most supportive friend there was.

00:06:28
Speaker 3: Says all you need to know about that guy right there. Absolutely, so rest in peace. Many Big Blue Nation lost a good one right there, and you guys in your brain circle lost a good one. So we hope that he enjoys looking down on us and continue to watch Kentucky Wildcats and enjoying live.

00:06:43
Speaker 4: So he'd want us to start having some fun.

00:06:44
Speaker 3: Yeah he would. All right, welcome back. We mentioned you thome back. We are live on the road. We're doing a pop up show today and we are uh, you know, Drew. If there's one section of our fan base that feels left out, feels ignored, what is it?

00:07:00
Speaker 4: Uh, I don't know what is it.

00:07:02
Speaker 3: It's northern Kentucky.

00:07:03
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, yes, this area specifically.

00:07:05
Speaker 3: Yes, Well, so what are the three counties? Kenton County, Boone County, Campbell County.

00:07:09
Speaker 4: A couple of them have like multiple county seats, which is weird how they get away with that.

00:07:13
Speaker 3: I mean, there's like twenty five high schools up here. We probably couldn't even name half of them. But they kind of feel like I think the UK fans kind of feel like they get left out. So we're up here. We're in northern Kentucky, but that's not the reason we're here. We're also at Fort Thomas Highland's High School, where they've produced such UK superstars as Marty Moore, Jared Lorenzen, Derreck Smith, whom I met with John Schlarman.

00:07:35
Speaker 4: Oh, I just did a lap through the Hall of Fame that they gave me here before the show. I mean, we could do a whole show just on the Hollands Hall of Fame. You could do a whole show just on Schlarman's which there was like six of them back there.

00:07:46
Speaker 3: That's very true. And Willie Rodriguez playing now, but that's not the reason we're here. We're here because they are right now on the current Fort Thomas Hihland's football team as a young man that is uh tearing it up. He's having a great season and he's like, last name just happens to be Lorenzen, Tayden Lorenzen that we knew is little Tadan. He ain't little anymore.

00:08:07
Speaker 4: No what numbers you wear out here?

00:08:09
Speaker 3: I bet he wears number twenty two. So he's gonna join us. You know, they gotta go to class up here, you know. Yeah, not like some of these other schools you can skip class. They have to stay in class.

00:08:18
Speaker 4: Jared big class guy too. He had perfect stendants.

00:08:20
Speaker 3: So at ten forty five, Tayden is gonna have a break in the classes that he's gonna come out and join us. And I'm super excited about just kind of talk to him and catch up with him a little bit because he's having a really good season.

00:08:32
Speaker 4: He is. I saw had a game winning touchdown recently. And I'm joking he does wear the number twenty two. I mean it's it's kind of eerie singing the pictures of him, yeah, because and I hadn't. I haven't seen him in person in a long time. He was a little kid back then, but he looks so much like Jared anyway. And now to be wearing the Hollands jersey out there just mowing over people, Uh, it's pretty special to watch. Well.

00:08:52
Speaker 3: He had the game winning two point conversion against the Frederick Douglas Broncos and a season opener a game after that, I think he had three touchdowns in a game. Uh. He's they just beat was a ryalt a big game. So uh so I'm excited about it. I haven't seen I haven't seen Taty in a couple of years, but I know I've seen pictures and he's he ain't little Taitan anymore. He's a man now, he's a man child.

00:09:14
Speaker 4: You have a few pictures with him on my phone when he's a little bitty, I mean like tiny where he was Jared and then I have their I think it was a Super Bowl commercial UK had him stand in front of the Jared.

00:09:24
Speaker 3: Oh, yes, that's right.

00:09:25
Speaker 4: But it's just just kid now. Now he's big time, big high school football star getting recruited. We'll hear a lot about that.

00:09:33
Speaker 3: So it's uh, you know, it's it's game week. We gotta get into the football game. Got a little basketball intel we want to get to as well. But we're live out here at Fort Thomas Highlands High School. We tried to go get set up inside the school. We went to their TV studio they have. They have a goodest TV studio as most colleges. I mean, it's really nice in there, but we've had problems getting connected when we're inside a school building in the past. I guess it's the firewall or something and it prevents usro getting conected.

00:09:58
Speaker 4: It's if it's not the metal roof on the new schools, it's the new technology, which they need. You want your schools to be secure, but you can't even get a radio show in a lot of them.

00:10:05
Speaker 3: So Andy Raker and the boys Wes Collin Will pulled the table out and we're sitting on the sidewalk in front of Fort Thomas Island's High School, set up the equipment, ready to do the show today, to talk to Tayt and Lorenzen. I mean, what more ks are is that we're out here on the sidewalk and it's drizzling rain a little bit, but more ready to go. Yeah.

00:10:22
Speaker 4: I walk in and uh, I thought you were already gonna be set up because you left a little bit before me to get set up. And I see you rolling the equipment down the hallway walking fast, and then immediately thought, oh, that's not a good sign. Oh but I think we're connected pretty great, right, Shannon. Everything's sounding good. Yeah, Yeah, we're good. Everything's gonna be a fun one. I like the outdoor shows.

00:10:39
Speaker 3: I do too. Yeah, kind of give all, especially since like today I think it's the official first day of fall. I mean, we're now officially getting the falling football season. So we'll take your calls as well throughout the show. Eight five nine two eight oh two two eight seven. That's the Clark's publish out phone number, A vision last text machine. Do you remember what the text machine number?

00:10:54
Speaker 4: Of course, five oh two seven thirty five thirty six eighties. Everybody knows that. Even I want to hear about your weekend too. I know I was had my things going on, but you had a big weekend.

00:11:04
Speaker 3: Got back from Nebraska. I walked into my house at three o'clock in the morning last night, so it's been a long weekend. Yeah, we'll to get to all that, so we'll take our break. Come back, Ryan Drew and Shannon. This is Kentucky's Ports Radio. It is a manic Monday. Welcome back, Ryan Drew and Shannon Here Kentucky Sports Radio live at Fort Thomas Highlands High School up here in Fort Thomas, Kentucky.

00:11:23
Speaker 4: Uh.

00:11:23
Speaker 3: You know what, and it's it. You came back to the perfect time, Drew, because this game week, you know, bye week. Kentucky football survived by week no no losses, didn't play bad. But now it's game week and they're going to South Carolina, who just lost for the second game in a row. Vanderbilt embarrassed them, then they lost to Missouri. Their quarterback Leonora's Sellers did play against Missouri through for like three hundred yards. But South Carolina just could not run the football. They just they couldn't run the football and they couldn't stop the run. I don't know, Drew, do we dare dream a little bit we can go down there to South Caroline and get the W I've never got.

00:11:57
Speaker 4: Off as impossible. I think they'll be in the game. You know, I'm probably gonna pick South Carolina to win it on Friday, But if Kentucky goes down there and gets a win, not any part of me will be surprised, even though the series has flipped their way recently. Just I did last night and catching up on everything because I was completely off the grid. I was on KSR. We had Shane Beemer's postgame comments and he was just talking about kind of what a wreck they're in after losing that game. But I just still feel like they're a little better than what we've seen. I don't think the sky is completely fallen, but in their eyes, these were the games they needed to win because they still have like five ranked opponents yet, so they're left so they're going to be locked in on Saturday. Kentucky I think can hang with them as long as you know, we'll see how that offense looks. But I think with Seth McGowan and the way they've been running, maybe we can just lean on that running attack. The offensive line has been good. I think we'll be in it.

00:12:49
Speaker 3: That's the thing is South calin is susceptible to a good ground game. That's what we do. That's what we can do. We can win it up front and just give Da Dall and McGowan the ball, let them go do their thing.

00:12:58
Speaker 4: Well. Madd Hardy at Missouri, I mean I would say numbers out loud, but I feel like I'm making them up. But that's what it looked like. When I read, I forgot we had like three touchdowns, twohundred fifty yards and a third quarter or something. And he's special and he was almost a cat. I mean, he came down to the final the final phase of his recruitment was almost Kentucky, but he ran all over them. So if you can get anything close to what he did, then I think you're gonna be in it.

00:13:21
Speaker 3: Cutter. Obviously he'll be the starter, first SEC road start. You know, he played on the road at Florida, played on the road at Texas. That was a coming in as off the bench. He's going down there as a starter. Tough place to play. Environment. It will be rocking, the sandstorm will be ringing and everything. So did you see anything from Cutter to give you a little more optimism going down there?

00:13:41
Speaker 4: I mean, I liked him, It's just I couldn't get over the fact that it was Eastern Michigan. Eastern Michigan had just lost to an FCS school at home. They lost to Texas. They gave it a fifty something to Texas State. So I'm glad Cutter got a lot of confidence, and I'm glad Eastern Michigan was his first start, so he can go out there and check some cobwebs off and build the confidence for Columbia. But I wasn't really forming any strong opinions about how good Kentucky is because of the opponent. But you know, they didn't they didn't stink it up against them. I mean, they did what they needed to do, So let's carry it on, you know, We're not usually good out of a bye week, traditionally horrible out of a bye week.

00:14:17
Speaker 3: Yeah, what's the what's the stat?

00:14:18
Speaker 2: Shannon oh under mark stoops out of a bye week? There's six and ten and then five and nine going into SEC play, So not good. But I mean I feel good to get against South Carolina. I mean, I feel like it's a very winnable game. South Carolina had no rushing, I mean basically offense at all against Missouri. Everything was in the air. So I feel like if you can contain their passing game and you know, kind of just shut down their rushing, then I.

00:14:45
Speaker 3: Feel like Kentucky can win this game.

00:14:48
Speaker 4: And it's it's kind of I'm thinking about last year. You have the disappointing loss to South Carolina in Week two at home, first SEC game and embarrassed us. But then in this exact spot you went and shocked Ole Miss, a team looking at the playoff kind of Ole Miss. This year was the South Carolina last year week too, you lose to them at home in a game that really could have set the tone. People are kind of throwing their arms in the air. I'm not gonna lie. I saw a photo this morning there's a car driver around Lexton with two big bumper stickers that say fire Mitch Barnheart and fire Mark Stoops. You know, there's some very unhappy fans, but we've seen it before. This is when he might go on the road in surprise you and go get a big win. So I'm not writing them off at all.

00:15:22
Speaker 3: A lot of times this is whin Stoops is at his best if you take away the factor coming off the bye week. Whatever reason, his teams have not played well coming off of bye week, but he does seem he's best when there you count him out.

00:15:32
Speaker 4: And the defense took a little bit of a step backwards against Eastern Michigan. I'm gonna I mean, you shouldn't let up against an opponent like that. I mean that shouldn't have happened, and they were thinning the secondary. But I'm not gonna just judge them too much for that one because they look so good in the first two games, and I think the defense is still gonna be one of the better ones Stoops and Brad White have had if things stay healthy, so I think they're gonna be able to keep them in games.

00:15:52
Speaker 3: You know, their last two losses is Shannon to Missouri and then Vanderbilt just kind of embarrassed him. After Sellers got hurt and didn't play, Vanderbilt goes and wins another one. They're four and oh right now.

00:16:02
Speaker 2: The sixteenth or eighteenth, eighteenth, Yeah, in the top four of the SEC. And now they really haven't played that tough of a schedule other than South Carolina on the road. I mean, I think that was probably that it is their best win so far this year. But yeah, I mean seventy points against Georgia State. I mean, I don't care who it is, you put up seventy points, that's pretty impressive.

00:16:21
Speaker 4: I thought they'd take a step back this year. I thought all the other teams would have a summer to know what Pavy is, be a little more prepared. They did have that Virginia Tech win, which in hindsight isn't that big after we saw what Virginia Tech ended up doing the Shannon's Big Parlay pick a few weeks ago. But I mean, Vandy, that's one I had Kentucky winning at the end of the season in Nashville, and now I'm like, might get the pencil out on that one.

00:16:44
Speaker 2: They're averaging like around forty points or better per game.

00:16:48
Speaker 3: So you said you put up seventy.

00:16:50
Speaker 4: Yeah, I don't care who you're playing, no kidding.

00:16:52
Speaker 3: Yeah. Now, Leonora Sellers is their quarterback, and when he got hurt the Vanderbilt game, their offense just was nothing. Obviously playing at the Missouri he threw for three hundred yards, but the running game pretty much nothing. You'd think if knowing that going in, if you can just slow him down the passing game, Kentucky can their defense could keep keep the offense, keep them in the game. Yeah.

00:17:13
Speaker 4: In Kentucky's defense has done a great job getting turnovers this year, mostly in the first quarters we've seen they've intercepted two of the first passes of the game already. But the reason they've lost so many in a row to South Carolina is the turnover margin just completely flipped South Carolina's way. So Kentucky has to get some takeaways since this game on Sellers if they're gonna have a chance, which is possible, but that'll that'll be a big factor in getting this back on the right side.

00:17:36
Speaker 3: You know, when Cutter hit the Willie Rodriguez from Fort Thomas Higlands High School's right the touchdown that was Kentucky's first passing touchdown of the season, and it came in Game three. Well, he hit Catash for a touchdown and he had Bowyer for a touchdown. They could pulled off the board even had a law for a touchdown. He could have had four passing touchdowns. That's just an element that had been missing when Calzado was at the Helm.

00:17:55
Speaker 4: And just we all know we're all Kentucky football fans. Just getting the tight ends involved two weeks ago was so fun. Even on Rodriguez a touchdown, Boyer was wide open too. I mean he could have easily just picked him instead and thrown to him. I mean, they've really been getting those guys open and cattis is especially if the Bunch has made a few great plays. One that didn't even count, but I thought that was a catch. So finally, I don't know if it's just Bully that he grew up a Kentucky fan, he's like, hey, why don't we start using these guys, or if it's you know, maybe Derek Shay's doing something in that spot or Bush Hampden, whatever it is. And it was only a week, but it's been fun to see the tight ends get more targets.

00:18:29
Speaker 3: So the spread has come out, Shannon, and I think South Carolina is a six and a half point favorite.

00:18:33
Speaker 4: Oh is that right? Yeah?

00:18:35
Speaker 3: I think it's what it is.

00:18:37
Speaker 4: It's moved a half point here and there, but I will call it a touchdown.

00:18:39
Speaker 2: I would take some action on that six and a half foot Have.

00:18:43
Speaker 3: You seen anything out of South Carolina to make you think they're gonna beat us by.

00:18:46
Speaker 2: I think that's less about South Carolina and more about Kentucky. I think they people just don't believe in Kentucky yet. I think the bigger statement about them than it is South Carolina.

00:18:55
Speaker 4: I did think that was a little high, just the way they have looked. That's one I not partake in. That won't will not be in my KSR parlay at the end of the week when we're making our picks. But I thought that was the numbers a little high. Think Kentucky's gonna go in there and play that Mark Stoop's ball, slow it down field, position, good defense, and run it. Maybe we'll get a low scoring game and if you can get a few turnovers, maybe you're flying home will win.

00:19:17
Speaker 3: You mentioned the KSR parlay. Uh, let's say we missed you last week.

00:19:23
Speaker 4: Yeah, I didn't even see it online. I don't know anything we did. I'm glad y'all did it. You know, held up the obligations. So I'm gonna guess Mario was was Mario.

00:19:30
Speaker 3: Picked Tulane over Ole Miss?

00:19:33
Speaker 4: Well did you have? We normally have four, but you are so short handed?

00:19:36
Speaker 3: L pick?

00:19:37
Speaker 4: Oh okay, Jeff is all right? Tell me about it.

00:19:39
Speaker 3: Mario had that great pick of Tlane Overrole Miss in Oxford. Horrible pick.

00:19:45
Speaker 4: My goodness, Mark, I would have I would have gotten in front of that one for you guys.

00:19:48
Speaker 3: I picked Nebraska to beat Michigan in Nebraska. Horrible pick. Another bad pick? What Corel pick?

00:19:53
Speaker 2: He picked Oklahoma win? No, it was it was a push because it was so spread. It was seven, So y'all doing the spread. You know, we just have to pick a winner. Y'all are doing that on your own.

00:20:04
Speaker 3: Well, Shannon was the only one that got a victory this weekend, and I had was it Syracuse?

00:20:09
Speaker 2: My PLU No was Syracuse plus seventeen and a half. They won by thirteen, So I should have taken them just to win money line. Yeah, but that was the only pick the.

00:20:19
Speaker 3: Hit Clemson's been like, my goodness, well they now one and two, one and three, yeah, one and three, Yeah.

00:20:25
Speaker 4: They got they gotta fire their national championship head coach. There's no there's no faith in Clemson with Dabbo there. He gotta go. But I want to hear about because I only saw the final score. I want to know what happened in Michigan Nebraska, just to experience all of it.

00:20:39
Speaker 3: Well, on the field, Michigan ran all over them. Nebraska could not stop the run, and then they could not run the ball themselves, so that was kind of the difference in the game. But man, what an environment. I mean, they are like Nebraska football fans are kind of Kentucky basketball fans, where if you're at the airport, everybody's wearing red. If you're at dinner, everybody's wearing red. It's kind of what we are around here in Lexington. Everybody has their Nebraska stuff on. The environment was awesome, it was loud, but then they only got beat. But then Nebraska fans are so gracious afterwards, Hey, thanks for coming. Be careful going home. Really, I'm like, whoa. That kind of took me back a little bit, but uh, Dane only had three targets two catches. Uh, well, he wasn't very happy, but that was their first loss and it was a big deal Michigan coming in on both teams undefeated and they couldn't get it done.

00:21:23
Speaker 4: So what's it like for the Keys? Because when he was at UK, you know, Dante former player, they already know half of Blexington, so you can just go show up to tailgate. Dante could probably walk up to telgatey once. Do they have like a little community in Nebraska? Were you all on your own tailgating or is there like a player family thing? You know, it was a pretty pretty nice set up.

00:21:39
Speaker 3: They do have great tailblegate areas. But Dante Nicole, we just pulled into the parking garage, dropped down the tailgate and there's like it was like eleven ten of us because three Douglas coaches came, Steve and Rondo, Marx came, h Jayden came his girlfriend from Georgia, and Joe Sinai, So there were like ten of us. We just pulled the tailgate down in the parking garage and when people were driving by, I'm high five and they drive in.

00:22:03
Speaker 4: The parking car that can be fun too. I heard Shannon say a minute there, but you know, we've been critical of the Kroger Field atmosphere, like are they just is it just non stop rocking in there during the break.

00:22:12
Speaker 3: There's ever a dull moment, and there's never a lull. Ever, as soon as the play stopped, boom they're doing something music, T Shirt machine something. I had some thoughts, So we'll take ahead fun. So we'll take our break. Eight five nine two ato two twet seven. That's the Clarks pumpish out phone room. You want to call and get on board, Tay Lorenzelli and join us in about fifteen minutes. It's a lection Catholic reunion over here. We got Bob Spire over here, Wes Calwell over here, all you Lection Catholic guys came up here to Fort Thomas Highlands. So we'll take our break, Ryan, Drew and Shannon eight five nine two eight oh two to eight seven is his Kentucky Sports Radio.

00:22:47
Speaker 1: TJ Smith Personal injury attorney call TJ. He'll make them pay now.

00:22:51
Speaker 2: More of Kentucky Sports Radio presented by Stockton Mortgage.

00:22:54
Speaker 4: Here's Matt Jones.

00:22:56
Speaker 3: All right, welcome back, Kentucky Sports Radio Ryan, Drew, Shannon, and Mario. We're live at Fort Thomas Highlands High School where Titan Loren is going to join us here in a little bit. But before we go any further, we got breaking new Shannon running the SEC football permanent opponents have been announced, and we knew this was coming. Where they're gonna announced that your permanent opponents that you get every year, then the rotate other games.

00:23:21
Speaker 4: Drew reveal who Kentucky's trying to pull it up and it's not working for Shannon.

00:23:25
Speaker 5: Have it?

00:23:25
Speaker 3: I've got it here. Yeah, Okay, Shannon, you reveal it everybody.

00:23:29
Speaker 2: For the next four seasons, Kentucky football permanent opponents will be Tennessee, South Carolina, and Florida. Those are your three.

00:23:40
Speaker 3: You know that was that was if you were on draft kings, that was gonna be one of the top picks for sure, was that Thresome. I thought Vanderbilt may sneak in there. But what are your thoughts? You hear you got Tennessee, Florida and South Carolina.

00:23:52
Speaker 4: Honestly, I had no idea what they'd be, But as Shannon was reading them off, I said, each of those in my mind. As he went, because that's kind of what I've been thinking. I know we wanted Vandy, and Vandy would have made sense, but they probably want to split up Kentucky and Vandy. And let you know, I don't like to think that we're at the same level of Vandy, but unfortunately we probably are, so they wanted to separate those two, I assume. But you know, Tennessee not a surprise at all. I'm glad we keep that one, even though they have absolutely destroyed us for decades. I didn't want to lose that. It's just a good, nasty rivalry. We'll eventually get that that one figured out. But then South Carolinlana here lately has had a lot of juice. And then you get a Florida team that for a long time you couldn't beat. But actually Kentucky's had their number a little bit the last five or six years. So that'll be hard to maintain over the course of time. But at least right now that's been good too.

00:24:38
Speaker 3: So they have these parts for four years and then sec Aways will reevaluate, maybe mix it up a little bit, kind of see where the programs are and adjust to schedule a little bit. After the fourth season.

00:24:48
Speaker 4: And you you play every school every two years or whatever, so you know, we'll get to see everybody. I actually like the way it's playing out.

00:24:55
Speaker 2: Looking at some of the other teams, I'm not convinced Ryan and Drew that they went by the tier level we were talking about, you know, like a top tier, middle tier, bottom tier team. I mean, you look at Tennessee, they get Alabama, Okay, top tier team, that's fine, but then UK and Vandy. And then you look over at Auburn, who gets Alabama, which is not really a surprise, but they also get Georgia and Vandy. So I feel like, you know, Auburn kind of got the raw end here of the deal because they got if we're calling them tiers, I mean, wouldn't you put Alabama and Georgia top tier and they got two of those teams.

00:25:28
Speaker 4: And some SEC teams have more natural rivalries than we do, Like Tennessee's got several, at least they think they do. Yeah, in their minds they do, but then you know, you can't break up you know, cocktail parties and the Iron Bowl. There's a lot of rivalries they had to try to maintain, even if it's the competitive balance wasn't even.

00:25:46
Speaker 3: Yeah, Auburn's a great example, Shannon, because they're they're going to give them Alabama for sure, right, we knew that. And then the Auburn Georgia game is so big, right, and then they appease them. They gave them Vanderbilt. Yeah, so you get Alabama, Georgia and Vanderbilt if you're.

00:25:59
Speaker 4: All I mean, Vandy's got Vama's number. They're on a one game win streak right.

00:26:03
Speaker 3: Now, and Alabama smoke. Alabama gets Auburn Tennessee and then they gave him Mississippi State. Okay, so they're trying to keep some of the the rivalries intact a little bit with the scheduling. I kind of expect we were gonna get Georgia. I didn't know what other or what we're gonna be, who else we're gonna be with. I just kind of had a feeling Georgia's hunt was coming.

00:26:26
Speaker 4: I just want to win a home SEC game at some point. That'd be pretty nice. That'd be cool.

00:26:30
Speaker 3: Remember when we used to do that.

00:26:31
Speaker 4: Yeah, I wasn't nine in a row now, Yes, I think it is. I don't care who it is. I don't care if they come in here with four people. I just want to win an SEC game in Kroger Field to reward all those people that drive all over, pay that money, sit there all day for one of the worst experiences in the conference and can't get a win. I want to win a damn game. Whatever. Whatever the new system is.

00:26:50
Speaker 3: Well, they got Tennessee and Florida both coming to Croger Field. Both gonna be on our schedule for the next four years after this season, Florida's kind of leaping limping in a little bit.

00:26:57
Speaker 4: They got Florida'll have a new coach very soon.

00:27:00
Speaker 3: I don't think Billion Napier will be the coach when they come in here.

00:27:02
Speaker 4: I made one bet before the season of like the future's long terms bet. I never do that because I hate waiting till the end of the year. It just sits there and you gotta look at it. But Florida's win total was seven and a half and I hammered the under on that because that is way too many games and you know, still some football left. But they're off to a good start on making me money there.

00:27:19
Speaker 3: So the upcoming games, Missouri, as we said, beat South Carolina. You know, are they a more winnable game. Now, maybe Florida lost at Miami. Are they a little more winnable game? Maybe Oklahoma beat Auburn. I can't figure Auburn out yet. Sometimes they have pretty good, sometimes they're not.

00:27:36
Speaker 4: How about Auburn getting robbed? Did you see the SEC apologize? That's pretty rare. You're like, hey, these idiots really messed that one up, Sorry about that. I don't know that they would have won the game, but they definitely got hosed on that one particular play where they gave up the trick touchdown.

00:27:50
Speaker 3: Vandy's the dark horse right now. They scored seventy points four and oh, I think they're better than I thought.

00:27:56
Speaker 4: Yeah, I had Kentucky beating Florida, as I said, I thought Florida would be down this year anyway, it's kind of proving to look good so far. But Vandy's the one I thought Kentucky would go down there and get a win in Nashville. And if I if I had to change my preseason prediction, that's the game where I'd probably flip what I thought.

00:28:11
Speaker 3: Of it then. Like the other games were like blowout Texas, LSU, Tennessee all one big. I mean the every weekend the SEC do. No matter who you play, you're gonna get it. I just think some teams are maybe a little even better than I thought.

00:28:23
Speaker 4: Yeah, and uh, we're to the point of the season we knew it was coming.

00:28:26
Speaker 3: Uh.

00:28:27
Speaker 4: South Carolina is not ranked, you know, they were just a couple of weeks ago. But this is where Kentucky hits the gauntlet. You got the three home games out of the way. Wish you could have gotten Old Miss, but at least you handled business in the other two. But now this schedule gets real tough for a little while, and.

00:28:41
Speaker 3: You get you're handing everything over to cutter Bowlie. That's what I'm like, man, even if you have some growing pains, just build with him for you know, for the next couple of seasons.

00:28:48
Speaker 4: And I'm interested to see or hear what Mark Stoop says today, because you know, last week, being about week, he didn't do the Monday press conference, which is normal, but then he handed off the coaches show to Push Hampden. So we really haven't heard Stoops say anything since that Eastern Michigan game Michigan Michigan game except his immediate postgame comments. So I'm gonna assume I don't know if he'll name Bully the starter for gamesmanship or whatever, but I'm just interested to see what he has to say about what they're gonna do moving forward. There's some injuries, especially on defense we need to get some good news from. But finally we're back to the regular regular team where Stoops will talk today at noon and we should have a lot of news later.

00:29:21
Speaker 3: Yeah, I've heard more from Josh Katis than I have from Mark Stops. Last week, Catus was on the Coaches Show, he was on Sunday Morning Sport Talk yesterday morning with the guys. Yeah, so he's making the rounds right now because he didn't take a boy a week. No, but the tight ends with Willie Rodriguez from right here at Fort Thomas Highlands, they're the there are They're the leading receivers on the team. Are our tight ends?

00:29:39
Speaker 4: Yeah, And when Rodriguez came in, I remember on his visit they brought him through ks Bar and he's just one of those guys that passed the looks tests as a high school senior. I remember thinking, my goodness, the hell was that, you know? And then he's already living up to it. I know it was his first touchdown. But he especially with his personal connection to Bowlie. When he was being recruited, Bully had already committed showed him around Lexington. Bullie was a big part of he got there. So now we're going to get to see that connection come to fruition a little earlier than we expected.

00:30:04
Speaker 3: I think Katis said something like two said, we're also his roommates Cattus and Frodricauz. I guess his roommates with with Bowie.

00:30:09
Speaker 4: Yeah, Bowie paid rent by throwing touchdowns. I think you got to take that month, that month off, I think that brought you.

00:30:14
Speaker 3: Yeah, some couple of steak dinners, a couple of lunches and everything else. So all right. We were live at Fort Thomas Higland's High School, appear in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. Was raining a little bit from Sun's out the beautiful day. I got a couple of special guests coming up in a little bit. I'm really excited about this. Is Tad and Lorenzen going to join us. Tadan, of course, the son of Jared Lorenzen, made a name for himself here, became a legend here Fort Thomas Highlands High School before he went on to Kentucky, went on with the Giants won a Super Bowl.

00:30:38
Speaker 4: This that jar is our football podcast, probably a big.

00:30:42
Speaker 3: KSR football pregame show. He did this for years. When you mentioned Fort Thomas Hilllands High School's usually the first name I think of is Jared Lorenzen.

00:30:50
Speaker 4: I went in and took a big picture of the got a big thing in the gym for him from his basketball career, and then everyone here just noted this wasn't intentional, But today's the twenty second So I don't know. That kind of fell into that one.

00:31:00
Speaker 3: Too, you know. So that's that's the Fort Thomas Highlands. God's kind of working it all together here for if we can't get it stopped raining. It's day number twenty two. In September, we got the ruber Stan Robert has this jersey here where it's got New York Giants jersey number Lorenza on the back, but he put number twenty two on it. I think Jared was like what thirteen was with the Giants. We think it was thirteen.

00:31:20
Speaker 4: I wore a Giants Jersey's Monday Night football I met life one time. I might have been the most popular guy in the building. Everyone wanted to come up and pat me on the back. There was actual practice jersey. It was way too big for me, but I wore that around. That's cool. Seeing another one here in front of us.

00:31:32
Speaker 3: Well, we're gonna see if TA want wants to keep that one. So it's not at the right number, but it's a jersey. It's a Giants jersey from the NFL. All right, well take our break, come back, tayl Lorenzen will join us. We'll take your calls after that. Eight five nine two hito two two eighty seven. That's the Clarks Pupping Shop phone number, a vision glass tech machine. I haven't looked at it yet. We've been talking all morning. Five O two seven thirty five thirty six eighty This is Kentucky's Ports Radio. Welcome back. This is Kentucky's Ports Radio. Ryan Drew Franklin, Shan the dude. Is not the twenty first night of September. It is September twenty second. We were live at Fort Thomas Highlands High School, fitting fitting to be this twenty second day of September. When we're sitting by this guy here besides his who also wears number twenty two.

00:32:08
Speaker 4: Yup with a big twenty two jersey sitting on the table right in front of us. It's all coming together.

00:32:11
Speaker 3: So, ladies and gentlemen, Taden Lorenzen, little Taden. We've known you for so long, like you were a little guy running around. You're having a great season. Man, How are you doing? What have you been up to?

00:32:23
Speaker 5: Just spend up playing some football, focusing on school, just trying to have a great life as a teenager.

00:32:30
Speaker 3: I mean, there's more to life than football up here at Highlands.

00:32:32
Speaker 5: Oh yeah there is. They give us a lot of things outside of school, like clubs and stuff, but they have great spirit for a football team and for everybody else.

00:32:42
Speaker 4: You say you're playing a little football, I would say you're playing it pretty well. I live near Frederick Douglas High School and early this season I saw you had a big touchdown against them, had a big game just this past weekend. What's it like just being out there on that field wearing a jersey that a numbers specific specifically that means so much to people around here.

00:33:01
Speaker 5: It's great having people remember who he was and the person that he was, not just on the field but off the field. And I want to I want to have that same effect on myself when people talk to me.

00:33:13
Speaker 3: Yeah, when people they when they see you play wearing that number twenty two, they all say the same thing. It's like, it's like it's surreal. You know, you're seeing Jerry Junior out there running around playing football, do you guys, because you probably take priding that.

00:33:25
Speaker 5: Yeah.

00:33:26
Speaker 4: Uh.

00:33:26
Speaker 5: We walked the same, talked the same, look the same. The only thing that's different Sollness is I'm right handed.

00:33:31
Speaker 3: Oh you're right handed?

00:33:32
Speaker 5: Yeah?

00:33:34
Speaker 3: Did you you know? He's got this mixtape that is like famous. It goes around every once in a while people find it and then it'll go viral again. What when when you when you see that mixtape? What do you think and what do you do you like? Are you amazed the stuff that he used to be able to do?

00:33:50
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's a perfect representation of what what I think. While I watched that stuff. Obviously I've watched a thousand times, and I like, I watched how and I watched filming myself, and then I watched him and it's like with the same person, that's weird.

00:34:05
Speaker 4: At what point growing up did you know that you were going to be following that path? I'm gonna assume pretty early since there's so many similarities. But was there like a specific moment where you're like, all right, looks like I'm just following those footsteps.

00:34:17
Speaker 1: Uh.

00:34:19
Speaker 5: Probably when we I was playing on a junior football team and we played on the Bengals stadium at halftime, and I got to meet on a bunch of players like Saquon Barkley and Eli Manning and people like that. Eli's a great guy. And I think that's one of the moments where I realized that it's like, welcome to the show.

00:34:44
Speaker 4: I remember, I remember writing a blog post about that. It was like Taylor Rensen makes NFL debut. I remember it might have been were you at the game? We had the KASR person at the game oddly and then saw you out there, so.

00:34:55
Speaker 3: You know, uh, you used to be a basketball player though, used to hoop it up basketball, so your dad had a lot of youth basketball tournaments and decide when you decide to give that up and just go off football.

00:35:05
Speaker 5: Yeah, I feel like, not that I don't have a chance in basketball, but I feel like if I put it all into the weightlifting side and getting in to the gym, getting my speed better, which I do think basketball helps with that, And I love our basketball coach, but I think me focusing on football, hand speed, agility and all those things can all I can do is help.

00:35:32
Speaker 3: Because Big Daddy could play a little basketball too. It's amazing see this big guy out there and the things he would do. Kind of has a point guard on the basketball team.

00:35:39
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's that's something. That's something that he can do that I could not. I don't know. I can't play guard out there.

00:35:45
Speaker 4: Well, he was one of one in that you and no one else. But let's just talk about just Highlands and you being a part of this team had a lot of success years ago. Kind of getting back to that. We have a KSR Top twenty five that might have just come out now, if not about later, but we've had you in the top ten even up to fifth. I think all year. Is there some pride and in getting this football program back to where it once was and maybe start hanging a few more banners and trophies in there?

00:36:08
Speaker 5: Yeah, that's our that's our goal every year is to win a state championship. Of course there's been a drought, but all we can do as a team is work hard in the weight room, and as our coach likes to say, it's a special sauce for our football team. So all we can do is work hard and try our best and we'll see what happens from there.

00:36:30
Speaker 3: Yeah, Drew mentioned the Frederick Douglas game and double overtime. You scored the game winning conversion to win that game. It kind of propelled you. I think the next game out you had three touchdowns in a game you lead the team in rushes yards and nine touchdowns. So are you gonna be a full back? I mean, what? What? What is your position now?

00:36:48
Speaker 5: I'm gonna be completely honest, I don't even know.

00:36:52
Speaker 3: Just wherever they put you and give you the ball.

00:36:54
Speaker 5: Yeah, where they need to put me to succeed as a team and when games That's what I'm gonna do.

00:37:01
Speaker 4: Have you been joining the recruiting process. I know you've done some visits to UK. There's another visit that I'm gonna ask you about later, but what we'll save that one. But is it been fun just kind of starting that process. You got a little more time to figure it all out. But I'm sure the phone has been ringing a little bit.

00:37:14
Speaker 5: Yeah, not as much as I would think, but It's all part of the process, and I'm not worried about it. I'm still young, and if I'm the player that I need to be, then the calls will come.

00:37:26
Speaker 3: You got the offer right now from Miami, Ohio. That's gonna be the first of many, I think coming once you can continue to develop, get bigger, stronger. Are they recruiting you as a full back or a tight end? Like where you think your position's gonna be in college?

00:37:39
Speaker 5: I think it's a tight end. But honestly, once I get there, or like if if I can talk to the coaches whatever they think. I haven't really talked to them as a specific position. So I'm an athlete as of now.

00:37:52
Speaker 3: Yeah, you know your dad had a million nicknames. I got a shirt right now. It says the hefty left to on it round mount to touchdown, peelsbury throw boy, world's largest quarterback. What's what? Yeah, I forgot about that one. What's your favorite nickname they had for your dad?

00:38:08
Speaker 5: Probably feels very thoroughboy or have to left these always good? But besides that one probably feels very thrill boy. I don't know, it just rolls off the tongue.

00:38:17
Speaker 3: Yeah, Well, once he he got that UK, and we all knew, even in Kentucky. Once he got UK, just his startupm just blew up. You know, everybody wanted a piece of Jared and he got all these different nicknames and he embraced I thought that was so cool. He embraced it. He goes, yeah, I know, I'm a big guy, so what watch me play?

00:38:34
Speaker 4: Yeah?

00:38:34
Speaker 5: I think that's uh, that's He's brought that onto me a little bit. I mean, it's obviously going to be an issue in my whole life, but I'd rather embrace it than try and it's like it's not here. Yeah, And I don't know. I love it. I'm a comfy guy. Like there's nothing that there's nothing bad about being overweight. Like it's just if you are every way, you just have to embrace it. And if you want to turn your life around, you can. And that's what I'm trying to do right now.

00:39:03
Speaker 4: That's the exact same attitude he would have. Just another similarity.

00:39:07
Speaker 3: Sounds like that Jared was saying that word for word.

00:39:10
Speaker 4: Now, is there there's one thing, one similarity I'm worried about. I know you have to You're you're trying to make a football career here and whoever calls you have to take it. And if they want you to come visit, you got a visit. But I do have to tell you a story. One time I was with your dad. We had just done a show in Louisville. We're with our friend WU seven foot basketball player for Kentucky, and we specifically went out of the way to take a picture outside Papa John's Cardinals Stadium doing L's down. Got it, Yeah, you're on, You're with us, there's all of it. So we went out of the way to do an El's down picture. Now, I know you have to be open minded, but when you tweeted that that the red the other day, I guess you had been some camps and stuff. It did make me wonder that we're there. We're getting a little too close with Louisville. So you don't even have to say anything. But right now, Kentucky, if you're listening, we need this phone ring a little more this way because seeing that red hurt me and I know it probably hurt his dad. But it is good that the n State School has been looking at you. You said Miami of Ohio has made the scholarship offer. Uh, you still have another year to go too, But uh, are you are you still considering if they were to, you know, offer, is that something you would consider?

00:40:08
Speaker 5: It's all. It just depends on what happens with other schools. And like the firing between Miami, say I got Miami High and Louisville, I don't know as of now. I'm still I still got another year to figure that out. So honestly, I can't give you an answer.

00:40:25
Speaker 4: Yeah, well, someone in Lexington if they want to slide out of that for that'd be that'd be pretty cool for all of us.

00:40:29
Speaker 3: This just takes some advice from Uncle Drew and Uncle Ryan. If a guy named Vince Merrill calls you, hang up, just hang up.

00:40:37
Speaker 4: We know him too. We can't put him on his point and get him in trouble in his recruitment here. But we we all know where we would prefer of those two options. But we're proud you're getting those calls and get some good looks.

00:40:46
Speaker 3: You guys. If you beat Ryle last weekend and they're always a good team, had Boyle County down to the final play, that's the one, that's the one bliming way three and one right now in the season.

00:40:55
Speaker 5: Yep, three and one, four and one? Is it four now?

00:40:59
Speaker 3: And yeah, but you play somebody like boy that get you ready for the playoffs because anybody can win the five A title right now.

00:41:06
Speaker 4: Yeah.

00:41:07
Speaker 5: Being in the atmosphere four A Yeah, we're four A now. But being in the atmosphere of Boyle County is just incredible. They got they got a great stadium out there, and I had a lot of fun there.

00:41:18
Speaker 4: You all have nice facilities here. I haven't been to an actual game, but I've seen the stadium many times. Does that just add to a little extra pride that you are able to put together such a big experience, just players and fans making the most of it. Yeah.

00:41:29
Speaker 5: The school, the band, The band's incredible here. When we walk out there in front of us, I think our principal and all of our staff do a great job of setting things up and like lining the dancers and the cheers up when we run out the field house. The field house is great. We have a weight room in there. We like in the crowd. The crowd is incredible and the people that cheer us on on they never say anything bad about us. It's always it's always positive. Keep going it doesn't matter how if we're losing, but how bad we're losing, it doesn't matter. They're always on our side.

00:42:11
Speaker 3: He is Taitu and Rins and we got more with him. But you have to go back to class. We gotta know one more second. Then you gotta get you back to char was a big class. Go We'll be right back with tait and Rins And here it connects sports radio