The weather forecasters are promising a beautiful, sunny fall weekend in Central Kentucky, which comes as splendid news for sports fans in the region.
The folks at Keeneland have to be overjoyed with the news, with their Fall Meet underway, and large crowds expected to swarm to the fabled track. Homecoming is being celebrated at the University of Kentucky, and Keeneland joined in the festivities with Big Blue Day at the track on Friday afternoon. Fans enjoyed a pep rally and appearances from several former UK sports standouts, including Jack Givens and Nate Northington, who were on hand for book signings.
The $750,000 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup is being held on Saturday, which begins
a Keeneland-UK football doubleheader for fans of both the Cats and the Commodores. Throw in Big Blue Madness, which was held Friday night (after this was written) and more horse racing at Keeneland on Sunday, and you can quickly see just how busy it will be this weekend in the Bluegrass.
We’ll have to wait until the Wednesday column to recap the unveiling of the all-new basketball Wildcats. We will also take a look back at the Kentucky-Vanderbilt football skirmish, which is setting up to be an intriguing matchup tonight at 7:45 p.m. on the SEC Network.
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CAN CATS SLOW THE VANDY OFFENSE? – Before the 2024 college football season got underway, few would’ve pegged the Vanderbilt at Kentucky game as one that
would draw a lot of interest outside of the two fanbases.
That changed last week, when 24-point underdog Vandy knocked off the top-ranked Alabama 40-35 in Nashville. The Commodores improved to 3-2 with the win, and they could easily be rolling into Kroger Field with an unbeaten record. If not for a heartbreaking overtime loss at Missouri, and an unexpected 36-32 defeat on a late touchdown at Georgia State, Vanderbilt would be ranked in the top 25 with a 5-0 mark.
The difference-maker for the ‘Dores is New Mexico State transfer quarterback Diego Pavia, an intense competitor who seemingly makes everyone around him better. He’s been compared to former Texas A&M QB and Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel
due to his body type and fearless style in the pocket.
Pavia isn’t your traditional drop back QB, but he gets results. The 6-foot, 200-pounder has thrown for 973 yards and ran for another 335 with 10 touchdowns (eight passing, two rushing) this season. He has yet to be sacked and leads the team in carries with 91.
Senior tight end Eli Stowers, who also transferred from New Mexico State, is Pavia’s favorite target. He has 25 receptions for 333 yards, but he’s just one of 14 players who have notched a reception. Sophomore running back Sedrick Alexander is another effective weapon, with 281 rushing yards, with five touchdowns on the ground, and another receiving score.
The Kentucky defense has been the team’s strength all season, and the Cats are ranked
fifth in the country in total defense and 11th in scoring defense. They played particularly well against highly ranked Georgia and Ole Miss, allowing just 13 points to the Bulldogs, and 17 to the Rebels in Oxford.
The Wildcats are still a work in progress offensively, but junior quarterback Brock Vandagriff was impressive in the 20-17 upset win at Mississippi, throwing for 243 yards and a touchdown on 18-of-28 passes.
Kentucky is also 3-2, but only 1-2 in SEC action, with both losses coming at home, and another home defeat would be deflating. Perhaps that’s part of the reasoning from the oddsmakers, who have installed the Cats as 13.5-point favorites.
If I were a betting man, I believe I would take the Commodores and the points, and it will be interesting if the visitors suffer a letdown from last week’s historic win over
Alabama. On the other side, UK is coming off a bye week, meaning they should be well-rested and ready. The motivation factor should also be on the side of the home team, which would love to beat the team that beat No. 1, and avenge a 24-21 loss to the Commodores two years ago in Lexington.
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IS A SUBWAY SERIES ON THE WAY? – Both of the Major League Baseball teams residing in the Big Apple have advanced to their respective Championship Series, and as of this writing, are awaiting their opponent in the next round.
The New York Mets continued their improbable run by eliminating the Philadelphia Phillies three games to one in the NLDS on Wednesday night at Citi Field. The following evening, it was the Yankees’
turn, and they won at Kansas City to take the ALDS in four games.
The Metropolitans await the winner of the Padres-Dodgers shootout of Game 5 in Los Angeles, which was played last night on the West Coast. The best-of-seven NLCS will get underway at 8:15 p.m. Sunday evening in one of the California cities, and New York will likely be taking on the role of the underdog for the third consecutive postseason series.
The Yankees will be favored to advance past either Cleveland or Detroit, who square off tomorrow afternoon in the ALCS, which begins Monday evening in the Bronx. The Guardians and Tigers will tangle in Progressive Field, with the young Tigers hoping to get another excellent pitching performance from Tarik Skubal. The game has been rescheduled from 8:08 p.m. to
1:08 p.m. due to the forecasted inclement weather expected in Cleveland. It will be televised by TBS.
Some fans may bemoan a so-called Subway Series, but it would certainly make for high drama in the big city. Network executives and the powers-that-be in MLB would love to see either that, or a Yankees-Dodgers World Series, while many Midwestern folks would much rather see the Guardians or Tigers in the Fall Classic.
There will be more surprises to come in what has been an exciting postseason, where the intensity is ramped up considerably. Each call, pitch and play are magnified in the playoffs and so far this postseason, it has already provided a multitude of thrills and heartbreaks, with many more to come.
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DESPERATE FOR A WIN – How many times can it be said that this week’s Bengals game is a must-win?
Well, if the Men in Stripes don’t find a way to get past the New York Giants on Sunday night, they might as well start singing that tired old refrain, “Wait ‘til next year.”
There still remains a smidgeon of hope that Cincinnati can rebound from its 1-4 start and make a run, but it has to begin in MetLife Stadium tomorrow night. The Bengals’ defense should be motivated to show the league they’re not as bad as they’ve shown thus far, and stopping Daniel Jones should not be anywhere near as challenging as facing some of the other quarterbacks – Jayden Daniels, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson — they’ve had to endure early in the season.
The Cincy offense will have to protect Joe Burrow and give him enough time to spread the ball around to his targets, meaning solid offensive line play will be crucial. The Giants hang their hat on an effective bend, but don’t break defense, one that kept the Washington Commanders out of the end zone in a 21-8 loss.
New York (2-3) hopes to control the clock with a running game that has been less than stellar, giving the Bengals defensive unit a perfect opportunity to improve its woeful stats defending the run.
If Cincinnati doesn’t win this one, more and more folks will be calling for the head of one Zac Taylor, the Bengals head coach. Taylor has received more criticism in recent days than at any time in his tenure, with his inefficient play-calling being the main sourc
“If man had created man, he would be ashamed of his performance.” – Mark Twain
