Kentucky Sports Radio (KSR) – Hour 1 (October 20, 2025)

Host: Matt Jones (from Louisville)
Panel: Ryan Lemond, Drew Franklin, Shannon Sharp (in Lexington)
Theme: A dramatic recap and analysis of Kentucky’s overtime football loss to Texas, plus broader implications for Mark Stoops' future, team morale, and fan sentiment.

Episode Overview

This episode of KSR centers on Kentucky’s crushing overtime football defeat to Texas. While the team played one of its best games in years, it fell prey to familiar issues: failed goal-line stands, special teams disasters—specifically punt return touchdowns—and questionable late-game play calling. The hosts dissect how Kentucky managed to dominate yet still lose, discuss the repercussions for Coach Mark Stoops’ future, and invite passionate listener input. Side segments touch on the emotional rollercoaster of being a UK fan, a standout volleyball victory, and even festival lineup oddities.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Immediate Reaction: Football Heartbreak, Not Basketbrawl

[02:45–03:52]

• Matt Jones opens by offering the audience a choice: begin with basketball or football. All panelists choose football, citing the rawness of Saturday’s loss.
  • Quote:
    "I'm still not over the game Saturday, so I would probably go with football." — Ryan Lemond [03:52]

2. Game Recap: Near-Perfect but Painfully Kentucky

[04:00–11:36]

• All agree: despite the final score, this may have been Kentucky’s best performance in two years.
• Defensive excellence, heart from the players, and an electric late-game crowd, yet frustration boils over mistakes on special teams and play calling in clutch moments.
  • Quote:
    "You somehow had a situation where I think every fan came away saying this team played their hearts out...and nevertheless, I'm very frustrated because of special teams issues. But more importantly, probably some play calling down the stretch." — Matt Jones [04:18]
• Crushing stats:
  • Kentucky got inside the opponent's 5-yard line seven times last year and came away with zero points.
  • Familiar failings at the goal line repeated.
  • Overtime: 22-yard gain on the first play raised and dashed hopes in classic “Kentucky football” fashion.

3. Atmosphere & Fan Sentiment

[06:06–07:31]

• Matt enjoyed being in the crowd for only the second time since COVID, praising the Kroger Field atmosphere.
• Drew laments the post-game negativity and “bang your head against the wall” frustration but adds, “the players deserve this one... the coaches let them down.” [09:54]
• The fan base briefly allowed itself to believe, only to have hope ripped away again.
  • Quote:
    "It just had that feeling. The fan base in Kroger Field started to believe... and just to end the way it did, it's just another bang your head against the wall moment." — Drew Franklin [05:26]

4. Analyzing the Critical Moments and Play Calling

[07:31–16:18]

• Play-calling near the goal line is universally panned, especially repeated dives into the teeth of Texas’s NFL-level defensive line.
• Go/no-go fourth-down choices:
  • All hosts support going for it (both early in the game and in overtime), but hate the specific run plays called.
  • "Why not try something different? Because, you know, that is just not going to work." — Ryan Lemond [08:13]
• Special teams meltdown:
  • Allowing a dangerous punt returner two chances was deemed a catastrophic mistake.
  • "He's already burned you once... Second time you got to kick that out of bounds, right?" — Matt Jones [16:14]
• Statistical domination but loss (396 yards to 175, 26 first downs to 8, 40:20 vs 19:40 in time of possession).
  • "If you look at the stat sheet, you're going to look at that like, how in the world did Kentucky ever lose that game?" — Ryan Lemond [21:01]

5. Situational Issues and Stoops' Era Under Review

[11:36–14:16, 22:26–26:59]

• Prolonged SEC home losing streak, missed opportunity for a season-reviving win, and more fans reaching the limits of their patience with Mark Stoops.
• Stoops’ in-game management and situational football are declared his greatest weakness, not improved over time.
  • "Situational football ... has always been his weakness. And I don't think it's gotten better really at all." — Matt Jones [36:43]
• Debate over offensive coordinator Bush Hamden’s culpability vs. Stoops’ overall system.

6. Referee and Officiating Frustrations

[21:10–24:45]

• Questionable spot on Cutter Bowley's slide.
• “Ridiculous” false start call when Texas had 13 men on the field.
  • "If Stoops had said, I'm not doing the Monday press conference today because I'm driving to the SEC offices to do this face to face, I would have said go do it. Because that was ridiculous." — Drew Franklin [24:15]

7. Into the Weeds: Fan Experience and AD Antics

[31:24–34:29]

• Amusing/possibly true viral story: Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart allegedly jawing with a critical fan and “pointing and yelling ‘eat it’” after UK tied the game late.
  • "I want it to be so true... I want that story to be true." — Ryan Lemond [33:02]
  • Hosts reference video evidence of Barnhart running and pointing at someone, fueling debate whether the story is fact or myth.

8. Broader Program Questions: Stoops' Future

[26:12–27:54]

• The hosts speculate on Mitch Barnhart’s (UK Athletics Director) mindset and potential administrative moves if the losing continues.
  • "I think they'd all still like to save it, Mark Stoops and Mitch Barnhart. But if it doesn't happen, you're not going to be able to continue if it's 3 and 9 or 4 and 8." — Matt Jones [27:25]

9. Player Evaluations: Bright Spots and Letdowns

[30:25–31:20]

• Freshman QB Cutter Bowley praised for performing far better than Texas’s hyped Arch Manning.
  • "You look at his numbers versus Cutter Bowley. Cutter dominated him." — Shannon Sharp [30:41]
• Defensive performance—Brad White’s “master class” and the importance of open-field tackling.

10. Comic Relief and Light Moments

[42:06–45:09]

• Discussion of the newly announced Railbird Festival lineup, comically stumped by inclusion of “Ken Pomeroy”—a namesake to the college basketball stat guru, but actually a female singer.
  • "She's just gonna come out and read the stats." — Shannon Sharp [43:26]
• Celebrity moments: Ocho Cinco’s full-tilt Kentucky football fan experience, including watching the loss from the student section and griping about play calls on his own show.
  • "He got the whole experience. He was talking about storming the field, had that ripped away ... spent his Sunday night complaining about running three draws...Welcome to the family." — Drew Franklin [45:53]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• “That game was so Kentucky football...they just rip your heart right out at the end of the game. And that's just Kentucky football in a nutshell.” — Ryan Lemond [05:08]

• “Of all the games the players lost, they should be walking out with a smile. And the coaches let them down. I heard that the most.” — Drew Franklin [09:54]

• "Everyone on that defensive line is going to play in the NFL, every single guy that Texas has. And so I don't know why you thought that was going to work." — Matt Jones [08:35]

• "If it's not for those two punt returns... they really don't have much offense at all throughout the entire game." — Matt Jones [10:31]

• "Kentucky should have won the game 13% of the time. How did they win it then?" — Matt Jones [10:54]

• "You checked a lot of boxes where you put yourself in position to win that football game. And I know we're going to talk about. If you look at the stat sheet, you're going to look at that like, how in the world did Kentucky ever lose that game?" — Ryan Lemond [20:51/21:01]

• "I can't get over how bad [Arch Manning] is. I really can't...I mean, Paul Finebaum...said he was the best college player since Tebow before the season." — Matt Jones [30:25]

• "You want our AD yelling at fans?" — Matt Jones [33:07]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [02:45] Show proper begins; reset after ads
• [03:52–04:00] Unanimous decision to lead with football talk
• [05:08] Panel’s emotional state after the loss
• [06:06–07:31] In-stadium atmosphere and expectations swing
• [08:13–16:18] In-depth analysis of failed red zone and overtime calls; special teams blunders
• [20:11–21:12] Team stats recap; domination not resulting in win
• [22:06–24:45] Questionable officiating and its impact
• [26:12–27:54] Stoops’ future, AD Barnhart’s possible thinking
• [31:24–34:29] Alleged AD vs. fan showdown
• [42:06–45:09] Railbird Festival lineup comedy; celebrity fan stories

Final Takeaways

• The loss to Texas was devastating because Kentucky outplayed a blue blood, only to be undone by old habits—conservative play-calling, special teams errors, and questionable in-game management.
• The team, especially the defense and freshman QB Cutter Bowley, inspires hope for the future—if changes are made in situational strategy and perhaps program leadership.
• The fan base is showing signs of unraveling patience; administrative pressure on Stoops will only increase if the season does not turn around.
• Even amid loss, the show delivers wit and Kentucky sports culture—debating festival lineups, calling out administrators, and sharing the heartbreak and hope of BBN life, punctuated with memorable lines and honest, occasionally comic venting.