This perfectly fits the cliché that a rivalry win might mean everything.
Kentucky has been struggling - to be kind. The offense was bad, the defense not strong enough, and the team has lost its last five SEC games to go along with a strange outlier win over Ole Miss. At 4-7, beating the rival matters.
Being 5-7 with a win over Louisville means there’s hope. Go 4-8 with a loss, and there’s a big problem.
Louisville was locked in as the third-best team in the ACC - losing to Miami and SMU - and then inexplicably crashed against Stanford. It got off the mat to blowout Pitt, but now it’s just playing for a better bowl slot.
Date: Saturday, November 30, 2024
Game Time: 12:00 pm ET
How To Watch: SEC Network
Venue: Kroger Field, Lexington, KY
Teams: Kentucky (4-7), Louisville (7-4)
CFN Bluesky | CFN X | CFN FB
- Week 14 Schedule, Predictions
Can Kentucky be sharp enough to complete passes and get the chains moving?
It’s awful on third downs this year mostly because it’s one of the worst teams in America at simply connecting on passes. The Wildcats hit just 55% of their throws, and Louisville is 6-0 when allowing fewer than 65% and 1-4 when giving up more.
Ohio and Southern Miss. Those are the two FBS teams UK was able to generate a sharp passing day against, and it’s not happening in this.
Yes, this might be the season for Kentucky, and it’s at home, but it has yet to score more than 13 points against a Power Four team in Kroger.
The Cardinals will struggle to get the O going, but two takeaways will change that in the second half.
Prediction: Louisville 26, Kentucky 20
Line: Louisville -3.5, o/u: 49.5
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2.5
Must See Rating: 3
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Jon Gruden sent another warning shot toward the NFL after scoring a major win in court. On Tuesday, Gruden welcomed a ruling that will force the NFL to litigate the circumstances of his firing in court rather than closed-door arbitration. The former Las Vegas Raiders coach made clear that he intends to continue his legal challenge to the NFL to ensure that they are held accountable. “I’m looking forward to having the truth come out, and I want to make sure what happened to me doesn’t happen to anyone else,” Gruden said in a statement provided to ESPN’s Don Van Natta Jr. “The league’s actions disrupted the whole season. We were leading the division at the time and they completely blindsided me and the team.” The Raiders were 3-1 in 2021 when Gruden was forced to resign after some offensive emails that he sent between 2011 and 2018 were leaked. Gruden has alleged that the NFL leaked the emails to force him out of a job after obtaining them during an investigation into the Washington Commanders. The NFL is set to appeal Monday’s ruling, but if that appeal fails, the league may be forced into public discovery. One alternative would be to offer Gruden a settlement, but he has not said whether or not he would be interested in such a resolution. Gruden has not held an NFL coaching job since the Raiders forced him out. He has recently spoken about possibly making a return to coaching at the college level.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a different look and a different feel coming into the 2025 season after bringing in Aaron Rodgers as their new starting quarterback. Poor QB play has haunted Mike Tomlin and company throughout the last few years ever since Ben Roethlisberger left his prime, and they are hoping that Rodgers helps fix that issue. While the future Hall-of-Famer is firmly cemented as the team’s starting quarterback, there are some other positions on the roster that are still up for grabs as the preseason rages on and Tomlin finalizes what his lineup for Week 1. The Steelers also brought in DK Metcalf in a blockbuster trade with the Seattle Seahawks this offseason, giving Rodgers a true No. 1 option to throw the ball to. They also offloaded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys in a separate trade, leaving that second wide receiver spot there for the taking. The Steelers also lost Najee Harris this offseason, making Jaylen Warren the presumed featured back. However, that spot could be in jeopardy as well if the returning running back isn’t careful. Earlier in training camp, the Steelers released their first unofficial depth chart of the season. Here are two players who showed up as starters in that release that could get caught for those spots in the coming weeks. RB Jaylen Warren Jaylen Warren has been splitting carries and touches with Najee Harris over the last couple of years, but with Harris gone he seemed destined to be the featured back for Tomlin and company. Not so fast. Insert former Iowa superstar Kaleb Johnson, who the Steelers drafted in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft. That was maybe a bit later than many expected Johnson to be selected after his spectacular 2024 season with the Hawkeyes, but that also means there is a chance that the Steelers got a steal. It won’t be easy to take the job from Warren, who does a lot of things well and can positively impact the offense both in the running game and as a receiver. In his three seasons in Pittsburgh, Warren has amassed 2,568 yards and six touchdowns. He has great burst but also solid power in between the tackles and runs very low to the ground, making it difficult to bring him down. However, Warren’s size makes it somewhat difficult to envision him being a true workhorse back, which could open the door for Johnson to become a bellcow on early downs. At 6-foot-1, 224 pounds, the rookie is a much bigger back who is built to withstand the rigors of getting a lot of touches every week. That was on full display at Iowa last season, when Johnson rushed for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns, leading the Big Ten in both categories despite playing in an offense that offered no threat through the air. If it weren’t for the spectacular season of Ashton Jeanty at Boise State, Johnson could have garnered more recognition for awards at the end of the season. Johnson looked a step slow in his preseason debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he still has the ability to become the main back on early downs for Tomlin and company before too long. WR Calvin Austin III This comes with a bit of a caveat that the Steelers list just two starting wide receivers on their depth chart along with two tight ends, which leaves room for a third wideout that could be a potential “starter” in Arthur Smith’s offense. Austin is listed as the second starter alongside DK Metcalf, but Smith could opt to go with veteran Robert Woods in certain situations and make Austin more of a third slot wide receiver. The primary reason for this is that Woods has built a reputation as one of the best run blockers in football at his position. Smith loves to run the football, and the Steelers project to have one of the highest run rates in the league this coming season. Woods doesn’t have the same juice as a receiver that he once did, but he could see the field more one early downs and in neutral situations while Smith looks to get the most he can out of his run game. Austin is also dealing with an injury during the preseason that has held him out of practice, which could hurt him in getting to 100% by the time the regular season starts. Still, Austin will be a big part of the offense when he does get healthy. He is one of the most explosive players on the team and gives the Steelers a big-play threat that can take the top off the defense at any time. Now that Pittsburgh should have its best quarterback play during Austin’s career, he could have a lot more big plays coming his way in the near future.
We all know Scottie Scheffler is the best golfer on the planet by a fairly large margin, but what makes him so much more consistent than other stars in professional golf? Bryson DeChambeau, one of Scheffler's biggest rivals in major championships, thinks he knows the answer. In Tuesday's appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," DeChambeau detailed how Scheffler dominates the PGA Tour weekly. "He's got the best spin and distance control I've ever seen," DeChambeau said. "He controls the golf ball from a spin perspective so much better than everybody else. Like, if you're 175 yards out, and it's 10 miles [an hour] into the wind, he knows how to control the flight and spin to get that ball to land right next to the hole every time. Probably since Tiger [Woods], he's the best that we've seen." The stats confirm DeChambeau's breakdown. Scheffler has ranked first on the PGA Tour in strokes gained on approach in three straight seasons. He also ranks first in proximity to the hole and greens in regulation percentage over the last four years. Iron play is Scheffler's superpower, but it wasn't always that way. "I played with him in college a bunch, and I've said it before, but he's definitely improved since college for sure," DeChambeau said with a chuckle. "It's impressive to see what he's done, and we're all aspiring to do that. That's something I've gotta get better at. I can hit it farther than him. I can hit it probably straighter than him. I can make just as many putts as him, but, really, it's about my iron play right now and wedges to get a little more consistent." Iron play is the biggest indicator of success in professional golf. If you're giving yourself more birdie chances from close range than anyone in the field, you're going to have the best chance to win by Sunday afternoon. No one is better at hitting specific distances more consistently than Scheffler. Just look at how accurate he is. DeChambeau has the best chance to catch Scheffler as the best player in the world because he's elite off the tee and on the greens, but that won't happen unless he makes a major improvement to his iron game.
San Francisco 49ers second-year wide receiver Ricky Pearsall better break out in 2025 now that Brandon Aiyuk is set to miss more time. On Monday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he expects Aiyuk to return from an ACL/MCL tear in his right knee around Week 6. The 2023 second-team All-Pro suffered the injury in a Week 7 loss against the Kansas City Chiefs, missing the final 10 games of the 2024 season. Without Aiyuk, the 49ers struggled, finishing 6-11. San Francisco's WR room could be even thinner this season after trading wideout Deebo Samuel Sr. to the Washington Commanders in March. Pearsall — pick No. 31 of the 2024 NFL Draft — missed six games during his rookie season after he was shot during an attempted robbery. The Arizona State/Florida product showed flashes after returning, logging 31 receptions for 400 yards and three touchdown catches. Pearsall, who turns 25 on Sept. 9, seems ready to assume a heavier workload this season. "To be honest, I'm approaching it the exact same way," the WR said, via Josh Dubow of the Associated Press. "Whether those guys are in the room or not, that's just how I look at myself. I just got to be able to step in that role. That's just how I look at it." Pearsall spent more time with 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy this season to improve their chemistry. That may be working. The offensive signal-caller tossed a 30-plus-yard TD pass to the wideout during last week's joint practice with the Denver Broncos. "Obviously, I love the fact that we were able to do it, but it just goes back to us building reps on reps on reps, all these last couple practices throughout camp and stuff, and we need to continue doing that into the season," Purdy said of the play, per David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone. When the 49ers reached Super Bowl LVIII during the 2023 season, the team scored the league's second-most points (28.6), via Team Rankings. Last season, San Francisco tied for 14th (22.9) in points scored. The Purdy-Pearsall tandem could reignite San Francisco's offense and help the unit manage until Aiyuk returns.
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