In Thursday’s high school football action, the Pulaski Co. Maroons defeated West Jessamine with a score of 40-6 in the Class 5A playoffs. This victory secured the Maroons’ advancement to the second round of the playoffs next week.
Thursday night NFL featured the Pittsburgh Steelers claiming a 20-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans.
In college basketball, the Kentucky Wildcats wrapped up their preseason with a dominant 99-53 win over Kentucky State University. Antonio Reeves led the Wildcats with 20 points, 13 of which came in the second half, and contributed 4 assists. Justin Edwards recorded 17 points and 9 rebounds, while Tre Mitchell achieved a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Additional notable performances came from Adou Thiero with 13 points and DJ Wagner with 12 points and 7 assists. Kentucky’s next matchup is in the regular season opener at Rupp Arena against New Mexico State this Monday. New Mexico State posted a 9-15 record with a 2-10 WAC conference record last year. The Wildcats were 22-12 overall and 12-6 in the SEC last season. In their only prior meeting, Kentucky defeated New Mexico State 82-60 in the NCAA Tournament in 1999. The game will tip off at 8 p.m on SEC Network.
Friday’s high school football featured Class 2A Playoffs, where the Somerset Briar Jumpers (7-3) faced the Owen Co. Rebels (5-5) for the first time. Somerset was coming off a close 22-21 loss to Glasgow, while Owen Co. lost their regular season finale 24-0 to Walton-Verona. Live coverage commenced at 6:45 p.m, with the kickoff at 7:30 p.m, and the game was broadcast on Somerset 106.1 FM and Somerset106.com. Additionally, the Class 5A Playoffs included a game between the East Jessamine Jaguars (2-8) and the Southwestern Warriors (7-3), with a kickoff at 7:30 p.m.
On Saturday in college football, the Kentucky Wildcats (5-3/2-3 SEC) took on the Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-4/1-4 SEC). Kentucky was looking to break a three-game losing streak after losses to Georgia, Missouri, and Tennessee. The Bulldogs were coming off a 27-13 road loss to Auburn. The all-time series was tied at 25-25, with Kentucky winning the most recent meeting, a 27-17 victory in Lexington last season. However, Kentucky had struggled in Starkville, where they last won in 2008. The Bulldogs had won the last six home games against Kentucky. A win for Kentucky would make them bowl-eligible for a school-record eighth consecutive time. The game kicked off at 7:30 p.m and was broadcast on SEC Network.
Simultaneously, the WKU Hilltoppers (4-4/2-2 CUSA) played the UTEP Miners (3-6/2-3 CUSA) in El Paso, Texas. WKU led the all-time series 3-0, with their last encounter ending in a 40-16 win for the Hilltoppers in Bowling Green. WKU was coming off a 42-29 loss at home to the Liberty Flames, while the Miners secured a 37-34 victory at Sam Houston State the previous week. Live coverage began at 8 p.m, with a kickoff at 9 p.m ET on WTLO AM 1480/97.7 FM and ESPN Plus.
On Sunday, NFL action saw the Cincinnati Bengals (4-3) hosting the Buffalo Bills (5-3) for Sunday Night Football. Cincinnati was coming off an impressive 31-17 road win against the San Francisco 49ers, while the Bills defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-18. Buffalo led the all-time series 17-16, but the Bengals had won five of the last seven matchups. Cincinnati defeated Buffalo last season with a 27-10 win in the Divisional Playoff. Cincinnati had a 3-17 all-time record when playing Sunday night football. Live coverage began at 7 p.m, with the kickoff at 8:20 p.m. The game was broadcast on WTLO AM 1480/97.7 FM and nationally on NBC.
