MARK STOOPS

Mike Wright completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to Will Sheppard with 32 seconds left for a 24-21 win over Kentucky and snap a 26-game Southeastern Conference losing streak.

No. 20 Kentucky intercepted Anthony Richardson twice, Keidron Smith returned one of those interception 65 yards for a touchdown, and the Wildcats toppled 12th-ranked Florida 26-16 in the Swamp.

Anthony Richardson dazzled a packed Swamp in Florida’s season opener.

John Calipari’s push for upgraded practice facilities for his Kentucky basketball team drew a sharp jab from Wildcats football coach Mark Stoops on Twitter after the Hall of Fame coach referred to the university as a “basketball school” in an interview.

Life at the top of the Southeastern Conference can be difficult, especially when anything short of a national championship in football is considered unsatisfactory.

Georgia and Alabama could be heading for another showdown in the Southeastern Conference championship game.

Georgia finds itself in a most unusual position.

The rich got even richer in the Southeastern Conference when the transfer floodgates opened wide.

24 North Carolina State 23-21 on Saturday in a chippy TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. “John was definitely looking down on us; Coach Schlarman definitely inspired us all,” said Rose, who was named Kentucky's bowl game MVP. “Those are four really good run defenders against a really good rushing offense,” NC State coach Dave Doeren said. Kentucky: The Wildcats won their third bowl game in as many seasons for the second time in school history. UP NEXTNorth Carolina State: Opens the 2021 season at home against USF on Sept. 2.

(AP Photo/Richard Shiro, File)Kentucky offensive lineman Kenneth Horsey is one of three winners announced Saturday of the Mayo Clinic Comeback Player of the Year Award, along with Colorado running back Jarek Broussard and Coastal Carolina linebacker Silas Kelly. Horsey overcame a heart condition that required surgery and threatened his career to become a starter on Kentucky's offensive line. Last year Kentucky linebacker Josh Paschal was the Bowl Subdivision winner of the Comeback Player of the Year award. Usually winners are selected from lower divisions of college football, too, but since the pandemic postponed those seasons three winners were selected in major college football. Horsey said he found inspiration in Kentucky offensive line coach John Schlarman, who continued working while being treated for cancer.

24 North Carolina State (8-3) is a 2 ½-point underdog against Kentucky (4-6) in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, a number the Wolfpack consider a slight heading into Saturday's game in Jacksonville. Tickets for the Gator Bowl can be purchased here. So the Gator Bowl line makes little sense to anyone outside Vegas. “They can put us down all they want, but we know what we have in the locker room, and that’s it,” NC State quarterback Bailey Hockman said. FAMILY AFFAIRHockman has an uncle who played at Kentucky, and the Gator Bowl matchup has prompted some trash talk.

Coburn estimates it will cost Florida State about $18 million to buyout Taggart, although the details have not been finalized. Among the potential candidates: former Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, Minnesota coach P.J. "We're going to get back to the standard of Florida State University football. Haggins, who has been a Florida State assistant coach since 1994, has worked for Bobby Bowden, Jimbo Fisher and Taggart. That currently seems to be standard operating procedure these days at Florida State.