10 things you didn't know about Saturday's South Alabama-Kentucky game

Every week before a game, the sports information staffs at both schools put together game notes — thick packets full of stats, rosters, history and stories about their players.

The South Alabama and Kentucky SID staffs each produced 20-plus pages for Saturday's game. They're detailed, they're fascinating and almost nobody outside of the press box ever sees them.

Honestly? A lot of media don't dig through them, either.

We do. We went through every page of both sets of notes to find the most interesting things about the most interesting people on both sidelines. Here are 10 things you might not have known about Saturday night's game.

1. South Alabama has never played Kentucky.

Saturday is the first meeting between the two programs. Kentucky becomes the seventh current SEC program the Jaguars have faced. South Alabama is 1-8 all-time against current SEC members, with its lone victory coming at Mississippi State on Sept. 3, 2016 — a 21-20 win.

2. The Jaguars haven't turned the ball over this season.

Through three games, South Alabama's quarterbacks have thrown 79 passes without an interception. The Jaguars have not lost a fumble, either. Zero turnovers. Three games.

3. Kentucky's punter played Australian rules football for a living.

Wilson Berry is 28 years old, married with three children and in his sixth season of eligibility. Before coming to Kentucky, he spent three years playing Australian rules football for Essendon's team in the Victorian Football League. While playing footy, he held a part-time job at Grill'd, a restaurant known for healthy hamburgers — starting as a waiter before getting promoted to cook and then assistant manager. Berry already has a master's degree in kinesiology and health promotion from Kentucky. He is married to the former Courtney Stewart of Paducah, Ky., and the couple has two sons, Leo and Gus, and a newborn daughter, Florence. When football is over, he wants to become a physical therapist.

4. South Alabama's running back was named to the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll last week.

The Paul Hornung Award is given annually to the most versatile player in college football. Keenan Phillips earned the honor after rushing for a game-high 116 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries against Ohio. His six-yard touchdown run capped a seven-play, 75-yard opening drive. Phillips added two receptions for 25 yards and an eight-yard kickoff return, finishing with 149 all-purpose yards. He ranks among the top 25 in the country in all-purpose yards.

5. There's a reason Kentucky's quarterback wears No. 3.

Kenny Minchey chose the number in honor of his grandfather, William Minchey, whose favorite NASCAR driver was Dale Earnhardt — who famously drove the No. 3 car.

6. One of Kentucky's defensive linemen transferred from South Alabama.

Dominic Wiseman is a fifth-year player who spent last season with the Jaguars. At South Alabama in 2025, he recorded 23 tackles, 3.0 tackles for loss, a sack, two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. He has appeared in 37 career games. Saturday, he lines up against his former teammates.

7. Kentucky's leading tackler didn't grow up playing football.

Alex Afari Jr. was born in Pordenone, Italy. His parents are originally from Ghana. The family spent two years in Ghana before moving to Ohio when Afari was 8. He speaks fluent Twi, a dialect of the Akan language spoken in southern and central Ghana. He grew up playing soccer until his neighbor, Kaleb Johnson — now a running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers — introduced him to football.

8. Kentucky's head coach used to sit in section 128, row 13 of the stadium he now coaches in.

Will Stein is a Kentucky native and the son of Matt Stein, a former UK letterwinner at defensive end from 1983-84. He grew up watching the Wildcats in what was then Commonwealth Stadium. He later competed in the stadium as a collegiate quarterback and worked the sideline as an assistant coach at Louisville. Junior defensive back Ty Bryant is the son of Cisco Bryant, a former Kentucky wide receiver from 1983-85. The elder Stein and the elder Bryant were teammates on the 1984 squad that went 9-3 and defeated Wisconsin in the Hall of Fame Bowl.

9. A Kentucky linebacker's father was the SEC Freshman of the Year and played 12 seasons in the NFL.

Grant Godfrey's father, Randall, was a linebacker at Georgia who earned SEC Freshman of the Year honors in 1992 and was named All-SEC in 1993 and 1994. He went on to play 12 seasons in the NFL.

10. A Kentucky wide receiver's cousin won a gold medal at the Olympics.

Spencer Leadbetter's cousin, Conor Dwyer, won gold as a member of the United States' 4x200-meter freestyle relay team at the 2012 Summer Olympics.