Kentucky
College Football Week 5 Takeaways: Kentucky Rides Defense in Upset, UNLV’s Moment Continues
On a Saturday where the Alabama Crimson Tide–Georgia Bulldogs clash stole the show, here are five (well, slightly more than five) takeaways from an exciting Week 5 across college football.
1. The Kentucky Wildcats validate strength of their defense in road upset of the No. 6 Ole Miss Rebels
Kentucky’s offense in 2024 remains a work in progress (to say the least), but after Saturday’s road upset of No. 6 Ole Miss—Big Blue’s first win in Oxford, Miss., since 1978—there’s very little dispute about the Wildcats’ defense.
They’re elite.
Kentucky recorded four sacks, seven tackles for loss and held a potent Ole Miss offense to just 3.2 yards per rush on 29 attempts and a 1-for-10 mark on third down.
Sure, the Rebels still racked up the passing yards, primarily in the form of the Jaxson Dart–Tre Harris connection that led to 11 completions for 176 yards and a touchdown. But everything else for Ole Miss was made difficult by Kentucky’s consistent defensive pressure all game long.
The Wildcats showed their teeth defensively in a near home upset of then-No. 1 Georgia earlier this month, but validated their performance with another lights-out effort on Saturday.
Kentucky is now 3–2 and 1–2 in SEC play. It is not a conference title contender, but could certainly play spoiler to SEC hopefuls in the No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers and No. 1 Texas Longhorns that are still to come on the schedule this fall.
2. Controversial Friday night ending to the No. 7 Miami Hurricanes’ victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies underscores growing officiating problem in college football
No. 7 Miami was caught in a dogfight with preseason ACC darling Virginia Tech—a Hokies bunch that fell out of favor after dropping their opener on the road to the Vanderbilt Commodores and following it up three weeks later with a home loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.
Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry had a couple of game management decisions that he’d certainly like to have back. These decisions included a prematurely called timeout prior to a 57-yard field goal before halftime that allowed enough time for Miami to drive down the field with 25 seconds left and kick a field goal. The Hokies also tried a fake field in the third quarter off a Cam Ward interception that would have given them a 13-point lead.
But ultimately, it all came down to a final drive offensively for the Hokies. Trailing 38–34 with three seconds remaining, Virginia Tech quarterback Kyron Drones lofted a pass into the back left corner of the end zone. The ball was juggled by a host of players, before it appeared that Virginia Tech wide receiver Da’Quan Felton came up with the football. What was unclear was whether or not he gained sole possession before a Miami defender ripped it free in the scramble for the ball.
The officials concluded it was a Virginia Tech touchdown, which should have scored the Hokies one of their biggest road upsets in years. However, after a replay review that lasted for over five minutes, the conference’s officiating command center determined Felton never gained possession.
There didn’t appear to be conclusive evidence to prove the call on the field should have been overturned, but it was anyway, scoring Miami a narrow victory.
Virginia Tech made plenty of mistakes that cost it a victory, but the game-ending kick in the teeth from the ACC officials underscored the growing sentiment across college football that the sport has an officiating problem.
3. The Auburn Tigers snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, and once again, a turnover was the culprit
One week removed from turning the ball over five times in a 24–14 home loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks, Auburn again had turnover problems at the worst time in a 27–21 home loss to the No. 21 Oklahoma Sooners.
With the Tigers leading 21–16 with just over four minutes to play, Auburn starting quarterback Payton Thorne felt pressure from his right side and threw an inexplicable pass over the middle right into the arms of Oklahoma linebacker Kip Lewis. The redshirt sophomore took the interception back 61 yards for the touchdown in the deciding score of the contest.
Auburn’s Hugh Freeze needs to right the ship, and fast, or things could go sideways quickly heading into Year 3 if the Tigers continue to let victories slip away by self-inflicted mistakes.
4. The Colorado Buffaloes win again as Travis Hunter continues to make his Heisman Trophy case
Colorado’s dominant 48–21 road win on Saturday at the UCF Knights marked not only the biggest win of the Deion Sanders era in Boulder, Colo., but also another step toward legitimizing Travis Hunter’s Heisman case.
Hunter is arguably the best player in college football. He’s more than worthy of winning the Heisman. But in order to capture the sport’s most iconic individual award, team success is almost always a prerequisite. Hunter is one of the only players in college football who plays both offense and defense, and nobody plays both wide receiver and defensive back to the level he does.
Hunter caught nine passes for 89 yards and a touchdown and added an interception on defense against UCF.
Colorado is 4–1 and 2–0 in Big 12 play. The Buffs are off next week before hosting a ranked Kansas State Wildcats team. Colorado has improved after a rocky Year 1 under Sanders, but will need to continue to stack wins for Hunter to have a real shot of capturing the Heisman.
5. No Matthew Sluka? No problem for the Group of 5 CFP hopeful UNLV Rebels
It was quite the week for UNLV’s football program.
First came a late Tuesday social media post from starting quarterback Matthew Sluka, who announced his decision to sit out the rest of the season, redshirt and transfer amid alleged “representations” (NIL payments) that were not met.
Next came a PR messaging war that pitted UNLV and its NIL collective against Sluka’s camp. In the end, there was no executed written contract binding UNILV (yes, that’s the name of the collective) to any sort of payment obligation to Sluka.
On the field, UNLV needed to continue the momentum built by the program’s first 3–0 record in 40 years with the Fresno State Bulldogs in town to kick off Mountain West play.
The result? A 59–14 drubbing by the Rebels in which newly minted starter Hajj-Malik Williams accounted for 182 passing yards, 119 rushing yards and four total touchdowns.
After a week marked by tumult, the Rebels have come out on the other side with their most lopsided victory of the season and perhaps their first AP Top 25 ranking in program history come Sunday.
Facts About the Kentucky General Assembly
Discover key facts about the Kentucky General Assembly, including its history, structure, and state government functions.
FRANKFORT, Ky. — If the current legislative session was the Kentucky Derby, we’d be coming around the final turn and entering the stretch.
Feb. 9 marks the 42nd day of the 2026 Kentucky General Assembly, with 18 to go. Lawmakers will continue to meet daily for the next three weeks until the veto period begins in early April, with two more days at the Capitol after that for legislators to vote on overriding potential vetoes.
The filing deadlines for new bills were last week, and many pieces of legislation are moving quickly in Frankfort. Here’s a quick look at bills that advanced last week that will be worth watching:
SB 8 — A reworked PSC
Senate Bill 8 would change the member requirements for the Kentucky Public Service Commission — which regulates more than 1,100 utilities operating statewide — and add two new members who would be appointed by the state auditor, effectively diluting the governor’s power or oversight of PSC membership.
Under the bill, the chair of the commission would be elected amongst the commissioners, not appointed by the governor. The chair’s salary? Also determined by the commissioners.
Sen. Brandon Smith, R-Hazard, the bill’s sponsor, said the legislation will help support Kentuckians in reviewing utility rate cases and hopefully hasten the process.
Critics of the bill raised concerns about a section that would make the attorney general the sole representative for customers, requiring advocacy groups to prove a “special and unique” interest in the case — likely cutting advocacy groups out of the picture and preventing them from intervening in cases.
While on the floor, Smith introduced an amendment removing that section and creating a framework to allow advocates and organizations with legitimate interests to intervene.
Although the bill has passed the Senate, it will likely receive pushback from the governor’s office. In a Team Kentucky press conference, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear criticized the bill and the Republican-led legislature’s attempts at moving power from the governor’s office to the state auditor.
“They’ve done these shenanigans for six straight years,” Beshear said. “This is my sixth session as a governor, four as attorney general and a couple of special sessions. I’ve never seen them try to move something from a Republican officeholder to a Democratic officeholder, but I’ve seen them try to move a whole lot in the other direction.”
The bill passed 30-5 through the Senate on March 6. It now heads to the House.
SB 199 — Pesticide warnings
Senate Bill 199, sponsored by Sen. Jason Howell, R-Murray, would make any pesticide registered with the Kentucky Department of Agriculture or the Environmental Protection Agency that has an EPA-approved label automatically fit Kentucky’s warning label requirements. If passed, that would make it much more difficult for Kentuckians to sue pesticide manufacturers for adverse health risks later on.
Although it might not seem controversial at first glance, the bill united both hardline Republicans and Democrats on the Senate floor, with many raising concerns about the health risks of pesticide use. Several Republicans, including Sen. Lindsey Tichenor, R-Smithfield, Sen. Philip Wheeler, R-Pikeville, and Sen. Shelly Funke Frommeyer, R-Alexandria, spoke against the bill and questioned the lobbying power of chemical companies that manufacture pesticides.
Wheeler brought up previous chemical agents that were found to be major causes of cancer, including DDT and Agent Orange, as well as the $7.25 billion proposed settlement from Bayer to resolve thousands of lawsuit that claim its weedkilling product Roundup caused cancer.
“If we give immunity in these cases, we’re essentially saying, if these claims are later proven to be true, and some of them are in pending litigation, we’re basically saying that these Kentuckians don’t matter, these Kentuckians don’t deserve to collect,” Wheeler said.
The bill passed through the Senate on March 5 with a 23-13 vote and will head to the House.
HB 534 — Elections omnibus
House Bill 534, from Rep. DJ Johnson, R-Owensboro, drew significant scrutiny before passing through the House. The elections legislation with several notable changes to current law moved to the Senate on a 53-40 vote on March 5, with several Republicans joining Democrats in opposition.
Some of the bill’s notable provisions include:
● Monthly reviews of noncitizens on Kentucky voter rolls, with a requirement to remove names of ineligible voters and notification sent to the state’s attorney general, along with authorization for the State Board of Elections to work with the federal government to identify noncitizens who are registered to vote;
● Removing names of individuals convicted of a felony whose cases are currently on appeal from voter rolls;
● Allowing candidates for judicial office to publicly discuss their political party affiliation;
● And allowing Kentucky politicians who currently hold elected federal office to be a candidate for two different federal offices in one election, if one of the offices is decided by the United States Electoral College. The only office that applies to is U.S. president.
U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, a Republican who has not hesitated at times to vote against President Donald Trump’s policies, has not shut the door on speculation he may make a run for the White House in 2028. He would also be up for reelection that year as a U.S. senator, a role he’s held since early 2011. State Rep. Joshua Watkins, D-Louisville, was the only representative to speak out against the provision during the March 5 vote on the House floor.
Other Democrats spoke up with concerns about disenfranchising voters appealing felony convictions, in the event the verdicts against them were to be later overturned. And multiple party members were critical of the provisions pertaining to noncitizens, with Rep. Adrielle Camuel, D-Lexington, calling them “another example of a nonproblem” aimed at riling up voters to be concerned about “a very major situation that isn’t actually happening.”
The bill advanced on a relatively narrow margin and is pending in the Senate.
HB 593 — Data center energy costs
House Bill 593 was filed by Rep. Josh Bray, R-Mount Vernon, with a group of five co-sponsors that includes House Speaker David Osborne, R-Prospect. The legislation would take steps to ensure companies hoping to build data centers in Kentucky are legitimate and are able to take on additional energy costs instead of dropping them on consumers.
The bill from Bray, who previously co-chaired the legislature’s Artificial Intelligence Task Force, includes several clauses regulating data centers, which are critical for AI usage but often require huge amounts of energy, a hurdle that frequently draws community criticism.
The legislation requires a nonrefundable application fee of at least $75,000 — Senate President Robert Stivers, R-Manchester, said the clause could help scare off “cowboy developers” who buy large amounts of land in hopes of building a data center on the property but are unfamiliar with the development process — and requires the company to pay for an electric supplier study, with provisions aimed at ensuring the data center does not drive up service rates for non-data center customers.
The bill is on its way to the Senate after passing in the House on a 90-4 vote on March 4. It has not yet been given a committee assignment.
Reach Keely Doll at kdoll@courier-journal.com. Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com. Reach The Courier Journal’s politics team at cjpolitics@courier-journal.com.
2026 Kentucky Mr. and Miss basketball finalists lists
A look at the finalists for Kentucky’s top high school basketball honors, featuring regional Players of the Year.
The field is nearly set for the 2026 Clark’s Pump-N-Shop Girls Sweet 16.
The tournament is scheduled for Wednesday-Saturday, March 11-14, at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
The field will include at least nine of the 16 teams in the final Kentucky High School Basketball Media Poll — No. 1 George Rogers Clark, No. 2 Assumption, No. 3 Simon Kenton, No. 5 Calloway County, No. 7 North Laurel, No. 9 Taylor County, No. 11 Notre Dame, No. 14 Ashland Blazer and No. 15 Henderson County.
Fifteen regional champions have been decided. The last regional final is set set for Sunday night — Paul Dunbar (25-4) vs. No. 8 Frederick Douglass (23-7) in the 11th.
Here is the Sweet 16 schedule:
Wednesday, March 11
11 a.m. – 11th Region champion vs. Henderson County (24-9)
1:30 p.m. – Assumption (24-5) vs. Calloway County (33-2)
6 p.m. – Notre Dame (24-7) vs. Pikeville (22-8)
8:30 p.m. – Taylor County (27-6) vs. West Jessamine (22-12)
Thursday, March 12
11 a.m. – Bullitt East (19-12) vs. Franklin-Simpson (24-7)
1:30 p.m. – Ashland Blazer (26-5) vs. Simon Kenton (31-2)
6 p.m. – Owensboro Catholic (26-9) vs. Letcher County Central (23-10)
8:30 p.m. – George Rogers Clark (29-2) vs. North Laurel (25-6)
Friday, March 13
11 a.m. – Third Region champion-Henderson County winner vs. Assumption-Calloway County winner
1:30 p.m. – Notre Dame-Pikeville winner vs. Taylor County-West Jessamine winner
6 p.m. – Ashland Blazer-Simon Kenton winner vs. Owensboro Catholic-Letcher County Central winner
8:30 p.m. – Bullitt East-Franklin-Simpson winner vs. George Rogers Clark-North Laurel winner
Saturday, March 14
11 a.m. – Semifinal No. 1
1:30 p.m. – Semifinal No. 2
7:30 p.m. – Final
This story will be updated.
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Follow on X @kyhighs.
House Bill 585 is about making sure Kentucky works for the people who do the work, not just those at the top.
Rep. Morgan McGarvey speaks at ‘It’s Better in a Union’ AFL-CIO tour
US Rep. Morgan McGarvey spoke at the ‘It’s Better in a Union’ AFL-CIO bus tour in Louisville on July 26.
“Right-to-work” isn’t working in Kentucky.
Kentuckians are struggling to keep up with rising costs and it’s not hard to see. Workers’ wages are not keeping up with basic needs, such as housing, groceries, health care and childcare. Some people need multiple jobs just to feed their families. While hardworking Kentuckians struggle, the wealthy and well-connected continue to receive tax breaks and special treatment from politicians in Frankfort and Washington.
This didn’t happen by accident. This was by design.
In 2017, we saw a dramatic shift against working families. The first order of business for the new Republican majority in the Kentucky House was passing so-called “right-to-work” legislation, House Bill 1. This legislation weakened unions and led to lower pay for workers. Nearly a decade has passed, and workers are not thriving in Kentucky like they said they would.
Kentuckians want support for workers
Big business has virtually no limits on their influence in Frankfort. They spend exceedingly large amounts of money on lobbying the Kentucky supermajority to shape laws to further enrich themselves. When workers try to organize, demand fair wages, safe workplaces and decent benefits, big business uses the profits they’ve gathered off the backs of working people to directly advocate against them.
Some wealthy business interests claim “right-to-work” has contributed to the state’s economic growth over the past several years, but whose growth is it, really? The fact of the matter is corporate profits are soaring and executives are cashing in, while families are left scraping by.
It’s true Kentucky has seen record-breaking economic momentum under the leadership of Gov. Andy Beshear, including $43 billion in private sector investments and over 63,000 new jobs. However, Beshear agrees Kentucky can attract businesses and investment without simultaneously suppressing unions.
A recent statewide poll conducted by KyPolicy found that 85% of Kentucky voters want the state legislature to prioritize raising worker pay and improving worker benefits. This poll also found that 60% of Kentuckians support making it easier for workers to join or form a union.
Kentuckians are telling us they want us to focus on supporting workers, and our colleagues in the General Assembly should listen.
A fight worth having
Bad faith politicians in Frankfort will tell you we have a worker shortage. They pin the problem on Kentuckians not willing to work, and absolve big business from any accountability. But in reality, we have a wage problem. Repealing “right-to-work” is a necessary step toward fixing that imbalance.
That’s why we have introduced House Bill 585, legislation to repeal Kentucky’s “right-to-work” law and restore Kentucky’s ability to have strong unions fighting for workers’ rights. House Bill 585 is about making sure Kentucky works for the people who do the work, not just those at the top.
Across the country, states with stronger unions have higher wages, better benefits and safer workplaces. Union workers earn more, are more likely to have health insurance and retirement security and are better protected on the job. When unions are strong, workers are strong.
This is a fight worth having. It’s a fight working people are ready for, and it’s a fight we cannot afford to keep putting off.
Standing together is how workers have always won dignity, fairness and opportunity. This is how Kentucky can build a stronger future for everyone.
Working Kentuckians deserve better.
Rep. Chad Aull represents Kentucky’s 79th House District in Lexington
Rep. Adrielle Camuel represents Kentucky’s 93rd House District in Lexington
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