Kentucky
Kirby Smart again warned about tough trip to Kentucky for UGA football. Dawgs won dogfight
LEXINGTON, Ky.—Whenever Kentucky shows up on the Georgia football schedule, Kirby Smart sounds sort of like a broken record.
It’s usually the most physical game Georgia plays every year. Going on the road to play the Wildcats is about as much fun as a root canal.
That was the case again this week even with the No. 1 Bulldogs more than a three-touchdown favorite.
Smart sat in a cramped interview room late Saturday night in the bowels of Kroger Field after the Bulldogs edged Kentucky 13-12. The same Wildcats team that got boatraced by South Carolina 31-6 a week ago on the same field.
“I tried to tell everybody all week, nobody would listen to me,” Smart said. “I know what this team is made out of. I know how tough he coaches. …When they get disrespected like they did last week and they listen to it for a week, they come out ready to play.”
Smart said he thinks his players bought into how good he thought Kentucky is, but that playing in Lexington is a tough environment even though the Wildcats lost for the seventh time in the last eight home games.
Georgia won on its last trip here in 2022, 16-6, and has won by an average of 8.4 points in Lexington in five trips under Smart.
“They play really well against us,” Smart said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Mark (Stoops) and the defense. They do a great job. …I think people looked a lot at last year’s game (a 51-13 Georgia win) and a lot of things happened bad for them early. It kind of snowballed and got away from that. I know playing up here, that can happen, too.”
He felt that happening to Georgia, too, this time.
“There were moments that it was starting to slide, right, for us,” Smart said. “Penalties, things happen. We responded to it. A true sign of a great fighter is not how hard you punch, but what punches can you take.”
Smart brought up other tougher-than-expected road wins in recent years—26-22 at Missouri in 2022 and 27-20 at Auburn last season.
“A lot of teams look at Georgia and think we’re going to beat everybody,” said wide receiver Dominic Lovett who led the Bulldogs with 6 catches for 89 yards after having just 18 yards receiving in the first half. “You’ve got to understand other teams have good players, too, and they’re physical too.”
Georgia, the nation’s No. 1 team, was firing blanks on offense in the first half with a slow start.
“Got to block em. Shock,” coach Kirby Smart told radio sideline reporter D.J. Shockley after the Bulldogs had just 63 first half yards and trailed 6-3. “We aint blocking them. …They’ve been the aggressor.”
Quarterback Carson Beck closed the game completing 10 of his last 12 passes on a day he finished 15 of 24 for 160 yards passing.
“We’re not going to bow down to a battle,” Beck said.
Cornerback Julian Humphrey mentioned fighting “blow-by-blow,” which seemed to be a theme in the Georgia locker room.
“We thought this would be a blow-by-blow game,” Smart said. “We said the first chop of the tree doesn’t chop the tree down. It takes sometimes 272 axe chops and it took every single one tonight to get the job done.”
As we continue to go position group by position group and project what each unit will look like for the 2026 Kentucky Wildcats, we will now look at the safety room. This position is led by two of the most experienced safeties in the conference with Ty Bryant and Florida transfer Jordan Castell. The safety position is heavily relied upon in defensive coordinator Jay Bateman’s scheme. Having experience is paramount for this group, as Coach Bateman will call creative looks for disguised coverages which will create plenty of safety rotations pre-snap and post-snap.
Starters
I think it is safe to assume that the new staff made it a priority to retain Ty Bryant and Willie Rodriguez more than any other returning players on the roster. Bryant was voted second team All-SEC by coaches last season and is one of the best safeties in the conference. He was the team’s leading tackler a year ago with 76 total and led the SEC with four interceptions. Bryant is a do-it-all safety that has a nose for the football and is expected to be the leader of the defense this fall.
Jordan Castell transferred over from the Florida Gators, where he started over 30 games in his career. Castell is a long, rangy safety that knows what it takes to play at an SEC level. He started as a true freshman at Florida and earned freshman All-SEC honors in 2023. Over his three seasons with the Gators, Castell has totaled 169 tackles, 13 pass breakups and three interceptions.
If things go as planned, these two will rarely come off the field this season. Bryant has natural playmaking ability on the back end as a ball hawking safety and is coming off the best season of his career. Castell has ideal length for the position and has shown the ability to make big time plays in this conference. Bryant and Castell form one of the best safety tandems in the SEC and will be a key to the defensive success in 2026.
Backups
- Dyllon Williams
- Jesse Anderson
Dyllon Williams is a 6’2, 191-pound redshirt freshman that got his feet wet last season in limited snaps. Williams only saw action against Eastern Michigan, Florida and Vanderbilt a year ago. Ideally, I don’t expect him to see much of an increase in playing time this season but it will be interesting to see how he progresses when he does get on the field. Coach Bateman does like to throw three safety looks at opposing offenses, but that will likely be manned by the slot corner position group.
Jesse Anderson is a transfer from Pitt that brings some experience to the depth of this room. In three seasons at Pitt, he has received snaps in 23 games as a rotational safety. I wouldn’t expect his role to change, he will be a rotational guy in this group as well and brings much needed experience in a backup role. Anderson is on the smaller side at 6’0, 186-pounds.
Like I previously mentioned, Coach Bateman likes to keep offenses off balance with three safety looks in coverage. However, I expect the slot corners to be heavily involved in those formations, which will be Aaron Gates and Jaden Smith. We will group the slot corners in with the cornerbacks when we preview that position group. Overall, this safety room is a strength of the team although it is hinged on the experienced duo of Bryant and Castell.
13 things more likely to happen than winning the Powerball jackpot
Hoping to win the Powerball jackpot? Here are 13 things more likely to happen than becoming an instant millionaire.
The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at Saturday, May 9, 2026 winning numbers for each game.
Cash Ball
08-15-20-35, Cash Ball: 21
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Pick 3
Evening: 4-1-5
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Evening: 9-6-4-3
Midday: 5-1-4-5
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Powerball
15-41-46-47-56, Powerball: 22, Power Play: 2
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06-27-58-61-65, Powerball: 14
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Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
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Top headlines of the week, May 8 2026
Here are some stories you may have missed this week in central Ohio.
Authorities said a body recovered May 4 from the Ohio River in northeast Kentucky has been identified as a Columbus man, Dispatch news partner NBC4/WMCH-TV reported.
Lewis County Sheriff Johnny Bivens said the body has been identified as Jason D. Frisbie, 38, of Columbus. Bivens said authorities in Kentucky worked with Ohio officials to identify Frisbie this week.
Bivens said Lewis County took a call around 4:30 p.m. May 4 about a body in the river in Vanceburg, Kentucky, a few miles south of Ohio’s Shawnee State Park. Bivens said responding agencies took the body to the Kentucky State Medical Examiner’s Office.
Lewis County authorities asked for public help identifying the body. On May 9, Bivens confirmed Frisbie’s identity after working with Ohio officials and local responders.
Bivens said the death remains under investigation, and authorities did not offer information about a suspected cause.
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