Kentucky

Patience Pays Off for Kentucky During Late Night with Lightning Delays

Published

4 months ago

September 1, 2024

Patience Pays Off for Kentucky During Late Night with Lightning Delays

Brock Vandagriff has been waiting his whole life for the chance to start in a college football game. Ahead of this momentous occasion, he had a feeling he would not be able to sleep. Once he finally arrived in the team locker room, he was ready to roll, but the quarterback had to wait, and wait, and wait.

Kentucky’s season-opening game was delayed for more than two hours before the Cats finally kicked off against the Golden Eagles. During those two hours, Big Blue Nation was getting rowdy in the stands, ready to cheer on the Wildcats. Vandagriff was prepared to hit the field but had to remain patient. Once he started throwing the ball, we learned that patience is one of his strengths.

“It was kind of the first time I’ve ever had any monster delay like this. It’s definitely different,” the quarterback said after midnight on Sunday morning.

“There were several times where we’re getting up, putting our shoulder pads on, getting ready to walk out. ‘Naw, you gotta go back.’ It happened two or three times. Then finally, people just took off their shoulder pads and were laying on the ground. It’s definitely different, trying to get mentally ready three different times. But at the end of the day, both teams had to do it.”

Despite the circumstances, the Kentucky Wildcats had no other choice but to stay locked in and mentally prepared.

“It’s a game. It’s a game, right? Right. The record’s on the line, right? Stay locked in. Ball is ball,” said Jamon Dumas-Johnson. “We were going to stay out here till midnight to play if we had to.”

Patience Turns Into Production

Kentucky’s patience paid off. It took no time for Dumas-Johnson to pop. He picked off a pass on his second play in a Kentucky uniform. Vandagriff and the Kentucky offense did not immediately settle in, but once they found a rhythm, they were Brocking and rolling. Vandagriff completed 12-of-18 passes for 169 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. He also used his legs to move the chains, rushing for 35 yards.

“He played like I thought he would, and he’s not perfect, and none of our team is,” said Mark Stoops. “But I think there’s a lot to build on that. We all know that the challenge is going to step up starting this week, but I really like what I saw.”

Patience eventually produced points as Vandagriff kept plays alive with his legs before dialing up balls down the field. The offense was hitting another gear in the third quarter when he connected with Ja’Mori Maclin for a 46-yard gain. His final pass of the day was a touchdown to Jordan Dingle, the final play from scrimmage before lightning prematurely ended the game.

More postgame coverage is on the way on the KSR YouTube Channel. Subscribe today to see press conferences, interviews, Rapid Reaction, and more.

Late Night is an Early Wake Up Call for Vandagriff

The initial lightning delay lasted longer than the 1:43 that Kentucky actually spent on the field against Southern Miss. Stoops was pleased with his team’s limited performance and proud of their composure through the lengthy distraction. Now it’s time to get some rest and move on to next week’s matchup with South Carolina.

“We’ll make the most of it and I’m proud of our guys. We got to get back to work. We got a league game next week, so we’ve got to get some sleep. It’s late for these guys getting out of here. They got to get home and try to get some sleep. I’m sure they’re going to go right home and get to bed,” Stoops joked.

Stoops doesn’t have to worry about his quarterback. After a rough night of sleep, Vandagriff was ready to exhale and unwind following his first collegiate start.

“It’s gonna be tough waking up for church tomorrow,” said Vandagriff. “Last night wasn’t the best night’s sleep, but that’s normal at this point. But obviously this is way past my bedtime, even on a normal night. It’ll be rough waking up for church, but we’ll be there.”

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Related Topics:Brock Vandagriff (21 - Prince Avenue Christian School)Featured Jamon Dumas-Johnson (21 - St. Frances Academy)

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Kentucky

Kentucky AG: Kroger ‘allowed the fire of addiction to spread,’ announces $110M settlement

Published

1 hour ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Kentucky AG: Kroger ‘allowed the fire of addiction to spread,’ announces 0M settlement

COVINGTON, Ky. ‒ Kentucky Attorney General Russell Coleman announced Thursday a $110 million settlement with Cincinnati-based Kroger in his lawsuit against the grocer for its role in the opioid crisis.

Speaking at a press conference event at the Life Learning Center across the Ohio River from Cincinnati in Northern Kentucky, Coleman said Kroger fueled the opioid epidemic by prescribing the drugs with “shockingly” little oversight or means of reporting suspicious activity.

“(They) allowed the fire of addiction to spread,” Coleman said.

Kroger did not have an immediate response.

Why Kentucky sued Kroger

His office said the agreement is one of the largest opioid settlements in recent Kentucky history and ends one of his major lawsuits launched in 2024.

Last year, Coleman sued Kroger and pharmacy benefits managers Express Scripts and Optum Rx in separate lawsuits for their roles in Kentucky’s opioid epidemic.

Kroger is a $150 billion retailer with a pharmacy business that accounts for $14.3 billion of its annual revenues. Express Scripts is a subsidiary of Connecticutt-based health company Cigna Group. Optum is part of Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group.

Coleman, a Republican, took office last year after being elected in 2023.

The Enquirer will update this story

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Kentucky

Kentucky Lottery Cash Ball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Jan. 8, 2025

Published

9 hours ago

January 9, 2025

Press Room

Kentucky Lottery Cash Ball, Lucky For Life winning numbers for Jan. 8, 2025

The Kentucky Lottery offers multiple draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025 winning numbers for each game

Cash Ball

03-04-15-34, Cash Ball: 24

Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.

Lucky For Life

13-14-24-37-38, Lucky Ball: 13

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 3

Evening: 8-0-6

Midday: 9-8-2

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Pick 4

Evening: 3-5-9-9

Midday: 8-3-3-2

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Powerball

01-20-36-38-43, Powerball: 24, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Powerball Double Play

22-29-36-61-65, Powerball: 17

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Courier Journal digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.

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Kentucky

Mark Pope recaps Kentucky vs. Georgia, plus postgame notes

Published

17 hours ago

January 8, 2025

Press Room

Mark Pope recaps Kentucky vs. Georgia, plus postgame notes

The Kentucky Wildcats took another tough loss on the road and now stand at 0-2 in true road games after falling to the Georgia Bulldogs, 82-69.

The Cats also struggled to score, managing only 69 points and seeing only three players in double figures after putting up 106 against a top-10 Florida team and having six players with 14 or more points. Kentucky also shot just 27% from 3-point range, making it hard to win in any venue for a team that relies so heavily on shooting from deep.

Georgia’s increased physicality added to Kentucky’s troubles, with foul trouble being a constant issue throughout the game for the Cats. They were outrebounded 43-34.

Despite being 3-0 against top-10 teams this season, Kentucky now has three unranked losses. They’ll have a chance to bounce back as they travel to No. 14 Mississippi State, aiming for their first road win of the season.

And here are the postgame notes via UK Athletics.

Team Records and Series Notes

Kentucky is now 12-3, 1-1 in the Southeastern Conference. Georgia is 13-2 overall, 1-1 in league play.
Kentucky leads the series 132-29, including 44-20 in Athens.
Mark Pope is 199-111 as head coach, including 12-3 at Kentucky.
Next for Kentucky: the Wildcats stay on the road Saturday at Mississippi State. Game time is 8:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. in Starkville) and it will be televised on the SEC Network.

Team Notes

Kentucky made 15 of 19 free throws (78.9 percent), the fourth straight game the Wildcats have made at least 75 percent at the foul line.

Player Notes

Lamont Butler led the Wildcats with 20 points, his eighth double-figure game of the season and second game with at least 20.
He also had a season-high four steals, his third straight game with at least three thefts.
Playing a season-high 27 minutes, Brandon Garrison had a season-high 13 points and collected five rebounds, two assists, two steals and two blocked shots.
Otega Oweh had 12 points and has scored in double figures in every game this season. He also led UK in rebounds with seven, the first time this season he has paced the Wildcats in the boardwork.

In the First Half

Kentucky’s starters were Lamont Butler, Jaxson Robinson, Otega Oweh, Andrew Carr and Amari Williams. UK has a 10-3 record with this lineup.
Koby Brea and Travis Perry were the first substitutions at 16:18.
Kentucky was ahead 23-19 but Georgia closed the half with a 28-11 run and took a 47-34 lead into the locker room. UK is 2-3 this season when trailing at halftime.

In the Second Half

Kentucky began the second half with the starters.
The Wildcats chipped away, cutting the margin to 55-50, coaxing a Georgia timeout at 12:02.
Kentucky got no closer as Georgia held steady for the win.

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