Kentucky
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.
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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.”
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
Check Cash Ball payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 3
Evening: 4-1-5
Midday: 3-6-9
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Pick 4
Evening: 9-6-4-3
Midday: 5-1-4-5
Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball
15-41-46-47-56, Powerball: 22, Power Play: 2
Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.
Powerball Double Play
06-27-58-61-65, Powerball: 14
Millionaire for Life
08-11-17-29-49, Bonus: 02
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
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.
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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