by Andrew Hardison
As the winter month arrive, it is easy to realize how good these months have been to the Kentucky football program.
Three straight bowl bids and victories to boot now have the Wildcats in a position to do something no other head coach in the school’s history has ever done.
Win four straight bowl games.
That opportunity comes Sunday night when Kentucky faces off against Clemson in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, Tennessee.
As the game has yet to be played, let’s take a look at my favorite bowl game memories and take a look into Kentucky’s recent history.
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It all started in 2006. Rich Brooks had been at Kentucky for three years, toiling to get his program where he wanted it to be. That season was as good as any for the program, but it was the 2009 victory over East Carolina in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl that stands out most to me.
Not because it was the first or because it was the last, but because of the theatrics that took place during the game making it one of the more exciting bowl games of the 2008-2009 seasons.
The matchup wasn’t the glitzy, glamour matchup that other games might provide. Florida vs. Oklahoma, Alabama vs. Utah, Cincinnati vs. Virginia Tech were all matchups that garnered more headlines, but the game between the Wildcats and the Pirates of East Carolina trumped all of them with exciting plays, bone-crushing hits, and a forearm shiver that sent the commentators booth into hysteria at what they’d just seen.
Not only was it the theatrics of the game, but it was the pleasure of seeing an old head coach like Rich Brooks continue his ever increasing success at one of the SEC’s more ‘unknown’ football programs.
Brooks’ mission upon his arrival to Kentucky was to turn the program around. Having been placed on probation because of the actions of his predecessors, Brooks had to struggle to get the team to where he wanted it. With guys like Rafael Little, Wesley Woodyard, Andre Woodson, Jacob Tamme, and Keenan Burton, the Wildcats began to make some noise throughout the nation.
As said before 2006 was the start. 2009 was the continuance of something special.
The players weren’t the same but the results were. The fact that Kentucky had come this far and now had a chance to win a third straight bowl game hinged on the outcome of this game, a feat that would become easier said than done.
With three minutes left in the fourth, the game was tied at 19 apiece. That’s when it all happened.
With East Carolina driving down the field for a last minute opportunity at winning the game, Norman Whitley took a handoff from quarterback Patrick Pinkney. The idea was to keep the clock rolling, giving Kentucky absolutely zero chance at come back for the victory. That idea however, was reversed when Whitley lost the ball and fumbled it at middle field.
Kentucky senior defensive lineman Ventrell Jenkins scooped the ball up and proceeded to ‘chug’ like a freight train downfield looking to take it back for six. There was one problem however.
ECU quarterback Patrick Pinkney stood in his way, but Jenkins would have none of it. An earth-shattering, bone-jarring stiff arm later to the helmet of Pinkney led Jenkins into the end-zone for what would turn out to be the game-winning play.
The play itself was something that you don’t regularly see. A defensive linemen maneuvering on the field like that, just doesn’t happen all the time. The play tickled ESPN commentator Bob Davie so much that he just had to say it, “an instant classic Mark Jones.” The 2009 Liberty Bowl was just that.
It had the spectacular plays, the hits, fumbles, and one stiff arm that was heard round the world.
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As the 2009 season comes to an end, Kentucky has the opportunity to make history again all in the same year.
If Kentucky beats Clemson on December 27th, 2009, it will have achieved a feat none of us would have expected six years ago when the program was in disarray. Six years later, the Wildcats are primed to make history.
I know I can’t wait.
***** PROGRAMMING NOTE *****
This is just part of a whole day of Wildcat football memories on the site. Keep checking back throughout the day today as we will have more bowl memories and thoughts throughout the day. Stay tuned for these football columns later today:
3:00 PM: Ken Howlett from “A Sea of Blue”
Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kentucky fans for Kentucky fans