Kentucky Football: The Thrill Of Victory And The Agony Of Defeat: #1

Well Kentucky football fans, we’ve finally arrived at the top. After 9 days of counting down I am about to unveil the #1 Kentucky Football Biggest Victory and the #1 Kentucky Football Heartbreaking Loss of the past 25 seasons. I won’t keep you waiting, so without further ado, here are my #1 games:

#1 Biggest Victory: #17 Kentucky 43 #1 LSU 37 (3 Overtimes) – October 13th, 2007 Commonwealth Stadium
Kentucky was enjoying one of their most successful seasons in a long time heading into the LSU game in 2007. The Wildcats had a 5-1 record and ranked #17 in the latest AP Poll, their first time appearing in the AP Poll since the final poll for the 1984 season. And Kentucky started out the season 5-0, the first time since 1984, before losing to South Carolina 38-23 down in Columbia in the previous week. LSU was a perfect 6-0 heading into the game and ranked #1 in the latest AP Poll. Kentucky didn’t really have a history of success playing against teams ranked #1 in the AP Poll, having a 2-8 record in their previous 10 meetings against schools with the nation’s top ranking, including losing the last 4 meetings by a combined score of 224-49. And the Tigers had the Wildcats’ number of late, winning the last 4 meetings between the two schools by a combined score of 145-55, including an embarrassing 49-0 blowout down in Baton Rouge in 2006.

The first quarter started off slowly as both teams punted on their first two offensive possessions each. But on Kentucky’s third possession of the game they finally got their offense going. Starting their drive on LSU’s 49 yard line, the Wildcats marched the ball down the field in twelve plays and scored when, on 3rd and goal on the 2 yard line, quarterback Andre Woodson’s pass threw a pass into the endzone that was deflected and luckily hauled in by tight end T.C. Drake. Kentucky had the first lead of the game at 7-0 with three minutes left in the first quarter. LSU responded on their very next drive though. On the sixth play of their possession, on a 2nd and 16 on their own 44 yard line, running back Charles Scott broke a couple tackles and rumbled down the left sidelines for 55 yards before being tackled down at the 1 yard line. The first quarter ended on that play with Kentucky leading 7-0 heading into the second quarter.

The Tigers didn’t waste much time getting on the scoreboard when Scott ran in from 1 yard out on their first play of the second quarter and the game was tied at 7 with 14:55 left in the second quarter. After a Kentucky punt, LSU marched the ball down the field yet again and took their first lead of the game on a 31-yard field goal by kicker Colt David. LSU was up 10-7 with 5:45 left in the first half. Then momentum was fully on the Tigers side. On Kentucky’s first play from scrimmage after LSU’s touchdown, Woodson threw a pass that was interepted by cornerback Chevis Jackson and returned the pick to Kentucky’s 46 yard line. LSU capitalized on Woodson’s bad throw by scoring on a 13 yard touchdown run by Scott on the eighth play of their drive. Suddenly LSU had scored 17 unanswered points and were leading 17-7 with 1:50 left in the second quarter. But Kentucky responded and responded quickly on their next drive. Facing a 1st and 10 on their own 37 yard line Woodson threw a wheel route to wide receiver Steve Johnson and Johnson was tackled 51 yards later on LSU’s 12 yard line. Two plays later Woodson dropped back to pass, saw that no one was open, and ran in untouched from 12 yards out to cut LSU’s lead to 17-14 with 1:05 left in the first half. The score remained 17-14 heading into halftime.

LSU received the ball to start the third quarter and their offense picked up where they left off at the end of the second quarter. After a key 44 yard kickoff return by speedster Trindon Holliday, LSU had the ball on their own 48 yard line. The Tigers moved the ball down the field in twelve plays and scored when quarterback Matt Flynn threw a 4 yard touchdown pass to tight end Richard Dickson and LSU’s lead was extended to 24-14 with 9:15 left in the third quarter. Then the Tigers defense stepped up once again and added to their momentum. On Kentucky’s third play from scrimmage after LSU’s touchdown, Woodson threw a pass that was intercepted by Chad Jones and the Tigers had the ball on their own 49 yard line. Once again, LSU capitalized on a Kentucky turnover. The Tigers capped off an eleven play drive with a 30-yard field goal by David and LSU’s lead was now a commanding 27-14 with 3:50 left in the third quarter. The Wildcats weren’t going to go down without a fight though and responded on their very next drive. Starting on their own 18 yard line, Kentucky moved the ball down the field efficiently and on the seventh play of their drive Woodson found tight end Jacob Tamme in the endzone for an eight yard touchdown pass and LSU’s lead was cut to 27-21 with 1:15 left in the third quarter. The score remained at 27-21 heading into the fourth quarter.

Kentucky was slowly gaining back the momentum on their first drive of the fourth quarter. Starting on their own 37 yard line, the Wildcats slowly but surely advanced the football towards the endzone. On the thirteenth play of the drive kicker Lones Seiber was successful on a 33-yard field goal attempt and LSU’s lead was slimmed down to 27-24 with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. It was then Kentucky’s defense that finally stepped up and put momentum fully in the Wildcats favor. On LSU’s second play of their drive following Kentucky’s touchdown, Flynn’s deep pass was intercepted by cornerback Trevard Lindley and the Wildcats had the ball on their own 38 yard line. Kentucky capitalized on the turnover with a seven play drive, including a 35 yard pass from Woodson to Johnson, that ended with a 27-yard field goal by Seiber and suddenly the game was all tied up at 27 with 4:25 left in the fourth quarter. But the Tigers had one final drive left in them before the clock ran out. In twelve plays LSU advanced the ball from their own 16 yard line to Kentucky’s 40 yard line and with 2 seconds left the Tigers elected to try a long 57-yard field goal. David’s kick was on line but hooked just to the left of the goalpost and the teams headed into overtime tied at 27 after Kentucky erased a 13 point deficit.

Kentucky had the ball first in overtime and scored six plays into their drive on a 1 yard touchdown run by running back Derrick Locke and Kentucky led 34-27 with LSU getting their chance at a score of their own. The Tigers responded with a touchdown of their own when Richard Murphy ran into the endzone from 2 yards out and the teams went into a second overtime tied at 34.

LSU started with possession of the ball in the second overtime. Kentucky’s defense stopped the Tigers at the 21 yard line and forced a 38-yard field goal. David’s kick was good and LSU led 37-34 with Kentucky now getting the ball. After three straight incomplete passes by Woodson the Wildcats were left with a long field goal attempt. But Seiber successfully made the 43-yard attempt and the
teams were headed to a third overtime tied at 37.

The Wildcats got the ball to start the third overtime. After moving the ball down to the 2 yard line Kentucky had a delay of game penalty that moved the ball back to the 7 yard line. Then came the play of the game. On 3rd and goal from the 7 yard line, quarterback Andre Woodson pump faked and threw a pass towards the right corner of the endzone towards wide receiver Steve Johnson. Woodson was hit hard as soon as he let go of the ball but Johnson hauled in the touchdown catch after LSU’s cornerback Jonathan Zenon was beat off the line and the pump fake. Having to go for a 2-point conversion, Woodson threw a pass once again to Johnson but it was incomplete this time and Kentucky had the lead at 43-37 with LSU getting a chance to score. The Tigers started their drive with three straight runs by running back Jacob Hester. Then, facing a 4th and 2 on the 17 yard line, the Tigers had no choice but to go for the first down to keep the drive alive. But the Wildcats defense stepped up huge when running back Charles Scott took the handoff from quarterback Matt Flynn and was tackled by linebacker Braxton Kelley short of the first down. Kentucky won the game 43-37 in three overtimes and thousands of fans rushed the field in jubilation. I was one of the lucky fans who got to witness this great victory and rushed the field myself, I was a senior at Kentucky at the time.

After poor showings against #1 teams in recent memory, the Wildcats finally broke through for their first victory against a top-ranked team since defeating Ole Miss 27-21 in 1964. It was also Kentucky’s first victory against LSU since they defeated them 31-5 in 1999. LSU ran all over the Wildcats defense throughout the game, 261 yards, but it was penalties that did the Tigers in. LSU was flagged 12 times for 103 yards. Steve Johnson was the spark for the Wildcats’ offense, catching 7 balls for 134 yards. Kentucky won two of their last six games of the season, including a 35-28 victory over Florida State in the Music City Bowl, to finish 2007 with an 8-5 record. LSU won six of their last seven games of the season, including a 38-24 victory over Ohio State in the BCS National Championship Game, and finished their season at 12-2. That is correct, the Kentucky Wildcats beat the eventual national champions, quite an amazing feat in Kentucky football history.

#1 Heartbreaking Loss: Kentucky 50 #19 Tennessee 52 (4 Overtimes) – November 24th, 2007 Commonwealth Stadium
Kentucky and Tennessee both entered the annual border battle in 2007 with successful seasons up until that point. The Wildcats had a 7-4 record going into the game, but lost to #8 Georgia 24-13 down in Athens the week before. The Volunteers were 8-3 going into Commonwealth Stadium, ranked #19 in the latest AP Poll, and riding a 4 game win streak. But, even if the two teams were evenly matched on the field, it was the history between the two schools that definitely gave Tennessee the upperhand. Almost every fan on both sides knew about the “streaks”. The last time Kentucky defeated Tennessee was 1984, the last time Kentucky defeated Tennessee in Lexington was 1981, the last time Kentucky defeated a ranked Tennessee team was 1959, etc. Tennessee had won 38 of the previous 42 meetings between the two schools, including the last 22 meetings by a combined score of 831-340.

Tennessee received the ball to start the first quarter and the game couldn’t have gotten off to a worse for the Wildcats. On the very first play from scrimmage for the Volunteers, quarterback Erik Ainge threw a short pass to running back Arian Foster and Foster did the rest, breaking tackles and reversing the field, going 65 yards to the endzone. Before most fans could sit down Tennessee already had the lead at 7-0 with 14:45 left in the first quarter. After Kentucky couldn’t muster any offense on their first drive they punted the ball back to Tennessee. But the Wildcats defense stepped up after their poor execution on the Volunteers’ first play. Facing a 4th and 4 at Kentucky’s 34 yard line, Tennessee head coach Phillip Fulmer elected to not attempt a long field goal and go for a first down. Ainge’s pass was complete to Foster but he was stuffed at the line of scrimmage and the Volunteers came away with no points. But once again Kentucky couldn’t muster up any offense and the punted the ball back to Tennessee. This time Tennessee took advantage on their ensuing possession. Starting on their own 17 yard line, the Volunteers moved the ball down the field in only four plays, including a 59 yard pass from Ainge to tight end Brad Cottam, and scored on a 18 yard pass from Ainge to wide receiver Lucas Taylor. Tennessee’s lead was extended to 14-0 with 4:20 left in the first quarter. Kentucky’s offensive woes continued as they had a 3-and-out and once again punted the ball back to the Volunteers. But this time the Wildcats got a little luck on special teams. Facing a 4th and 9 at Kentucky’s 30 yard line, the Volunteers elected to attempt at 47-yard field goal attempt. But kicker Daniel Lincoln’s kick was off target and the lead remained at 14-0 going into the second quarter.

Kentucky’s offense finally showed a spark on their first drive of the second quarter. The Wildcats capped off an eleven play, 70 yard drive with a 17 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Andre Woodson to wide receiver Steve Johnson and Tennessee’s lead was cut to 14-7 with 12:15 left in the second quarter. But the Volunteers responded with a score of their own. Lincoln was successful on a 45-yard field goal as Tennessee’s lead was extended to 17-7 with 9 minutes left in the second quarter. Then, late in the second quarter, both teams exchanged turnovers. On 1st and 10 on Kentucky’s 44 yard line, Ainge threw a pass that was intercepted by cornerback Paul Warford at Kentucky’s 31 yard line. On the very next play, Woodson’s pass was intercepted by Xavier Mitchell and returned to the Kentucky 17 yard line. Two plays later Ainge hooked up with Quintin Hancock on a 15 yard touchdown pass and the Volunteers took a commanding 24-7 with 20 seconds left in the second quarter. After a short kickoff, a completed pass, and personal foul penalty on Tennessee, Kentucky had the ball on the Tennessee 34 yard line and elected a long field goal attempt for the final play of the first half. Seiber’s kick was well short though and the lead remained at 24-7 heading into halftime.

Kentucky received the ball to start the second half and their offense showed that the coaches definitely made adjustments in the locker room at halftime. The Wildcats started on their own 20 yard line and moved the ball down the field methodically and efficiently. On the fourteenth play of the drive Woodson connected on a 5 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Dicky Lyons, Jr. and Tennessee’s was cut to 24-14 with 9:35 left in the third quarter. Both teams exchanged punts throughout most of the third quarter before Tennessee got a break on defense. On 2nd and 4 on their own 34 yard line, Woodson was sacked by Demonte Bolden and the ball was knocked loose and the Volunteers recovered the fumble at Kentucky’s 30 yard line. Tennessee wasted no time, scoring five plays later on a 2 yard touchdown pass from Ainge to Jeff Cottam and the Volunteers’ lead was back to 17 points at 31-14 with a minute and a half left in the third quarter. Once again Kentucky responded with a great drive of their own. Starting the drive on their own 22 yard line, Kentucky moved the ball down the field in only six plays, including a
key 40 yard pass from Woodson to tight end Jacob Tamme, and scored when Woodson hooked up with Tamme again on a 2 yard touchdown pass with only 1 second remaining in the third quarter. Tennessee’s lead was slimmed down to 31-21 heading into the fourth quarter.

Kentucky’s defense quickly shifted the momentum of the game early in the fourth quarter. On Tennessee’s fourth play of the quarter, Ainge’s pass was intercepted by cornerback Trevard Lindley at Tennessee’s 38 yard line. Unfortunately Kentucky’s offense responded with a 3-and-out and punted the ball back to the Volunteers. But the Wildcats’ defense stepped up yet again. Facing a 4th and 3 on Kentucky’s 33 yard line, Fulmer for the second time in the game elected to not attempt a long field goal and go for the first down. But Ainge’s pass intended for Taylor was incomplete and Kentucky regained possession of the football. This time though the Kentucky offense picked up where the Kentucky defense left off. The Wildcats marched 66 yards down the field in eight plays and ended the drive on an 8 yard touchdown pass from Woodson to wide receiver Steve Johnson and Tennessee’s lead was now just 31-28 with 6:15 left in the fourth quarter. After both teams exchanged punts again Kentucky got the ball back at their own 9 yard line with three and a half minutes left in the fourth quarter. Knowing that this could possibly be their last chance to tie or take the lead in the game, the Wildcats gave it their all on the drive and it showed. In sixteen plays Kentucky advanced the ball from their own 9 yard line to Tennessee’s 1 yard line with 8 seconds left in the fourth quarter. On the next play Woodson bobbled the snap and had to quickly throw a pass to wide receiver Keenan Burton that was incomplete and only 1 second remained on the clock. Head coach Rich Brooks elected to go for the tie and attempt the 18-yard field goal. Seiber’s kick was good and the game was going into overtime tied at 31. The Wildcats had erased a 17 point deficit late in the third quarter.

Kentucky had possession of the ball first in overtime. After an incompletion on first down, Woodson hooked up with Burton on consecutive passes and scored from 8 yards out and the Wildcats led 38-31 with Tennessee getting a chance to score. On the fourth play of their drive Ainge completed a 10 yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Gerald Jones and the teams were headed to a second overtime tied at 38.

Tennessee started on offense in the second overtime but it was the Kentucky defense that provided a spark. On 2nd and 6 at the 21 yard line, Ainge’s pass headed towards the endzone was deflected by Lindley and intercepted by linebacker Sam Maxwell at the 1 yard line as Tennessee’s chance to score had ended. With Kentucky only needing a field goal to win the game, the fans at Commonwealth Stadium were confident that this was finally going to be the year that “the streak” would end. But, after three consecutive runs by running back Rafael Little, the Wildcats faced a 4th and 2 on the 17 yard line. Kentucky elected to attempt a 34-yard field goal instead of going for the first down. Tennessee defensive tackle Dan Williams went right through the middle of the line and blocked Seiber’s kick with his facemask as the teams went to a third overtime.

Kentucky started on offense in the third overtime and rebounded from the blocked field goal. On the fourth play of the drive Woodson threw an 11 yard touchdown pass to Burton. Having to try a 2-point conversion since the game had reached the third overtime, Woodson’s pass was incomplete and the Wildcats led 44-38 with Tennessee getting their shot to score. The Volunteers also scored on the fourth play of their drive, a 13 yard touchdown pass from Ainge to Austin Rogers, and Tennessee had to attempt a 2-point conversion themselves. Foster took a handoff and swept to the left sideline and was headed toward the pylon but cornerback David Jones knocked Foster out of bounds before reaching the endzone as the game was headed to a fourth overtime tied at 44. In disgust of the failed 2-point conversion Foster threw the ball and was penalized for a 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The penalty would be enforced on Tennessee’s offensive drive of the fourth overtime.

So the Volunteers started on the 40 yard line and the Wildcats defense hoped that this was the break that they needed. Unfortunately, the Tennessee offense killed those hopes quickly. On their first play, Ainge spotted a broken coverage in Kentucky’s defense and threw to a wide open Hancock and he ran into the endzone untouched for a 40 yard touchdown. Ainge completed a pass to Austin Rogers in the endzone for a successful 2-point conversion and they led 52-44 with Kentucky getting a chance to score. The Wildcats kept the ball on the ground on their drive as they ran four consecutive run plays and Locke ran into the endzone from 3 yards out to cut Tennessee’s lead to 52-50. On the 2-point conversion to tie the game, Woodson looked in the direction of both Lyons and Johnson for a pass but they were both covered up. With no other options Woodson took off for the endzone but defensive end Antonio Reynolds caught Woodson from behind and he fell 2 yards short of the endzone. Just like that, the game was over with Tennessee winning a game in which Kentucky erased a 17 point deficit, 52-50.

The Volunteers spoiled yet another Senior Day at Commonwealth Stadium and “the streak” unfortunately stayed alive. The game was an offensive shootout, as both teams combined for 1,084 yards of total offense, including 827 passing yards. Quarterback Andre Woodson had a career game for the Wildcats, completing 39 of 62 passes for 430 yards and 6 touchdowns. Rafael Little was a do-it-all back, carrying the ball 24 times for 77 and adding 11 receptions for 108 yards. Kentucky went on to defeat Florida State 35-28 in the Music City Bowl and finished 2007 with an 8-5 record. Tennessee lost to LSU 21-14 in the SEC Championship Game but defeated Wisconsin 21-17 in the Outback Bowl to finish their season with a 10-4 record.

Well folks there’s the countdown. I know some of these games are going to be debated for where they are on the countdown, or for just being in the countdown in the first place, but I really enjoyed looking back the highs and the lows for Kentucky football since I’ve born and I hope you enjoyed reading my recaps of the games. Here are the links to the rest of my countdown if you wish to look back:

Keep following www.http://wildcatbluenation.com for the best in Kentucky basketball and football news, rumors, and opinions. By Kentucky fans for Kentucky fans

Kentucky Football: The Thrill Of Victory And The Agony Of Defeat: #1

Schedule

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