Before the 2022 fumble in Oxford, Kentucky football was 14-3 in its last 17 games. Since that moment, the program is 14-19. Can the Cats finally reverse the curse this Saturday?
It was October 1, 2022. The No. 7 Kentucky Wildcats were 4-0, traveling to face No. 14 Ole Miss with dreams of ascending to the top of the college football world. For a moment, it seemed they had arrived.
Trailing 22-19 late, Will Levis drove deep into Ole Miss territory twice. And twice, they walked away with 0 poins. After fumbling Will Levis hit Barion Brown on a 51-yard screen to the Ole Miss 7. They hurried to the line and Levis found Dane Key, who just scored his first Nebraska touchdown which we talk about here, and the Cats were partying. Except, the refs threw a flag for illegal motion. Okay, still within the redzone, one more play into the endzone and then at worst take a field goal to tie the game. The bal is snapped and Will Levis takes off, only to fumble again. The game, and perhaps the program's upward trajectory, was over.
That single game serves as a stark dividing line in the Mark Stoops era.
- Record in 17 games before that fumble: 14-3 overall, 6-3 in the SEC.
- Record in 33 games since that fumble: 14-19 overall, 6-16 in the SEC.
After that loss, a cloud of "what if" has seemed to hang over Lexington, contributing to the very identity crisis the program faces today. The swagger that defined those Stoops teams fell away, replaced with a nervous energy. The juice had gone away, as we mentioned here.
Now, as Ole Miss comes to Lexington, the game presents a new opportunity. It's a chance to rewrite the narrative. A victory over the Rebels wouldn't just be another win; it would be a symbolic exorcism of the demons from that afternoon in Oxford. Can Mark Stoops and company finally change the program's narrative back to a positive one?
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time, he spends time with his family, and watching Premier League soccer. Isaiah 40:31. #UpTheAlbion