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Was Kentucky coach Mark Stoops really going for it on fourth down-and-8 at UK’s 20-yard line with just over four minutes to play at Ole Miss?
Kentucky was down 17-13 to No. 6 Ole Miss but remember two weeks ago when Stoops would not go for a first down on 4th-and-7 near midfield against No. 1 Georgia with just over three minutes to play and the Bulldogs held on to win 13-12.
This time Stoops said he had a “gut” feeling and was he ever right. Quarterback Brock Vandagriff threw a strike to Barion Brown along the sideline that turned into a 63-yard gain to the Ole Miss 17 with 3:49 to play. Brown somehow managed to stop abruptly at the 46-yard line after catching the ball, stay inbounds, cut to midfield, and gain another 30 yards to set up the eventual game-winning touchdown run.
Stoops said on the UK Radio Network postgame show with Tom Leach that he understood the position UK was in against Georgia when he didn’t go for the first down.
“I felt good about the matchup. I felt they were going to be very aggressive (on defense) and we would get a one-on-one (coverage) and we did,” Stoops said. “We wanted to go win.”
Say amen BBN fans because that is a different attitude than he had against Georgia and even the football gods cooperated when backup quarterback Gavin Wimsatt fumbled at the 2-yard line but tight end Josh Kattus caught the ball in the air and scored with 2:25 to play to end the six-play, 83-yard scoring drive.
Still, it looked like potential heartache for UK again when Ole Miss hit a 42-yard completion on 4th-and-11 from its own 24. Kentucky forced a fumble three plays later but an offside penalty negated the turnover. That left Ole Miss with a game-tying 48-yard field goal with 53 seconds left.
Smith told ABC-TV sideline reporter Molly McGrath what he said to UK defensive coordinator before Ole Miss tried the field goal.
“I told him we played so good and one time we needed a break. Need a block or miss. We were fortunate to get the miss,” Stoops said.
True but if Stoops had not trusted his dice and went all-in on fourth down from his own 19 Kentucky would not have been in a position to secure its biggest road win since winning at No. 4 Penn State in 1977 during its 10-1 season.
Stoops told Leach he felt like the Cats had to “steal a possession or two” during the game and that’s why he went earlier on two fourth down plays that UK converted.
“They don’t turn it over much and they can move the ball so fast,” Stoops said in a loud and rowdy UK dressing room. “I told (offensive coordinator) Bush (Hamdan) to have critical third and fourth downs ready.
“I felt we would get the one-on-one and Barion separated himself. You are a genius when it works and I would have been second-guessed forever if it had not worked.”
He’s right but it did work and now he can probably coach at Kentucky for many, many more years. This might not totally offset that embarrassing 31-7 loss to South Carolina but it sure helps thanks to Stoops’ gut instinct that paid off in a big way.
11 Responses
As disgusted as I was after the SC game, I don’t think I’ve ever been more proud of my football team than today. Showed guts and determination the entire game on both sides of the ball. Congrats to all of the players and coaches! They earned the few breaks they got today. I have to give the refs a little credit today too. I believe every call that was reviewed today was correct when the final decision was made.
GO CATS!
8 in the box and still running. Thank god for the defense.
They have got to let Gavin throw it on those options . It’s far to predictable.
Nothing to whine about when you beat #6 on their home turf. Go Cats!!!
Like I said – let’s see how the year plays out. QB is improving weekly.
With this schedule attrition/depth will make a big difference as the SEC carnage unfolds.
Gut wrenching win. Go Cats!!
A great win!!! It’s a wonder we didn’t get a penalty on that last touchdown for all of the horseshoes in their uniforms. It’s better to be lucky than good sometimes.
We were both good and lucky today. I think many of us had lost a little faith when Ole Miss took possession around the 3 min. mark. I wanted us to run a little more clock before we punched it in. Nice to see Kattus atone for early gimme drop though. I am going to give the players a little more credit for the W than the coaching staff. Be nice if Gavin had gotten a little more PT. Let’s hope this W turns out to be a season defining one.
Our next game is a trap game. Vandy in Lexington. This isn’t a typical Vanderbilt team. Will we stay focused on build on the last 3 games or play down to the level of our competition?
Shouldn’t put this out there but – – remember the Teebow play where he faked the run and then threw a jump pass ?? Everyone expects Gavin to run – this would be perfect down next the goal line.
After our success with UGA & Ole Miss – this will be Vandy’s statement game and Super Bowl + they seem to be a solid outfit as well.
Great point Paul and handling prosperity is not always easy for this football program