Quarterback Brock Vandagriff and UK could be headed for more success after beating Ole Miss. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Coach Mark Stoops smiled big after Kentucky stunned sixth-ranked Ole Miss last Saturday in Oxford. He celebrated by crowd surfing on the shoulders of his players in the joyful UK locker room.
Stoops had every reason to be excited for a league breakthrough after the Wildcats lost their first two Southeastern Conference encounters, including a disappointing 31-6 decision to South Carolina in the league opener. The setback was a major letdown for Stoops, now in his 13th season as head coach.
The loss to the Gamecocks got the attention of Stoops, who vowed his squad would bounce back from the 25-point loss to South Carolina. A week later, Kentucky gave Georgia, ranked No. 1 at the time, all it could handle before a late touchdown lifted the Bulldogs to a 13-12 win over the gritty Wildcats.
Kentucky’s response against Georgia following the loss to South Carolina provided a ray of hope for Big Blue Nation and showed the Wildcats have what it takes to compete at an elite level in the SEC. It could have been a major turning point for the rest of the season.
After opening the season with 31-0 a shutout of Southern Mississippi, Kentucky failed to score a touchdown in the two losses to South Carolina and Georgia, but the team’s defensive unit kept hope alive.
A 41-6 win over Ohio provided the spark Kentucky’s offense needed to get back on track going into four straight conference games.
For eight quarters, Kentucky failed to score a touchdown against conference opponents but reached the end zone twice against an Ole Miss squad that held their first four foes to just 22 points total. Those two touchdowns helped the Wildcats make history against the Rebels. The team’s defense was just as impressive and Ole Miss from unleashing an offensive assault similar to the first four games when the Rebels scored 220 points, including 50 or more three times.
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Two fourth-down decisions have defined the season, so far. Stoops elected to punt from Georgia’s 47 with about three minutes to play and the Bulldogs were able to get two first downs to mostly run out the clock. The Cats got the ball back with nine seconds remaining and no timeouts and went nowhere.
On Saturday, Stoops went for it on fourth-and-seven from his own 20, bucking his conservative stance, and Brock Vandagriff connected with Barion Brown on a 63-yard strike that set up the game-winning touchdown and will immediately go down as one of the biggest plays in Kentucky history.
Two fourth downs, two decisions, two vastly different results.
The win over Ole Miss wasn’t the first time Kentucky has beaten a top 10 foe, but marked just the fifth time in program history the Wildcats beat a team ranked in the top 6 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. The last win of epic proportions came in 2007 when the Wildcats stunned LSU, then ranked No. 1, 43-27 in triple overtime at Commonwealth Stadium (later named Kroger Field).
In 1964, Kentucky defeated Ole Miss, ranked No. 1 at the time, 27-21 in Jackson, Miss. The Rebs ended that campaign 5-5-1. Another win over the Rebels came in 1969 when Kentucky edged Archie Manning and the Rebels in 1969 at Stoll Field. It was one of Kentucky’s two wins in John Ray’s first season at the helm.
After winning three times in its first five games, Kentucky gets a break with a bye week before returning to conference play against Vanderbilt on Oct. 12 at Kroger Field. The win over the Rebels was one the Wildcats needed to regain much-needed confidence going into the rest of the season.
4 Responses
Our defense is solid, even though they were on a field trip to Vegas for the South Carolina game. Our offense is still a work in progress, but the run game has stepped up in a big way. Hopefully the O line and Vandagriff will catch up with a bye week and Vandy, Florida, and Auburn up next. None are sure wins, but all 3 are very winnable. Let’s see how that goes before we talk about Tennessee.
I think were better than Vanderbilt Florida and Auburn bbbbbuttttt I also thought we were better than south Carolina. I know we have a great defense but that’s all I know at this point. We didn’t run the ball good against ole miss we passed better so at this point.idk
Stops messed up in the Georgia game calling a timeout on 2nd and 2 he should have waited to use the timeout when we had them behind the sticks. After they converted the next play to a first down he again had to burn a timeout going into 2nd down. If he would have saved the first timeout he could have called a timeout and stopped the clock with 49 seconds left giving us enough time to maybe get in field.goal range and win the game. I would have punted the ball as well the defense held Georgia to 13 points so they weren’t scoring that much. That’s why he punted the ball. We had bad clock management the last 3 minutes. One more thing why don’t we have a play were we throw the football to a receiver and he laterals back and we try to make a play? Most teams have a 5 second play were they lateral the ball.
The season is wide open for UK to make a decent run, good run, a very good run or even a great run.
UK has proven it could be & probably should be 5-0 with better coaching, play calling AND MENTAL PREP for EVERY GAME.
••ZERO mental prep vs SC
••Poor play calling & poor clock management vs UGA
Two losses that did not have to be losses.
The HC & most of the other coaches and most of the players are responsible for the pathetic no-show vs SC and it won’t be forgotten. If UK wins 7, 8 games or even more, then the smothering loss to SC will be etched in stone as a TOTAL FAILURE & one of the worst games in UK history with regards to effort. The more games UK wins this season, the more that loss will stand out as inexcusable.
How does a $9 Million HC & a lot of very high paid coaches NOT realize that at least 75% of the team is flat as a flitter!?!? and not take action to overcome the lethargy!