Welcome to the special edition of the Big Blue Insider. Dick Abriel with you going into the holiday weekend, Well it's the weekend preceding the holiday, and of course Kentucky basketball coming up Saturday afternoon, the Wildcats playing in New York against Ohio State. Usually this time of year, we're preparing coverage of Kentucky in a bowl game, but as we all know, it ain't gonna happen this year and
in the year's past. During Bowl week, at some point either before or right after the game, I have put together a special that I presented that relives all the highlights of the football season. Well, there weren't that many this year, as we know, there are only four wins. So we're gonna do something a little bit different this year. We're gonna look back on some of the fun we did have presenting these games to you because we did
something different this season. And if you listen to our radio broadcast, which we appreciate, I know every game's on TV, but there's plenty of pregame and then of course a lot of you try to sync things up and listen to the radio and watch the TV. We did something different and it goes back to what we used to do gosh, about fifteen years ago, maybe when the network
was held by different rights holders. It's kind of an inside baseball thing, but we would have kind of a big, dramatic opening with music and a guy with a big voice. It's a voice that you hear on ESPN and other promos and things like that, and we really missed that, so we decided to get back to that, only with a bit of a twist. We decided to use what
we were calling celebrities to open the broadcast. Former players, former coach Ritch Brooks, even an actor Josh Hopkins, who lives in Austin, Texas now, grew up in Lectioning and the son of Congressman Larry Hopkins, a big UK fan, but his work as an actor led him to Texas. That's where he lives now. So we had a lot of fun of writing them producing them. I had to try to chase these folks down, but when we did, they were more than happy to do it. So they
turned out really well. I think I think everybody who did it pitched in and did a great job. So we're gonna go back and listen to those and I'll have some highlights from the games, even the ones that didn't go so well, the games that went in the wrong direction, because there were some good plays, some big plays, but just not enough of them obviously, So it was
a different season. It was an odd season. One we haven't dealt with much in this part of the football world for the last what eight years, nine years since Kentucky started going to bowl games. So that's why this show will be unlike the others. We won't be presenting melts from all the wins. We will present one melt. I'm going to play for you, the melt that I
put together after the Old Miss game. The melt courses like eight or nine minutes of all the great plays and moments strung together, because that was obviously the biggest win of the season, one of the biggest wins in all the college football this year. And when you think about what happened with ole Miss football this season, that loss to Kentucky is probably, I would think, what kept
Ole Miss out of the playoff. Because when you're up in that rarefied air, when people are talking about you and thinking about you, that one loss, especially to a team with a losing record, could really be damaging to your resume. So Kentucky played a bit of the spoiler role a little miss this year, so we're going to relive that one. But first we're going to start with, of course, the season opener, and that came against Southern Mississippi.
Our first celebrity monologue came from former UK quarterback Bill Ransdell. And Tom Leech suggested this because this was the fortieth anniversary of the nineteen eighty four Kentucky team that won the Hall of Fame Bowl, and of course Bill was the quarterback. They celebrated with the reunion to the former players, and Bill actually came to the garage and sat down helped us open the broadcast.
It's the season of the first step on a journey to do something special and memorable. Here's UK Hall of Fame quarterback Bill Ransdell.
Hard to believe it's been four decades since the Kentucky Wildcats. My Wildcats put together a special season that was a long time coming. The year before, we had set an NCAA record for victories by a team that had gone winless the season prior, and now we wanted more. In nineteen eighty four, we won nine, including the Hall of Fame Bowl. Our second straight postseason appearance.
All right, let's see if they go through with it. Jones down on one knee.
There's a snap they're going to try it, and it is long enough.
It is I believe.
Yeah, he got a good no joy Josh high up Kentucky Bill golds distance record having him good pumping gas and.
Run the first fine nights. It is Kentucky twenty hunt in nineteen.
Today, forty years later, Mark Stoops and his Wildcats begin their quest for a ninth consecutive Bowl bit only three other teams in the SEC and SATANA. First up on the ruling scheduled is Southern Mississippi, a team that is always dangerous. But the Cats have a new look offense and a talented defense, and they say they're ready to go. It's the Wildcats and the Golden Eagles on game day here at Kroger Field, coming up next to you.
Wow.
Of course, the Wildcats with a brand new quarterback, Brock Vandergriff. He had a great time. He passed for three touchdowns. The UK defense pitched a shutout in the thirty one a nothing game, and of course it was weather shortened. There were all kinds of concerns about the weather lightning and thunder and rain, and long story short, it shortened
the game by nine minutes and fifty six seconds. They you know, after a long rain delay, they decided the lightning's not gonna let up, so we're just gonna shut it down. Team officials, game officials in communication with the SEC.
But not before vander Riff, in his first career start after transferring in from Georgia, hit on twelve at eighteen passes, one hundred and sixty nine yards, three scores, Demi Sumo carn Bay eight carries for fifty nine yards, and the defense holding Mississippi or Southern Mississippi to just one hundred and thirty one yards. So yeah, it was a fun day. The scoring got started when Rock Vandergriff hit Barrion Brown first touchdown of the year twelve yards, made it seven nothing Wildcats.
And a Griff retreats looking left, padding the football, now scrambling back to the right, throws for the end.
Zone and did he get it? Touchdown Kentucky.
There was ten to nothing when Demi Sumo Carnbay capped off a drive with a touchdown, his first of the year, first.
And goal at the one had off Subo Carnbay touchdown Kentucky.
He goes in up the middle, standing.
Up, and then Brock Vandergriff went right back to Barrion Brown, this time from twelve yards out. That made it twenty four to nothing.
Here's the pitch ahead to Brown sweeping right across the ten break set tackle headed to the far side.
Touchdown. Kentucky broke a tackle of the five.
And Baryon Brown snuck in just in front of the right front pylon.
Bill of Cats. Twelve yard touchdown run or passes, we'll go.
That was a score at halftime. Kentucky would have a scoring possession in that third quarter. Rock Vandergriff hit the Jimori Macklum for forty six yards set up the Cats at the southern miss eight yard line. Two plays later, Vandergriff to Jordan Dingle from five yards out.
The receivers in a triangle outside the right tackle, tight end left and a grip with a fake holy right man, wide open touchdown Kentucky to It's Dingle, big boy just inside the right front python.
Fitz Barrow is happy, tight End's gonna touchdown.
And that made it thirty one nothing. And that would end up being the final scores. Kentucky opened the season with a win over Southern Mississippi. We'll come back with more of this special edition of the Big Blue Insider as we look back on some of the highlights and some of the celebrities who helped us open broadcasts this year of Kentucky football games here in the Big Blue Insider six thirty WLAP Welcome back to this special edition
of the Big Blue Insider. Dick Abery with it. We are looking back on the UK football season, and yeah, there wasn't a whole lot to look back on, of course, but this was a year, as I mentioned earlier, where we had celebrities open our broadcast. We had a lot of fun with that, even though there wasn't a lot of fun involved with watching the Wildcats go four and eight, but it did kind of lift our spirits. South Carolina was the second game on the schedule, and as you recall,
that game did not go too terribly well. But the guy who opened up our broadcast with Jojo Kemp and he came to the garage and he helped us recall a night when the Wildcats ran literally all over Steve Spurrier's game Cocks and Jojo was one of the biggest.
Reasons Week two for the Kentucky Wildcats, the start of SEC play and a matchup that brings to mind a phrase that has two meetings.
Jojo kemp was a Wildcat.
He wrote It was ten years ago, back in twenty fourteen when South Carolina game CAUs came to town and got a taste of the Wildcat for mission.
I had a lot of fun that night.
Wildcat formation snapped the cap and he goes then touch down Kentucky straight up to then on the Wildcat boridation.
My office. A line was super. They helped me run for one hundred and thirty one yards.
At three touchdowns.
Direct snap to kemp Man. He goes in standing up. It's crazy for the touchdown, that's amazing. I'm amazed at that kid.
My third score tied the game thirty eight thirty eight, and that's when our defense came up.
He steps up of the pocket. It's deflected up into the air.
It's inner thing, duck down Dentucky thud.
The pre caught it right.
Wow.
He flipped it into the air and the pre caught it in full stride.
I mean Bud the pre put us up a touchdown. Then our defense held again, so it was up to us the offense to kill the rest of the clock.
Kemp straight ahead and he's got the first down.
I think there's the chain stretched out.
They put down the stick first down Kentucky. The Wildcats defeats South Carolina forty five to thirty eight.
Gang over, the Big Blue Nation stormed the field.
And it's party times.
The fans come on the field and Commonwealth Stadium.
We said, the game calls home.
We need to do that again tonight.
We're changing the game. Why not Kentucky? Why not us?
I'll said again what I said back then, Why not us? Why not Kentucky?
Wow?
And as I said, nothing good to remember about that game. Wildcats lost at thirty one to six, even though they had twelve tackles for loss in three sacks. The defense acquitted itself. Well finally it just kind of collapsed. Ty Bryant did have an interception.
Sellers drops the throw all day, dancing around Buyers into the middle and it's intercepted across the thirty and falling down at the twenty eight yard line. I'm making the interception was Ty Bryant the sun board from here in Lexington, the son of Warner Wildcats Cisco Bryant, sets up the Wildcats inside the South Carolina.
Thirty yard line.
Biggest play for the Wildcats offensively was Brock Vandergriff hooking up with Dane Key forty two yards And there was something we saw all year as Brock tried to go to Dane, who became his favorite receiver.
Play fake. He's throwing deep down the near side.
For Key and he pulls it in and didn't he make the catch? Yes, want to throwing catch at the South Carolina thirty nine yard line. Vandergriff dropped that in like a directional punt and Key fielded it over his shoulder and got knocked out of.
Bounds at the thirty nine yard line of South Carolina.
But that's all the Wildcats could muster a couple of field goals, losing to the game Cocks, who went on to have a pretty strong season. Next game, what might be the most puzzling game of the year, maybe even more so than Theil Miss game, which of course was an upset win by the Wildcats. On the road. Georgia comes to town and we still weren't sure what we were seeing with Kentucky, But of course whatever confidence we might have had as fans as media was shaken by
that loss. They just did not look good at all against South Carolina and their edge rushers. We thought, what in the world is Georgia going to do to this team? Well, big bad Georgia came in and Kentucky played the Bulldogs right out of their cleats to that one point lost, and I still look back on that as a sort of a reminder of what might have been. If the Wildcats had stayed together, had stayed healthy, they could have won that game. Wasn't it should have, but could have.
As you recall, there was a controversial decision at the end of the game by Mark Stoops to punt the ball and put everything on its defense to get the ball back, which it did not, as Georgia converted on a big third downplay, and that was the game. Kentucky had moved the ball between the thirties basically and just could not get into the end zone. But the Wildcats kicked four field goals and made it as difficult on Georgia as any team could in a long, long time.
We started the game with a cold open, as we call it from a guy who knew what it was like to beat the Georgia Bulldogs, and that was former coach Rich Brooks.
Beat a team like Georgia, it takes great players making big plays and clutch moments. Coach Rich Brooks knows it can be done.
It's always tough to get a win when you're chasing Georgia Bulldogs, but it's not impossible. I should know. My Wildcat pulled together and beat the Dog's wife in twenty oh six with a season on the line. We fought him on with a big m zone interception.
I stayed the good man.
And it was Trevor Ley who made the play.
He'd better the faith patter up into the air Lea's.
Content and then mcclog seconds barred. Lidley pick pop a path, ropping down the gold coat and set us to.
A bulking Stafford retreats.
Mony of time, out of protection is breaking down. He slides right, he throws.
The George up the line.
The bands are coming out of the infone on each side as the Wildcats have beaten Georgia for just the eleventh time and sixty tries, and the police could just say the head with a let go.
In twenty oh nine and a half us we made big play after big play.
He don't go a touch he can get it on lockdown. Derek Lush report, poor turnover.
Yell chests down to the Pulldogs seven yard sene the cord.
With the interception.
The Wildcats went down to Georgia. We were looking for a wind to steal and we did it.
It won't be.
Aching, but park stoops in his cats.
They can make it happen tonight at Broger Field.
Wow.
I had a lot of fun putting that together with a coach and reminiscing of his first zoom. We couldn't get that to work, so we did it. I guess we did it over the phone as I recall. Anyhow, the game, you know what happened. Kentucky just couldn't quite punch it into the end zone, as I said. But boy Alex Rayner, who won a bunch of awards at the end of the season, came through. He gave Kentucky the first lead with a fifty five yard field goal.
Alex Rayner out there to attempt a fifty five yard field goal. It would be a school record if he makes it because we took under three minutes to play in this opening quarter.
Kentucky trying to get on the board. First, good step.
Kick is long enough, it's gone, just clear thess bar. Fifty five school record and personal best fifty five yard field goal by Alex Rainer at Kentucky strikes first.
Georgia eventually pulled ahead by thirteen to nine. Kentucky drove into scoring position, had to once again settle for a Rainer field goal, this one from fifty one yards out.
A fifty one yard attempt right footed, Rainers got to pull it back to his left a little.
Bit good snap, enough leg.
God With eight oh one to play, Alex Rainers having a Knight's four for four.
And unfortunately that would be it for the scoring of Wildcats, losing thirteen to twelve. But once again they were the talk of college football for how well they played those Georgia Bulldogs. But Wildcats at that point were one and two. Needed something good to happen. Needed it soon. Want to come on this special edition of the Big Bulling Sider here on six thirty WLAP. Welcome back to this special edition of the Big Blue Insider. As we look back
at the Kentucky football season. There were some highlights, and we are sharing with you once again the special celebrity monologues that we ran at the beginning of each game. We had former players, we had coach Rich Brooks, we had celebrities help us open the broadcasts, and they really came off well. I thought, Ohio you was a bit of a quandary because Kentucky had only played the Bobcats
a couple of times through their history. But we did find a game back in the mid eighties when a future Hall of Famer, I mean UK Hall of Fame Football Hall of Famer DERMANI. Dawson was part of that game and I was able to connect with him and he helped us open the broadcast.
Bobcats ten Wildcats tangled today for just the seventh time, and there's a UK Hall of Famer who remembers the nineteen eighty seven match up quite well, Monte Das.
The first time the Ohio Bobcats came to Lexington, they pulled off an upset. They beat Kentucky thirty five to six. That was in nineteen seventy one. They came back in nineteen eighty seven, and this time we were ready upfront, We've locked for guys like Mark Higgs, Ivy, Joe Hunter, and Andy Murray. On defense, we had Albert Barnette, Jerry Reese, Tony Massey, christianaut and a lot more. We shut them out. Kentucky twenty eight Ohio nothing a team effort top to bottom.
The Wildcats need that today. Last week our defense was solid.
Yi Yilder thanks to drop and grow and grow down there in wait great.
And the offensive line opened hose all night coming boy.
And he's got a lot of runs off the part nine good team twenty five down up here the twenty two yard line.
Jordan Gum with the blind and once they.
Take it up, the whole tide is open.
And Brocko is the part thing It gets down after heat, big up.
The Cats need another victory and the time is now Wow.
And of course everything went well for the Wildcats, as you might expected a game like that, totally overmatching Ohio. You It was a huge day for rock Bander Grip two hundred and thirty seven yards passing, Demi sumocarn Bay with a couple of touchdowns, Jamerian Wilcox with a career high eighty two yards rushing and he showed early that we could expect a lot from him. Some explosive plays and off to.
Will Cox sweeping right, has it out out lost up back out across the morning and he can't break a win there and a big game for Jamaran Willcox left, Brown and key to tight ends right, Cattis and Dingle handle off will kucksburd hit clips of tackle, angles right twenty five, uses a stiff arm, gets inside the twenty and out of bounds at the seventeen yard line.
Wildcats got a touchdown and then Ohio, you began to put together a drive and actually got into the red zone, but the Kentucky defense came a big. JJ Weaver recovering a fumble, takes the snap.
Balls, knock loose ball. Kentucky's got it, oh and then it.
Pops out of JJ Weaver's hands and did Ohio get it back?
Jj?
No, Kat's got it.
So the offense went back to work. Didn't look like it was going to do much until Vandergriff went to his favorite receiver.
Vandergriff against a four man rush, rolling out to his right, fires back into the middle.
He's got kids side of the twenty. Here's sideline ten pearls.
Up Tackler cuts down to the two yard line Sidney with luck letting love.
Ronnie would like that move, and after that it was Demi Sumo Karne Bay covering the last couple of yards to give the Wildcats a seven team nothing lead. They would take into the locker room at halftime.
Off the right hash mark.
They give it to Subel tarn Bay and he's got his second touchdown.
Right up the middle.
Wildcats added a field goal in the third quarter. There was about five minutes left to go in the period. Maxwell Harston strikes again with a pick six that tied the UK school record. That was his third as a Wildcats.
All that shit, it's.
Gonna be a pick six, Hann's Maxwell Harriston Tye Dallassons with his third.
Career pick six.
Harriston was a preseason All Conference pick, and why not after the year he had last season, but spent much of this season on the sideline injured, one of the many reasons the Wildcats struggled this year. Wildcats kept scoring though against the Bobcats. Barrion Brown made the Jets sweep work.
And they give it on the Jet sweep to Bari and Brown trying to get outside across the twenty cotton alley at the tent at the five touch Wow, Kentucky.
They finally hitdle the jets around the left edge.
Tom did that look like those TVs were running in quicksand I mean they had him dead to rights and he just out ran up to the end zone.
He hit the gas and it was goodbye.
And the Wildcats added one more Gavin whims that took it in for his first touchdown as a Wildcats.
I'm a two, gotta keep it himself and he goes in standing up touchdown Kentucky, the first one the Polingsborough High Schools Gavin Whimson.
So that meant the Wildcats were two and two, and most prognosticators really thought that at this point Kentucky would be three and one, because well most of us predicted win over South Carolina, seeing us how the game was here in Lexington. But as you know, South Carolina better
than we thought it would be. That's why the Wildcats were two and two after their first four games heading into a trip to Oxford, Mississippi, and it looked as though the Rebels had put together a pretty good football team, which in fact, they did, but the Wildcats pulled one out, and as I said earlier, if it hadn't been for one other game, it was a bit of a surprise,
Kentucky would have dominated the headlines. But that was the same day Alabama beat Georgia, handed the Bulldogs their first conference loss in forever forty one to thirty four, So that kind of nudge Kentucky's upset win down just to tick. When the talking heads across the country were going through the highlights, it was still a huge win for the Cats. And when we come back, we'll revisit it as I
have a melt for you. Yeah, we're going to relive all the highlights of the Kentucky Ole Miss game on the other side of the break here on this special edition of the Big Blue and Siders six thirty WLAP. Welcome back to this special edition of the Big Blue and Sider. Dick Gabriel with you. We are looking back on highlights and there were some of the Kentucky football season, including our celebrity monologue opens that takes us to a trip to Oxford, Mississippi.
Did you know Kentucky has taken down top ten Ole Miss teams in the past, including one in nineteen sixty nine quarterbacked by Archie Manny.
The Kentucky quarterback was Bernie Scruggs.
Back in nineteen sixty nine, nobody expected us to beat On Miss, and we were playing in Stonefield.
The Rebels were ranked ninth in the country.
They opened the season with an easy win over memphild State the Wildcats. Well, we were coming in after a wild one with Indiana. We put up thirty points, usually good enough to win. Trouble is the who's you scored fifty eight? That's whys? Cast was such underdogs when Old Miss came to town, but believe it or not, we pulled off one of the biggest of sets in the history of UK football.
The Rebels took an early lead.
In the second quarter on the field goal in a sixty four yard run by the great Archie Manny, but our Dave Hunter blocked the extra point and that came up big down the stretch. In the third quarter, we were down nine to three in driving at the Old Miss twenty three.
Houston Hogg made a big run for us. Later on the drive, Houston Hogg makes this fine.
I put on a big third down play for Kentucky.
He got the first down of the all Mess six and then I was able to slip in to the end zone. Bernie Scruggs runs out to take it.
In part of Kentucky when Bobby Jones came in and kicked the crucial extra fort in the fourth quarter, we forced an hole Miss fumbled at three yard line and picked off an Archie manning fans. We held on for a ten nine win over the Rebels, who would belonged to win the Sugar Bartle, but that day belonged to the Wildcats.
It can happen again today.
Wow, good afternoon from bought Hemingway Stadium on the campus of the University of Mississippi in Oxford. I'm toy Lynch along the former Wildcat white out Jeff Pikoro, Dick Gabriel down on the sidelines, dark with a plate faith Now he's pressured, moves up into the.
Pocket, throws down the middle of line. Open. He's got Harris and he is going to get close to the touchdown. No, he's down a one yard line.
First and goal to go or Ole Miss at the one and I'll perish straight ahead.
He got out and all Miss.
That is just four defense, right there, you're walking to the line of this privage.
Nobody was even.
Ready for Kentucky and ole Miss just walked into the end zone.
Vandergrim On a keeper, heads off to the right, gets across the thirty, breaks a tackle across the twenty five, still going and knocked out of bounds over on the far side at the twenty two yard line. It's eleven yards and another first downs for Kentucky. Cabin into the game now as Rock gets a brillier after that run.
Thinke By Whim said.
He goes straight ahead, breaks a couple of tackles, gets inside of fifteen and has a first down to the eleven yard line. Rainer twenty seven yarders. It's going to be spotted at you ole Miss seventeen yard line to trying to get Kentucky on the board.
It's good. I'm thirteen left to play here.
At the opening quarter, each team scores on its opening drive, but it's ole Miss seven in Kentucky.
Three on the UK sports Edward dark d backfield heading the football and he's out. He's sacked.
Nice Tom Kentucky was playing.
We call it cover seven.
They're five hunder and two tep and there was no place for dark to throw him when he stepped up as swallowed him up.
That brings the first quarter to an end. It's seven three rebels.
Third and seventh Kentucky showing blitz off the edges. They bring six.
Dart in trouble dancing around and he sacked Ea back of the forty one yard line. Dion Walker and Jamon Dumas Johnson drop him for a loss of five bill first out for Kentucky. Vandergrip sliding left on the option, makes the pitch Cosumo Karme. He's got room up the far side. He has the first down forced out of bounds out at the thirty one yard line after a game of fourteen yards.
What's a new look in Kentucky? Makes you work?
Dart the play fIF he is thrown deep up the near sideline and it's broken up at the Kentucky forty yard line by and Bryan. They were both there going step for step with Juice Wells in South Carolina.
Transfer and there you see they you know, they take that deep shine again all the way down to the forty yard line where that ball came down, but no pressure on dark Lander.
Grip fakes it to Sumo Carnbay. Quick throw into the middle. He's got key.
First down into Ole Miss territory at the Rebels forty nine yard line.
He picked up sixteen. Boy really liked Dad.
He knows going over the middle he's gonna get clocked, but man, he has gotten some guts to do that. He comes right into the teeth of the deep fense, finds it opening and rock double clutches and puts it on.
The money to white outs right, one tight end each way for vander Gridlet's coming up the middle.
Plaything. Vander Grim setting deep fires.
Into the middle of the Family's got key inside the Old Miss forty pull down close to the thirty five yard line, up the Rebels twenty four yard game.
Turning on the tackle again, k gets inside the corner. A beautiful move to the post.
Second down five and the Ole Miss fifteen. Two tight ends right, two wideouts left hand off. Sumo Karbay bounces it out left. He's got space at the ten, cuts back right and drives his way down close to the five yard line. First down. Maybe that'll be first in gold to go After a ten yard run by Demmy Sumo Carnbay.
But great blocking on the outside by day. Key could have held, but he did it. He stayed in front of his van. Beautifully done. He'd love to get zeven here instead of three numbers.
Vander gret fires into the middle, broke.
It up, Black Henter down mass interference.
They were trying to get Key in the middle of the end zone, right under the gold.
Boats, and they're gonna call holding first down, automatic first down either way. Seven penalties forty eight yards today whistled against Ole miss one for ten for Kittuch, Vandergriff play faith retreating, throwing it to the.
Back of the end zone, touch touchdown, Sir tasting.
Ky tracking the back blind the intone and Vandergriff just floaded it out there to him and Keith reached down and snatched it with two hands. The Wildcats are in front. Twenty seven play in the half. The trips to the left, one wide out right. Darthy for sure coming again.
He shot it.
Oxen done got it. Yep. The big fella got a little ticked off. He just said, you won't call it. I'll just go get it. He did. Boy, loss of six back to the twenty ole miss out of timeouts. That's it.
Kentucky is going to take the lead into the locker room at halftime on the home field of the number sixteen in the country, the Wildcats ten the Old Miss Rebels seven and inspired first thirty minutes for Kentucky.
Nick Gabriel's gonna catch up with coach Mark Stuts. Coach, I gotta think you love the pace of this game.
You've really controlled it.
We have controlled the pace of the game, and both defense has to get stopped. We've been disruptive, We've covered well. As we talked about all week. The pacer play early got us and then we settled right in and offensively, it really kept us in the game, controlling it. Obviously we knew we had to score there, but you know, so it's really important to get in the end zone. We got to continue to play aggressive. I went for a couple of those fourth downs, and you know it's worked out.
So you know, so far, so good. A big, big half here and.
The Wildcats take a ten to seven lead into the locker room here in Oxford.
Two minutes gone in this third quarter, three and out for Kentucky and off the Paris straight ahead breaks away.
Got a big game into Kentucky territory to the forty nine yard line, Jeff.
They had it for a game of a yard or two.
Yeah, they had he right it the line of scrivage, but he just ran through two arm tackles.
Jackson, Dart Hump Bake Rights. He is gonna run and left, and he is in trouble. He's gonna be hitting drought.
For a loss.
Walker Dumas, Johnson.
Ty Bryant not fooled. They drop in for a loss of three, fourth and six, trying to tie the game with nine fifty four to play. Here in the third quarter, Sun's back under the clouds now here in Oxford.
It's that way up high and it's good, and the game is tied. Ole Mis ten and Kentucky ten.
Vandergriff the receivers each way fakes left, rows, rights, complete the key.
Thirty five forty breaks.
Through a tackle up the far sideline, out of bounds, up at the Kentucky forty six yard line, twenty one yard game.
They give it to Wilcox running.
Left, got an alley across the fifty forty five, runs over a tackler, knocks an oldest defender, back, goes inside the forty to the rebels thirty seven yard line.
Donnery finally made the tackle on him a game of seventeen. So it'll be a forty eight yard field goal attempt for Rainer.
I'll pull this back to the left a little bit, he said, already for twenty seven today on your leg.
It's good. Thirteen in a row.
Kentucky retakes the lead with six thirty one to play in the third Kentucky thirteen pull Miss ten on the UK Sports Network, fourth and seven, two receivers each Way or Dart coming down to the end of the third quarter. Blitz coming, Dart throws it into the middle and it's caught for the first down, and it's a lot more Harris running through the middle.
Of the defense, cuts left.
You'll go in for a touchdown. Kentucky brought everybody on all out. Blitz Ole Miss picks it up. Harris on a deep slant, makes the catch and I don't know that anybody ever touched it. Forty seven yard touchdown pass on fourth and seven.
Well, when you give it up like that, you've got to get on your guy.
And he was wide open, streaking.
Right through the middle of the field of post pattern if you will, skinny pose, and once they picked up the Blintz Dark was able to pat it and then fire it right to him and and that kid when he gets in the open field.
You can forget about ten seconds to play in the third quarter, and Old Miss goes back in front. Here in Oscar seventeen to thirteen on a forty eight yard touchdown pass on fourth and seven, So fourth and ems from its own nineteen Mark Stews pushing the chips to the center of the table.
The four h four to play, trailing seventeen thirteen. They don't make it.
Ole misses and Minimum starts in field goal rings. Vandergriff drops let's coming.
He's throwing it up the far sideline and it's cold Brown at the thirty four.
He stayed himself, comes back across the near side of the.
Thirty head to twenty down of the seventeen.
Yard line of Old Miss wanna throw.
Vandergriff dropped it in and right into the hands of Brown streaking down the left side.
There's the chunk play you were looking for. And Ivy is down back in the fifteen yard line. He started to run up the field and he just fell down.
He's gonna give the team a blow, but Kentucky has it inside the red zone.
Now wow, he tiptoed the.
Sidelines top stadium bounds and got himself an extra ten or twelve yards.
Sixty two yards on the completion to Baryon Brown. As the Cats are back in the red zone, first and ten Kentucky just inside the left hash mark of the Ole Miss seventeen yard line. They give it the Sumo Carbay bouncing that left, He's got room fifteen ten carrys that tackler for a first down to the six yard line. Wimst Now the quarterbacks who will Carnvay to his left, whimsip on a keeper running left and the five drops his shoulder cap.
So the two bubble the football? Did it go into the end zone? Touchdown? Kentucky on the recovery in the end zone.
Trying to see who got it, Cattis Josh Cattis recover the ball.
It popped out of Whimsit at the two. It went right to Canis in the end zone.
Kentucky twenty oh Miss seventeen with two twenty five to play in the game.
Here in Oxford, Mississippi dart.
Sets deep stunted up front, Ole Miss kicks it up. He scrambles off to the right, throws it deep into the middle of the field. Life and good dawn time, Cay raised carn Christen story, Christen's story, got lost?
Are you doing?
Makes the catch at the Kentucky thirty four yard line. You got Kayden Davis, a senior. The ball's gonna be spotted just shine of the thirty nine yard line of Kentucky. Just get big, boys. We'll call this a forty.
Nine yard field goal attempt off the right hashbar.
Davis is a right footed kicker, so we have to pull this back to the left a little bit to try and tie the game with fifty three seconds left, a little bit of a low staff.
They get it down, kicks on the way. No, what holdy.
Forty eight seconds to play and old this comes up empty?
Yes, how about that?
The sidelines FD and Mark Stookeson is.
Kentucky Wildcats have shocked the comics football world. Time go Bubba, a miracle in the Magnolia State. We're Kentucky Wildcats twenty the old Miss Rebels seventeen.
Suddenly the Wildcash were the talk of college football. Gave the program and the fan base new life. What would happen next? Well, not a lot of good stuff, but there were some fun moments. We'll come back in relive more of the highlights coming up in hour number two. In the special edition of The Big Blue Insider, You're on six thirty wlap manag Welcome back to the Big Moon Sider. Dick Gabriel with you on this Thursday edition
of our show. We are enroute to New York City, so I thought we would drop in a special edition of the BBIS we look back on the football season and I wasn't really one to remember, but we had a good time with it on the network side, putting together the Celebrity opens, as we call the monologue is delivered by former players and coach Rich Brooks and some celebrities. After the Old Miss victory, the Wildcats were home with Vanderbilt.
This was supposed to be a win for Kentucky. Of course, as you know, it didn't work out that way, but it started with a great performance by a former Wildcat, former Kentucky defensive back Van Hiles.
In nineteen ninety six, our season was heading in the wrong direction. We lost six off first seven games before we turned things around in a big way.
Quarnerback Van Hiles arguably one of the best players on Kentucky's defense.
He started fourth and turnovers. In fact, we finished second in the SEC that year in seventeenth in the country.
Van Hiles off the time.
We put it together in late October with an upset of the Georgia Bulldogs. The next week more Bulldogs, he knocked off Mississippi State and then came Van We.
Mentioned Van Hiles won an outstanding job he has done at corner.
We had lost five straight to the commodore We needed something good that happened, and it did.
We shut them out.
It was twenty five to nothing, our third straight SEC win. You picked off two passes and forced the fumble at.
The Wildcats stop twenty yard line.
The Commodorees are comfort after that upset win over Alabama.
Vanderbilt takestown number one Alabama.
But our Wildcats are coming off a big win of there on two weeks ago at Old Miss.
The sidelines up in Mark Stukes and Is, Kentucky Wildcats have shut the college football world.
I had to go bub We're won eight of the last ten over Vandis and it's time to slam the doors again tonight. Wow.
But as you know it didn't work out that way. Vanderbilt would win six games this season, including a huge upset win over Alabama, first in the history of the school, and and the Wildcats just could not generate much offense. They did, though, managed to drive for a touchdown down seven to nothing early in the second quarter. Got a TV from Demisumo Karnbay.
Vandergriff out of the shotgun, set back right at Sumo Karna.
Who gets the call touchdown Kentucky, following Eli Coxon Jagger Bert.
What Kentucky gave up a touchdown at the end of the first half, trail fourteen to seven, gave up two more field goals to fall behind twenty to seven before the Cats put together a long drive Rock Vandergriff finding Fonte Key from twenty two yards out.
Following the left Hash Park and here comes Keith in motion to the slot of the near sight.
So trip's right for Vandergriff, who stunt up front five man rush throw into the middle of the field. It's caught my Key, touchdown Kentucky right down the seam on the right side.
That made it twenty thirteen. Kentucky blew the extra point, never got the ball back close enough to get it into the end zone, and the final was the Wildcats falling to the Commodores by seven. After that was the trip to Florida, and this one was frustrating because the Gators were struggling at the time. They had quarterback issues. DJ Lagaway was the new starter because ram Mertz was injured and out for the rest of the year for Lagway, a freshman, but Kentucky just made too many mistakes. Did
make a lot of big plays. Wildcats were in the game in the latter stages, but just couldn't quite hold it together. We turned to a Florida native who had played well against those Gators in a couple of victories during his Kentucky career, former UK offensive lineman Kenneth Horsey.
Kentucky has dominated the series with Florida in recent years, and the reversal form began in twenty eighteen. The Cats won that night at the Swamp and ended a long losing streak to Florida. Offensive lineman Kenneth Horsey was a freshman on that team.
In twenty eighteen, we went to Gainesville to play the Gators. Back then, Kentucky had lost thirty one straight to Ford him, but we were tired of hearing all that, so we did something about it.
Poor man rush as Wilson sets to throw, looking down field, growing down field, touchdown Kentucky.
David Booby ad The Gators led by three at half, but after that it was all wild Cats.
Baby flitzing off the edges, spranks draped the throw down. Here they come up the middle of.
The cot of sacked touchdown. Terry Wilson was incredible.
Wilson thanks the pitch on a keeper at the twenty.
At the fifteen ten five touchdown Kentucky.
He ran for a touchdown and threw for two more.
He is throwing deep.
Boden's out there, got it tuck down Kentucky.
Our defense hit him down in the second half and even scored a touchdown on the last plate with them missed.
He's head as he grows it clutters incomplete with five seconds to plate.
Touchdown Kentucky.
DeVante Robinson I think was who picked that ball up, and they signaled touchdown for Kentucky.
After further reviewing, the ruling on the field of a fumble is confirmed.
The streak is over.
After thirty one long games. The streak ends the.
Streak was open. And now we've won ford last six, including three straight. We need to make it four in a row tonight.
In the Swamp Wow, Kentucky held Florida to a couple of field goals before the Wildcat offense got kicked in the gear on the flea flicker Vandergriff and Barrying Brown forty five yards out.
Two wide outs, left, tight end in a wide out to the right now Anderson going in motion right.
They give it to some fleet flicker.
Brown's wide open touchdown Kentucky.
The fleet flicker works perfectly for the Cats.
Great call by bush hand Dan, perfectly executed by Brown and Vandergriff, really by everybody but Kentucky. Mishandles the snap on the try for the extra point, and it's tied at six apiece in the second quarter. Wildcats with a defensive highlight. Second player of Florida drive UK's Christian story picks off Lagway and returns the ball sixty three yards to the eleven yard line, like.
Way dropping to throw into the middle of the field and accepted by Kentucky coming the other way across the forty. It's story across the Florida forty across the thirty, cuts left at the twenty, cooks through a.
Tangle and gets down to the ten yard line.
You know, I love the way Tom calls touchdowns. Everybody does, but I think a close second is the way he calls interception because they're so sudden and so welcome. Unfortunately, this particular interception didn't lead to any points, and the Gators took over. They were actually able to drive for a touchdown and let it twenty to six. Late in the half, they added another touchdown. I go have twenty seven to six, but Burying Brown took the ensuing kickoff ninety nine yards.
The kick is high, but it's not going to make the end zone. Brown fields that at the goal on.
It's up the numbers on the right side at the twenty twenty five, thirty cuts right, pasting it outside, cuts back to the left. He's got an alley across the fifties, still upright across the thirties across the twenty fifteen, ten to five touchdown, Kentucky Burying Brown get six back.
Well, he's even I.
Made it twenty seven to thirteen. That was your halftime score. Kentucky actually came out and put pressure on the Gators, Gavin Wimsed moving the Wildcats to a touchdown, and it was twenty seven to twenty. Midway through the third quarter, block.
Ticking at eight forty five second and goal at the one. It's still whimset at the controls. He takes the snap, he's gonna run it, lowers his head and dives across signal.
Touchdown Kentucky.
But that was as close as the Wildcats could get, and Kentucky had fallen in Gainesville by a final of forty eight to twenty. After that, when the Cats came home to take on Auburn, and Kentucky hasn't played Auburn a lot and hasn't beaten Auburn in quite a while, But in fact, we went to a guy who helped quarterback the Wildcats to a victory on the road at Auburn back in the Rich Brooks era. Morgan Newton opened the broadcast for him.
The last time Kentucky beat Auburn was two thousand and nine on the Tigers' home field. The game came a week after starting QB Mike Hartline went down with an injury and Morgan Newton, a freshman, took the controls with some help from Randall Common Will Fiddler.
There haven't been many wins for my Wildcats over the Auburn Tigers. For the game I like remember happened in twenty oh nine, the Wildcats were struggling when we went down to the plane. We had lost three straight, each one to a top twenty five team, so we decided to turn things around.
Auburn jumped out to an early leave.
The Cats came back behind three different quarterbacks.
It was like we took turn first down at ten to the sky.
In the second quarter, I ran one in for a touchdown.
How the Wildcat ripping their upsman quarterbacks morgant New for score.
In the second half, while our defense was busy completely shutting out the Tigers, Will Fiddler got one too.
Middler's gonna keep it up.
Shut touchdown Chentucky.
And with the score tie three minutes to play, Randall Cobb ripped off an explosive run.
Hey tod, what good of speed does he have?
And then out of the Wildcat formation, he scored the winning touchdown.
He's got rude touts down Chittucky.
That's right.
Three Kentucky quarterbacks scored that night as we upset the Tigers on their home field. Now they're on our turf, and we need to take them down tonight.
In hindsight, this was one of the most frustrating losses of the year. This came in a three game swing where the Wildcats had a shot at wins at all of them, Vanderbilt, Florida, and Auburn. Some of us sought Kentucky would get at least two out of three. The most optimistic people thought the Wildcats could take all three of those games going into Knoxville. Of course, as we know now, Cats didn't win any of them, but Vandy was a surprise. Yes, Florida, it's always going to be
tough in Gainesville. But I really believe that with Auburn struggling the way it was, that Kentucky would get the Tigers and kind of right itself. But the Wildcats wasted. A really good performance by Dane Key four catches eighty seven yards. Defense did a great job until it just kind of ran out of steam. The Wildcats with six tackles for loss, including four sacks. Jordan Loved at nine tackles. Jam and Dumas Johnson had eight tacks including a sack.
The one thing they could not do, though, was keep joh Quest Hunter from running over and through the Cats. He had twenty three carries for two hundred and seventy eight yards, including a fifty yard run and a pair of touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Kentucky offense just wasn't getting much of anything done. Auburn with twenty seven first downs, three hundred and twenty six net yards rushing and another one seventy two through the air, and Wildcats only thirteen first
downs two hundred and twenty four total offensive yards. That means Hunter out gained single handedly outgained the Kentucky offense, an Auburn team that went on to be five and seven and a Kentucky team that desperately needed a win but just couldn't make anything happening on that one. So what that meant was Kentucky going into the Tennessee game
with all kinds of injuries, had lost three straight. After the upset win overall, miss Wildcats lose to Vandy, Florida and Auburn, So we thought Knoxville might get ugly, but it was just the opposite. We'll talk about that on the other side of the break here on the Big Mollon sider six thirty WLAP. It was a banged up Kentucky team to travel to Tennessee, and not many Wildcat fans were optimistic because this was a volunteer squad that was putting together a pretty good season. With all the
holes in the Kentucky lineup. Out of Kentucky fans, media as well, we all braced ourselves for what might be a beat down, and we had seen a few of those in Knoxville. But we had seen Kentucky as well be competitive with Tennessee, and that's exactly what we saw that night. In fact, Kentucky made a statement on the very first play, but not before our broadcast was opened by the widow of the late great Kentucky offensive line coach John Schlrman.
As John Schlarmon was as a player, he may have been a better coach in the old line. He walked the sidelines for the final time here in Knoxville four years ago and saw as alma mater do something it had not done since nineteen eighty four. They beat the Falls. Here's Leanne Schlarmer.
When Kentucky place the Big Orange today at Knoxville, it will bring back happy memories of the day, the Walkats scored one of their greatest wins over Tennessee and dedicated the win to my husband John. The UK defense stole the first two touchdowns.
He looks righty y dinner set kill ladies, could be a pick six. Hit the whole way, Joseph to five touchdown. Kentucky fires over the middle.
Said Davis at the twenty cuts left, gets.
Up left ten stuggling falls into the ends of tentuckye wuck, my goodness.
Then they turned the game over to the offense and the big blue wall that day made coach Slarman proud with the rest of the BBN the.
Gift of Rodriguez running left, he hesitates and pillars his way in touchdown Kentucky off left tackle.
Kentucky beat Tennessee and Knoxville for the first time since nineteen eighty four. Later on, in a noisy UK locker room, the game ball went to the man who inspired the Wildcats that day, John Schlarman, own.
Job, guys, you come together, nobody can stop.
Wow.
The response to that piece on social media was tremendous, and John Schlarman would have been proud of the way the Wildcats played that night despite being down so many injured teammates, Kentucky fought from the opening play.
Brown in motion left hand off Willcox, right.
Damn big hole cuts right and it's a foot race down there sideline, across the forty.
Across the thirty. It's a baron.
Willcox has pushed out of bounds at the tennis. We've seen twenty seven yard line by the last line of a defense. Andre Turantine.
Wildcats moved all the way to the Tennessee five yard line, but once again stalled in the red zone. Didn't get any points, but Kentucky did take the early lead. With about five minutes left to play in the first quarter, it was Brock Vanderriff finding Josh Kattis who made a terrific play from twenty seven yards away.
Empty backfield tight end Rice Vandergriff, quick thrower to the Millis, got Canis across.
The tent, across the.
Five, touchdown Kentucky.
He bounced off the tackle a tempt inside the five, and Josh Cannis puts Kentucky on the board first.
Vaulves would tie the game. Kentucky retook the lead at ten to seven, but eventually Tennessee led at twenty one to ten in the third quarter, but that's when Gavin Wimsen came on for the injured Rock Vandergrift and led Kentucky on a seventy five yard six play touchdown drive. Kentucky cut it to three points. Just inside the fourth quarter.
Wembsit throwing down the far sideline. He catch it touchdown goodness.
Jimury Macklin well over the shoulder of a Tennessee defender and right into the hands of Macklin with thirteen thirty one to play in the fourth quarter, at Kentucky gets seven back for get six back quickly, but.
That was as close as Kentucky could get, the Wildcats finally succoming twenty eight to eighteen down in Knoxville. After that came an open date, and the Wildcats made good use of it with all the injured players. Next on the schedule was Murray State, which still competes at essentially the old one double A level FCS, and under new management, the Racers are trying to rebuild, but quite frankly, they're one of the worst teams in MBV, worst at the
FCS level. Wildcats were able to get well physically and emotionally. The guy who opened it up for us played against the Racers not too long ago.
Kentucky and Murray State last played in twenty eighteen. The catscisively after a bit of a slow start. Perhaps we should have seen that coming, since the Cats were coming off that win at Florida that ended a long losing streak.
Here's Cash Daniel.
When we hosted Murray State back in twenty eighteen, we were rolling. We had just come back from an upset win at Florida when we snapped that ugly thirty one game losing streak.
Some people thought we might not be ready for the Racers. No chance.
We came out firing and our quarterback lit the fuse. Terry Wilson broke one for forty two yards and our first touchdown.
Wilson with a play fake, and he's sitting up deep looking down the middle of the field. Now he's gonna pull it.
Down and run straight ahead across the forty breaks.
Attack across the thirty wide open cuts left in the tent. He'll go in, standing up touts down Chentucky touch down Terry Wilson.
And Benny Snell.
Well, he just couldn't be stopped.
They give it to snail straight ahead at the five, so away to the one, turns it in touchdown.
Kip Tucky, Benny Selm Junior.
And the defense. Yeah, we had some fun too.
We were deep and talented, including a guy who'd go on to win a Curple Super Bowl.
Range swing pass the nearside, Cass Steel tackle for a loss. Mike Edwards ridd It flew down hill to make the stunt before a loss of five on the completion.
We rolled over the racers back then, and we need to do it again today at Kroger Field.
Wow.
And as you might expect, the wildcatch raced off to a great start, beginning.
With defense Johansson rolling out to his right and he throws and it's intercepted.
Love it down at the thirty two yard line. Jordan love It picks it off.
And the offense took over with a spectacular play from Rock Vandergriff to a freshman receiver.
Pumps throwing deep.
He's looking for Hartley Gilmour and it's all front touchdown goodness. It went right through the hands of a Murray State defender k Von Reid and right into the hands of Hardy gilmore Or a touchdown his first one as a Wildcat is going to be especially memorable.
The offense would add a field goal, another touchdown, and the defense came through again.
Drops to throw fires into the middle.
It's slipped up into the air, tapping, intercepted by Kentucky love It. Love It got another one off the deflection of the Murray State receiver. Pops up into the air and love It tips it to himself and intercepts it at the nine yard line to thwart the drive by.
The Racers, and the offense took advantage, this time Vandergriff throwing to a veteran receiver.
Vandergriff drops, he is looking left. He throw it to the far side and it's caught touchdown in the back left corner of the end zone to Murray Backland well thrown.
Bault dropped it right over the defender.
That made a twenty four halftime. Kentucky came out with its first drive in the third period, went seventy five yards for a score.
They handed off to Wilcox, spins and stretches touchdown Kentucky. He got hit at the three and he spun and stretched the ball out.
Across the goal line. Well done.
Late in the game, Cutter Bully made an appearance. We thought we would see him, and he actually threw a couple of touchdown passes to the same receiver.
Bully holding the ball, fires Man wide open at the five slips a tackle, touchdown Kentucky. Anthony Brown Stevens on fourth and one from the twenty two yard line, two receivers each way. Rodriguez on the hashmark to the right, Bolly looking left, he guns it caught, touchdown Kentucky.
And once again it was Anthony Brown Stevenson. Cutter Bowley had a lot of fun that day. So did the Wildcats. They went at forty eight to six. Kentucky needed something good to happen, and of course it did, but it had to expect that in a game like that.
Now.
The following week, the Wildcats went to Austin, Texas, and with Rock Vandergriff banged up, it was Cutter Bowley who got the start against the Longhorns. We'll come back and tell you all about that one on the other side of the break. Here on this special edition of The Big Bloon Sider six point thirty wlap Welcome back to the Big Bloom and Siders Special Edition. Dick Gabriel with you on a Thursday night. We're looking back at the Kentucky football season, and yes, I know it wasn't exactly
what any of us had in mind. There were some big plays and of course the first trip for the Wildcats down to Austin, Texas in a million years, and by then it was a Kentucky team that was so banged up and beat up. Before the game began, we opened the broadcast with a monologue from a Kentucky fan who lives in Austin now, Josh Hopkins, the son of
the late Congressman Larry Hopkins. We prevailed upon him to open things up for us, and as you might expect, an actor did a pretty good job with the script.
There's one Kentucky fan living here in Texas who believes the Cats can shot the college football world today.
And it's not an act.
Here's Lexington native and actor Josh Hopkins. I can't wait for the Wildcats to get to Austin. My Wildcats now. Don't get me wrong. Austin is a great place to live. But I missed the Cats and they looked good last week. They handed off to Wilcox, spins and stretches, touched out Kentucky.
No wait, he got hit at the three and he spun and stretched the ball out across the goal line.
Well, it was a feel good.
Game, I mean, just what we all needed, the players and the fans.
Vandergriff drops.
He is looking less, but he thrown to the far side and it's cot touchdown. Offense was explosively holding the ball, fires Man wide open at the five slips attack touchdown Kentucky. Anthony Brown Stevens a fourth and one from the twenty two yard line.
Defense made plays all day.
Joe Hanson rolling out to his right and he throws and it's intercepted. Love it down at the thirty two yard line. Jordan love It picks it.
Off, and now we take on the mighty Longhorns, and they're good. We've got a real shot.
I got a bunch of Longhorn friends here, and all I hear about is the burnt orange.
Well, I'd like to turn this town blue, big blue.
It was a warm day and a packed house down in Austin. The atmosphere was incredible. And of course this is a Texas team that is still in the running for a national championship. So every game vital, and that's the way the Longhorns played. In fact, they took that opening kickoff and marched to a touchdown, putting the Wildcats behind seven to nothing. But Kentucky opened up with a big play in its first play, eighteen yard run by
will Cox. Couldn't get much done until late first half, early set or late first quarter early second quarter, after the defense had stopped a pair of Texas drives, Kentucky put together a drive of his own nine plays, seventy three yards. The biggest play of the drive was Vandergriff to Macklin for forty two yards.
Nelson Willclarbay coming back in motion left four man rush, Vandergriff getting pressure, scrambles right, grows, He's got Nachlan open, makes the catch. He's across the twenty, inside the fifteenth, out of bounds. It'll be first down Kentucky in the red zone, powered by Toyota at the Texas twelve yard line.
The final four yards Brock Vandergrift to Josh Kattis, who made a terrific play fourth.
Down this season Kentucky nine for twenty one.
He sprunt up to the line.
Vandergriff play fake looking right, man's not open, he retreats. He throws touchdown Kentucky Josh Caddis.
Nice catch, Joh He made a tumbling grab in the end zone that tied the game at seven apiece. Unfortunately, the rest of the half belonged to the Longhorns. They let it twenty four to seven. Late in the half, Rock Vandergriff was sacked, ended up being injured and was not able to go in the second half, so Cutter Bowley started for the Wildcats in the third period. His first play from scrimmage, sacked for a loss of thirteen.
Defender came clean and crushed him. Very next play, he drops back and looks deep.
Bully drops into the end zone. He is thrown deep up the near sideline.
He's got brown up and pulls it in and stumbles out of bounds up near midfield.
A couple plays later, it was Bully again to Macklin for thirty eight yards, which would have taken Kentucky down to the twelve yard line, but the Wildcats were called for holding, so they had to punt it away. Later on in the quarter, Texas made a mistake and the Wildcats capitalized.
Yours leaves it with flute ball bumble away. Kentucky's got it at the Texas thirty two yard line.
So now the momentum was starting to shift toward the Wildcats. And from the Texas thirty two cutter Bowley goes deep down the right sideline to Rodriguez, who makes the catch at the Texas twelve, carries it to the seven yard line. On first down, Wilcox picks up six yards from the one. He loses two yards. On third down, Bowlie sacked for
a loss of twelve. Wildcats going backwards, but they line up for a field goal by the reliable Alex Rayner, but he missed his only miss of the year from thirty three yards out and Kentucky gets nothing out of the turnover. But on the very next possession for Texas, the Longhorns on their own thirty one yard line made another mistake. This time the Wildcats made him pay.
Diystial formations, play fake viewers.
Balls close, Kentucky got down Dumas Johnson touchdown.
Kentucky defense ses, we'll do it for you. Hit popped right into his hands after was dislodged from the right hand of yours by Octavius Hunts and dives that made.
A twenty four to fourteen late in the third. The team swap punts a couple of times. Kentucky gets the ball back early fourth quarter and is able only to get it to the Texas forty three. Wildcats punted away with eleven and a half minutes to play, still time if they could get some stops, but it just didn't happen.
As Texas began to grind out yardage on the ground, The Long Orange put together a fifteen play eighty six yard drive that took eight minutes and twenty two seconds in every play was on the ground, led to a touchdown made of thirty one to fourteen. Wildcats get the ball back with about three minutes left and could not score. Kentucky played well, acquitted itself well down in Austin, just not good enough Wildcats followed by a final of thirty
one to fourteen. Season finale came up after that the Louisville Cardinals, and some of us thought Kentucky still had a shot at it. In fact, with the Harold Leaders Survey, I said Kentucky would win by a point if the Wildcats won the turnover battle and if they protected the quarterback they didn't neither. They got off to a terrible start. I'm not even going to bore you with the plays from that game, but what I will share with you, by the way, Kentucky losing that one forty one to
fourteen after falling behind twenty to nothing. But what I will share with you is the monologue that opened the
broadcast from Stevie Johnson. He was an obvious choice to open this one, of course, because of Stevie got loose back in twenty oh seven on my birthday, September fifteenth, when Rich Brooks's best team, that twenty oh seven team to set records for offense, really showed the Kentucky faithful that this was a team that was better than the team before and six that team went to the Music City Bowl, but it lost to the Cardinals, and it looked like they were on their way to another loss,
this time in Lexington. But late in the game Wildcats kept it close, finally made a big play that turned things around. And that's what Stevie talked about when he opened our broadcast of UKUL.
Kentucky versus Louisville.
One of the greatest memories of my career as a Wildcat twenty oh seven was a special season.
Baby.
We handled business and had a lot of fun and then.
Let Stevie Johnson wide open. He just ran to the back of the end zone. They turned around at Andre. That was the easiest touchdown. Bask he's gonna throw.
People might remember to catch I made in the LSU game, Derek Lock picking up a blitzing linebacker and Andre Woodson had just enough time to throw that sweed down.
What's a pump fake? He floats it man wide open gun touch down? It is STEVEE Johnson.
Brashton Kelly made a huge tackle to stop LSU and we beat the number one team in the country. For most folks might remember me from a game earlier that year against those Cardinals, And you might not recall this, but I scored the first touchdown of the game.
Plenty of times fires touchdown, Tucky.
Somebody got lost and STEVIEE Johnson was one open in the back cliff quarter of the n.
So I know that's not the touchdown you remember, though, It's this one.
What's it from the gun play? Fake?
Step it up?
He's throwing d Devin there.
Son on Tucky.
Wow thirteen. You ain't lucky number.
Yeah, that's the nice Stevie got Loose and we partied all night in Commonwealth Stadium.
My teammates and.
I dug in and laid it on the line that night, and the cast needs to do it again today at Kroger Field.
It's time to get loose.
Let's get it Wildcats.
Wow.
Stevie did a tremendous job, and in fact I had set up a zoom call with him, but he jumped into this project before I even had a chance to connect with him via zoom. He recorded his part on I guess on his phone or whatever. He sent me the audio files and it had kind of that echoey effect that I thought added to it. And if you were paying attention, you noticed that Tom Leach would open
the monologue and introduce the speaker. But Tom and I talked about this, but in the way Stevie opened it up with that chuckle and immediately talking about the Stevie got Loose, everybody knew who it was going to be. We thought that worked out really well. Unfortunately, that was probably the best part of the broadcast. As I said, As you know, the Wildcats got off to a poor start and just never really could make any headway against the Cardinals. The good news is all the teams have
beat Kentucky this year. They're on the schedule for next year. We'll talk about that on the other side of the break here on this special edition of the Big Blue Sider six point thirty WLAP Welcome back, final segment of our program, our football postseason special. Not a special season, but it's a special time because of course the transfer portal doors are spinning and as we pre record this
right now. To me, most of the important news is about offensive line, because it doesn't matter who they sign quarterback, running back, wide receiver. If the old line isn't rebuilt properly, they're going to struggle again. They'll have a losing season again next year. In a Dylan Ray part time starter each of the last two years, of course, entered the portal earlier this week. He played more last year than he did this year, was injured early, so kind of
lost his spot in the rotation. But Kentucky has picked up a number of transfers already to the offensive line. Wallace Unamba from New Mexico has signed on with the Wildcats. Twice named a junior college All American red shirted at
Florida Atlantic and then transferred to New Mexico. So he joins, among other transfers, offensive lineman Joshua Braun, an offensive guard from Arkansas who already has five years of experience in the SEC six six three thirty eight, but he's got one more year to play and he's gonna play it at Kentucky. Alex Wolfschlager and O tackle from Bowling Green six seven three five spend five seasons at Bowling Green and now has one more to spend. He's going to
spend it with the Wildcats. So Kentucky apparently rebuilding the O line, and as we speak, we're still not sure who's going to be the quarterback, but that may have changed between the time I record this and the time you hear it. When I get back from New York next week, i'll go over all of this with Aaron Gershan on the Cats Paws and we'll we'll go through all the action that's going to happen over the weekend
with the transfer portal. But bottom line is it is a time of great change in every college football program, or so it seems. And Mark Stoops at his most recent news conference said things do need to change right now at Kentucky.
Players see opportunity sometimes and so you know that may help you, you know, with some difference makers, and then it's up to them, you know. You know that is uh, you know, a fine line because you know, sometimes guys come out of nowhere. You know that you you know, maybe thought you knew you wouldn't sign them if you didn't know they were a very good player, but they're
ready sooner than you thought. And sometimes vice versa, you know, and uh, you know, and sometimes those are the conversations you're having with guys that maybe want to leave. It's like, hey, you know, back in the old days, we really you know, developed and you're on track and you're going to be a really good player. But sometimes they just want to go play right now, you know, And that's okay. You know, guys that you know that are in our developmental phase,
but they want to go be the guy somewhere. That's that is their decision, and that's just the changing landscape and we're totally okay with that. You know, Continuity is very important, but in today's world, you know, you've got to do the best you can year to year and uh, let's be honest them, but we didn't have very good years. So I'm pretty pretty excited about change. We need some positive change.
You know.
The portal at times has been good to Kentucky and as you know, not so much. So it just matters how they've evaluated who they get and how well they can plug them in. They've got a brand new receivers coach. You were introduced to him yesterday. La Damian Washington actually was named Tuesday evening. He spent the last two years as the wide receivers coach pass game coordinator at South Florida, spent a year at Oklahoma, one year at Southern U
down in Baton Rouge. He was also a director of player development at his alma mater, Missouri and worked with the then quarterbacks coach Bush Hamden played at MISSOUI from nine to thirteen and played in a losing effort at Kentucky. Said he remembers being there, tweaked his foot, suffered a foot injury. But now he's the wide receivers coach, and he says it's up to him to earn the trust of his players.
Right now.
My job is to transform him to understand that everything that happens, they got to be mentally tough, right, So some games they'll go into a game and whether they get one target at ten, no matter what. We have to be having a mental ability to go in and execute and do our job. If we do our job, the universe of Kentucky wins. And that's the mindset that I have to bring to that room. No job is too big, no job is too small. We have to attack every day.
I got to tell you that last comment made me smile. No job is too big, new job is too small. Whenever I hear something like that, I always think of Ghostbusters. You might recall when they were just starting to blow up and getting TV coverage and Bill Murray's character professor Venkman, doctor Vinkman says no job is too big, No fee is too big. I'm sorry, but I always go there when I hear that comment. But it's important that he
say that. La Damian Washington. We'll hear more from him next week as I set him heading up to New York for Kentucky basketball. I love seeing the Wildcats play in Madison Square Garden. Got to see that NT back in nineteen seventy six and I've been back several times since, including a period where Kenny Walker was playing for the Knicks and we went up and did a series for wkyt on Kenny when he was a rookie. But I've seen Kentucky play there a few times as well, and
that's gonna be fun. Now, no show tomorrow night because of UK women's basketball. It's a six pm start, so Darren Hedrick has pregame at five point forty five. The Bruins are five and five, so it should be a fairly simple task for the Cats. But you can never take anything for granted. But Kenny Brooks team right now, nine and one on the year, that's gonna do it. I hope you enjoyed this special edition of the Big Bullonsider. That's a good night from the garage in Lexington.
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