(Locke has been steady for the Cats all season/AP Photo: John Amis)
If anything defines the Wildcats 2009 season, it would be the second half of their game against Georgia on Saturday night.
In front of a packed house in Athens, Georgia the visiting Wildcats sputtered into the first half of the Dawg-Pound as flashes of weeks earlier (Mississippi State Bulldogs) crept into the teams head. The Bulldogs expected victory that had the Cats down 14 at half were all for not, as UK head coach Rich Brooks led his team out from halftime on a roll, with Kentucky pulling out the 34-27 victory on Senior Night in Georgia.
A defining road victory for Rich Brooks now establishes a season of elation. Saturday night’s victory over Georgia, at Georgia, was their first in 32 years. Not since 1977 had the Wildcats come into Sanford Stadium and taken down the almighty Bulldogs.
The 2009 season is anything but almighty however, as Georgia now stands at (6-5) having lost to a Kentucky team that has silenced doubter’s all-season long. A lot of things were missing from a Georgia team that stunned the Wildcats last year in Lexington, one of those being wide receiver A.J. Green. Green, if you’ll remember, was the benefactor of an incredible fourth-quarter throw by Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford that won them the game in last season’s matchup. There was no Stafford or Green on Saturday, as Kentucky took advantage of a sloppy second half by Georgia.
Kentucky was totally inept on offense in the first half of play that it looked as if a high-school team was playing, not a college program hell-bent on improving their bowl-game appearance for a fourth straight year. The Wildcats were so putrid in the first half that they managed to only put up 73-yards of total offense, far from a team that was looking to secure one of Rich Brooks’ best seasons since his arrival in Lexington six years ago.
Sloppy play wasn’t in Georgia’s play book in the first half, but that’s how things turned out for the Bulldogs came out of halftime to simply lose a kick-off return that was fumbled within Georgia’s own goal-line. Things didn’t look good until the middle of the third quarter as Joe Cox and the Dawgs stormed down field on a two-play, 80 yard drive capped off by a passing touchdown from Cox to Rantavious Wooten for a 43-yard touchdown and a 27-13 point lead over the Cats. It looked all but over, with Cox torching the porous Kentucky secondary. Things began to unravel however, as Kentucky notched up the defensive intensity and gave everything Georgia could handle.
Much of the turn-around started when freshman quarterback Morgan Newton connected for one of his three passing touchdowns on the day. Newton torched the Georgia secondary on a well-devised play that netted the Cats their first points of the second half, cutting the lead to a touchdown. Newton and the Cats once again surprised everyone on a screen-play to Derrick Locke that burned the Bulldogs for a 60-yard touchdown and six points, tying the game up with plenty of time to go in the fourth.
These quick drives were helped along by Kentucky’s defensive unit that started blitzing more, creating a ton of confusion for a usually sure-handed quarterback in Cox. Kentucky’s front seven, led by defensive tackle Corey Peters continually brought the house and forced Cox into some sticky situations.
Cox threw two interceptions in the game, both coming at costly times, the last of which sealed the deal when linebacker Sam Maxwell caught an inadvertent pass by Cox to a receiver running through the middle. Maxwell read the play and stepped up for his fifth interception of the year, a team lead. The interceptions were key errors as Kentucky took over the driver’s seat and wound up winning 34-27.
At (7-4), Kentucky and head coach Rich Brooks are doing things the program has never done before. Brooks has instilled his passion for the game and understanding that winning isn’t always the most important thing. His players have grown and learned how to overcome adversity and criticism to silence the talking heads around the country. Kentucky just re-wrote history once again in defeating Georgia in Athens. Tennessee is up next and beating the Vols in Lexington would be one last thing for Brooks to check off his list before his tenure at UK is over.
Stars of the game:
Derrick Locke: Locked killed the Bulldogs with 160 total yards (80 receiving/80 rush) and two touchdowns. He didn’t have any rushing touchdowns, but was vital in taking the lead with his 60-yard receiving touchdown. He kept defenders on their heels with his quickness but brought the power-game in the second half to milk to clock.
Morgan Newton: Freshman quarterback Morgan Newton looked the part in the first half, spoiling any chance of an upset in Georgia. It was his second half performance that led the Wildcats back into the game, when he threw for two touchdowns, one of those tying the game up at 27-27. He ended the day on 9/17 passing and 137 yards. He needs to manage the offense and let stars Derrick Locke and Randall Cobb worry about scoring the touchdowns.
Ryan Tydlacka: The punter did everything he could to keep the Bulldogs as far away from Kentucky’s end-zone as possible. On a total of 8 punts, he had a whopping 329 punting yards, averaging a cool 41.1 yards per/punt. If Kentucky can’t score, then they might as well capitalize on Tydlacka’s reliable punting to keep opponent at bay.
Randall Cobb: The injured Cobb played at a high intensity level despite the nagging injury to his shoulder. He scored two touchdowns in the “Wild-Cobb” formation on 40-yards rushing. He’s simply a leader and loves to win. Yesterday’s victory was a testament to his love for UK football.
Sam Maxwell/Corey Peters: Micah Johnson’s name has taken a back-seat to Maxwell who has been everywhere on defense for Kentucky. He leads the team in interceptions and racks up 10+ tackles regularly. Peters ratchets up the intensity level on defense, clogging up the middle and blowing up opponent’s running plays. Both were key in the defensive emergence in the second half of Saturday’s game.
Rich Brooks: No one is happier for his team than Rich Brooks, who has done things at UK that no other coach has done. He’s already cemented himself as the program’s best coach and looks to finish of the 2009 season by beating Tennessee for the first time since the mid-80’s. He broke a drought on Saturday in winning at Georgia for the first time since 1977, can he break history again next week? A win puts the Cats at (8-4) with the chance to head into their fourth straight bowl game, win, and finish the season at (9-4) giving Brooks his best season at UK.
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