(Brooks & Kentucky couldn't get the monkey off their backs Saturday/AP:Reinke)
The game itself was supposed to be the end of an era.
Kentucky had lost to Tennessee 24 straight times, a history that plagued UK’s football program longer than some Big Blue Nation fans had even been alive. Saturday’s game was supposed to change all of that, with the Wildcats ending a two-decade long drought to their hated SEC rival.
The atmosphere was electric but the extra frame of action left UK head coach Rich Brooks and his much maligned Wildcats team with a bad taste in their mouth. Kentucky eventually lost on a twenty-yard dash in overtime, losing the game 30-24 on Senior night.
One of Kentucky’s most heralded class came into yesterday’s game with the intentions of not only beating the Vols for the first time in their careers, but the first for many around the state of Kentucky. Players like Micah Johnson, Sam Maxwell, and Jorge Gonzalez were ready for elation but ended up with a deflated sense of success.
The first quarter started out with a bang.
Tennessee’s starting quarterback Jonathan Crompton threw an inadvertent pass that landed in the lap of Kentucky linebacker Sam Maxwell. Maxwell didn’t hesitate and booked it down field for a pick six, his sixth interception of the year cementing his status as one of Kentucky’s most surprising players. Jumping for joy, the fans in Commonwealth Stadium must have thought the world ended, a drought decade’s long would finally come to an end.
That euphoric feeling was quickly smashed when only a minute later, Tennessee running back Montario Hardesty pounded it in for a nine yard touchdown that tied the game up leaving a puzzled look on many of the Wildcats fans who were watching.
Would this game just be a tease or were the Wildcats for real, ready to take the crown in these two teams boarder war?
It went back and forth for much of the game, with Hardesty crushing Kentucky’s defensive line. Defensive stalwarts like Maxwell, Johnson, and defensive lineman Corey Peters were getting run over. Hardesty power running style had Wildcat defenders on their heels. When you thought Hardesty was wrapped up, he’d keep pushing to gain an extra four or five yards. Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin knew the recipe to success and a mixture of Hardesty and timely passing by Crompton caught the Cats off guard more times than not. Hardesty rushed for 179 yards on 39 carries, all while scoring three touchdowns. Crompton’s timely passing left him with 220 yards passing and a touchdown to boot.
Most must have wondered how a Kentucky defensive unit could be getting torched after stepping up in their previous three games. With a guy like Hardesty it becomes easier to realize that Kiffin and his bull-like running back were going to be the key to winning a 25th straight game and crushing the hopes of all Kentucky fans.
A lot is made of the way Tennessee played but a lot also must be said about the way Kentucky played.
The team itself lacked consistency both on offense and defense. Freshman and starting quarterback Morgan Newton looked the part, throwing passes that had no business being thrown. He ended the day throwing for only 69 yards on 10/22 passing, a huge drop from his impressive game against Eastern Kentucky just weeks earlier.
Play calling was a big issue, as offensive coordinator Joker Phillips didn’t seem to set up Newton for success. With that said, Newton is the one playing not Phillips but when your team has lost to the Vols 24 straight time, something has to give.
The running game didn’t produce like it needed to either. Kentucky’s once solid offensive line that helped produce the 20th best rushing attack in the nation, looked inept against a ferocious Tennessee defensive line. Starter Derrick Locke did have a one-yard touchdown but only had 22 yards rushing on 11 carries a far cry from his usual output in Kentucky’s most recent games. Sure fire wide receiver Randall Cobb played well, but also had two fumbles on the day. Rushing for 101 yards and a touchdown, Cobb did everything he could to lead the Cats to victory but he couldn’t get any help.
Then there was the defense. A usually sound defense looked porous throughout the front seven and the secondary. Untimely mistakes and six penalties to boot put the Wildcats in a tough position to win the game. That ultimately was the case in overtime when kicker Lones Siber missed a field goal that would have put all the pressure on Tennessee and Kiffin. The miss allowed Kiffin to reevaluate his overtime strategy.
Give the ball to Hardesty.
Your wish is Kiffin’s command. Hardesty wound up getting the last touch of the game and ran it in for the game winning, twenty yard touchdown that continued an era rather than ending it.
Saturday’s game was setup to send Lexington into a frenzy. It wound up leaving many in a state of shock, a state that will continue for yet another year.
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