Greetings, BBN!
Let’s take a trip down memory lane. It’s not much longer till kickoff, and now’s a great opportunity to enjoy the highlights, game-winning plays, and trophies that UK has cashed in on fall after fall.
One of my favorite things about UK’s football seasons this past decade has been that, regardless of the final record or bowl or other results of the season, there’s always been one game…on one Saturday…against one team…that I remember. One game I can’t forget because that September afternoon
or that November night, the Cats scored something really awesome that’s gotta go in the record books and hype videos for years to come.
Every year has had a “best game”. Let’s have some fun and scroll through them:
Best UK Football Wins: 2014-2019
2014: South Carolina
What made it the best: Bud Dupree’s pick-six
Still my favorite pick-six. An absolutely classic moment at the end of a thrilling comeback. Tied at 17 at halftime, then trailing 31-24 at the end of the 3rd, then turning a 14-point deficit into a tie game with less than three minutes to go, UK was giving Kroger Field its best game in years under the bright lights of an October night game. Then Bud Dupree broke it all wide open with a pick-six, he only needed to run back six yards to score the Cats an UPSET!!
=
2015: South Carolina
What made it the best: First major road win under Stoops
How do you top that 45-38 win over South Carolina the next season? Do it again on the road! This one wasn’t as dramatic, and the story this time was not blowing a 24-7 halftime lead, but it certainly was impressive and celebration-worthy as the Cats landed their first road win under Stoops in the Sandstorm-blaring Williams-Brice Stadium.
2016: #11 Louisville
What made it the best: Besting Lamar Jackson as three-touchdown underdogs
In 2023 the Cats beat a top ten Louisville team on the road, but unless Louisville is undefeated or ranked #1 or something I don’t think there’ll be any topping this game given how great Lamar Jackson has been at the pro level ever since his college career at U of L. Stephen Johnson, Austin MacGinnis, and BBN beat the Heisman winner 40-38 in Cardinal Stadium. Nothing quite like it before or since.
2017: Tennessee
What made it the best: Extremely rare series win (and in thrilling fashion)
Victory over Tennessee! Only twice since the ‘80s has UK beaten the Vols in Lexington, and this one, with the Stephen Johnson TD hurdle in the final minute, was one of them. Wins over Tennessee make a season, and they’ve gotta be savored because you never know how long you’ll be waiting for the next one.
2018: #25 Florida and #12 Penn State and Missouri
What made (it and it and it) the best: Snapping The Streak and winning a major bowl against a very elite team. And winning a game with literally 0:00 on the clock!
Ok, I cheated here a bit. This one had so many greats I couldn’t pick just one. First in Week 2 they snapped the notorious Streak at 31 in Gainesville against a really good Florida team, then to end the season they scored their biggest bowl victory since the ‘70s with an epic Citrus Bowl triumph over #12 Penn State to finish with a 10-win season. And I will never forget the untimed down with 0:00 on the clock at Mizzou’s 2-yard line. One play to win or lose…and they won! Terry Wilson to CJ Conrad.
2019: Virginia Tech
What made it the best: Beating a formidable team in the final seconds
Winning a game with a TD pass with 14 seconds left isn’t the most unheard of thing in the world. But when your QB is a wide receiver? The 2019 Belk Bowl was an impressive piece of work by the Cats and a thrilling final drive to get back-to-back bowl wins.
