Sunday Reset

Let me say first of all that last night's win came as a shock to me. I felt going in that we had a chance if we put the things that we'd done well in previous games together. At halftime, however, it seemed we wouldn't come up with that kind of performance. The D looked positively awful, and I was pulling my hair out at the play calling. When we tucked the ball away during the last possession of the half, I wondered outloud if we were really trying to win or just avoid embarrassment.

The second half was one of the stranger 30 minutes of football I can remember. Yes, we played well and made some of our own luck, but Georgia just seemed determined to give us the game. Seriously, how would you feel if you were a Bulldogs fan today? (Aside from feeling like your dog died). What if the Cats had outgained a team 2-1 and lost on senior night by committing four turnovers in the second half, including one right before what seemed like a sure fire tieing touchdown? No way to describe it. An awful game for them and their fanbase.

But enough about the poor Bulldogs, lets talk about the rich and prosperous Cats. Major credit in this game has to go to Sam Maxwell. This year's defense was supposed to be led by three stars. Jarmon never played a snap. Trevard missed half the season and, lets just be honest here, has struggled since returning from injury. Even Micah has been slowed by nagging injuries of his own and been quiet the last two or three weeks. Maxwell is not only the team's second leading tackler, he is second in the SEC in interceptions with five. He was all over the field Saturday, and sniffed out another big INT at crunchtime. Major credit.

Finally, an interesting stat before moving on to where we stand now. UK is +8 in turnover margin on the road this year. We are -7 at home. This obviously goes hand in hand with the results we've been getting. Come Monday, UK is going to have to figure a way to get a roadlike performance in Commonwealth to end the season. Because. . .

Next Saturday's tilt against UT is the most important game of the Rich Brooks era. Examine this with me for a minute. The Cats are playing for what should be a trip to the Outback Bowl. A win makes us 8-4 and second in the SEC East (actually in a tie with Georgia but with a better overall record). Considering what this team has gone through and the fact that they've won 4 of 5 with basically no passing game, an 8-4 year would go down as one of the best coaching jobs in D-1 this season. A New Years Day Bowl for this team would outstrap anything anyone could have predicted. I could also see it sending Rick Brooks off into the sunset in the most satisfying way possible.

Then, of course, there is the opponent. Our losing streak to Tennessee has reached epidemic proportions. Unlike Florida, kicks our ass year after year, UT has been let off the hook several times. We just cannot get the monkey off our backs. Our program needs this win. The rivalry takes on a bit of a new meaning for me now because I hate their coach. Seriously, Lane Kiffin is the guy in your fraternity nobody liked. No one likes losing to that guy. Coaches and history aside, there is probably some genuine bad blood between members of these two teams. What exactly happened this off season at the Royal Lexington Apartments remains a guarded mystery to most of us fans. Once we learned nothing would come of it, it was like it never happened. My guess is that whatever happened is still very real to whoever was involved. It will be nasty down there.

Finally, there is this. This year's team enters the game with almost the same resume as the 2007 Wildcats. Think about that. Woodson, Woodyard, Tamme, Burton, Little, Stevie, Dickie. Those guys. Pulled off a couple of great upsets. Spit the bit against Mississippi State. Took care of business otherwise. Walked into Commonwealth 7-4 against a team they matched up with on paper, with a chance to play football on New Years Day still hanging in the air. It was my favorite year as a UK Football Fan, and really the impetus for starting this blog. Still, I'll never forget the feeling walking out of Commonwealth two years ago after not being able to pull that game out. My guess is Micah, Trevard, Sam Maxwell, Derrick Locke and many others remember that too. The demons are still swirling around. A week from today, they might be gone, replaced with a plane ticket to Tampa, sweet vindication for Brooks and Co. and a win over a monumental jackass.

More this week, especially the potential bowl scenarios. But for now, I think you have to agree, this is one big game.