There were no tickets to be found for Saturday’s UK/FL match-up and believe me I tried!! 71,024 fans filled Commonwealth Stadium to watch the Kentucky WildCats lose a heartbreaker to the Florida Gators 45-37. The Cats never quit, they have no quit in them. I continued to believe we would win the game until the Gators scored with 1:33 left on the clock bringing the score to 45-31. This game broke an 8-game home winning streak for UK. Even after losing, Kentucky should be seen as valid adversaries. After last week’s battle against LSU, the WildCats could have folded and fallen flat on their faces. We lost the game but we certainly didn’t fall flat on our faces. Although I am brokenhearted, I am extremely proud of my team.
Here are a few tidbits from the game;
* This made Florida’s 21st straight win over Kentucky. They are 16-10 in Lexington.
* On 3rd down conversions Florida was 7 out of 11.
* First half the Cats had the football longer and out-gained the Gators but did not outscore them.
* Kentucky gained 512 total yards. This was the most against Florida so far this season. For the game the WildCats had 512 total yards to Florida’s 427.
* Andre Woodson was 35 of 50 for 415 yards and tied his career high with five touchdowns. His pass efficiency rating was 172.7. He has thrown for at least 2 TDs in 9 straight games.
* Florida's Tim Tebow was 18 of 26 for 256 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. His pass efficiency rating was 202.71.
* Jacob Tamme became the 10th player in Kentucky history to have 100 career catches.
* Lyons’ 3 touchdowns was a career high for him.
* Injuries or sickness for the Cats - Keenan Burton suffered a strained knee in the second quarter, but returned. Tony Dixon left the game with a sprained ankle. Linebacker Johnny Williams could not finish the game because of an injured foot. Tamme has been bothered by turf toe, and suffered a bruised shin. Jason Leger did not finish the game because of a bout with the flu.
* Urban Myer on the Cats: "We made a couple of comments throughout the week that we saw this Kentucky team a couple of years ago. Rich (Brooks) is a very good friend of mine and that's one of the best-coached teams. Obviously, that offensive personnel is greatly improved as well as the entire team personnel, so we saw that coming two years ago when we played them here. That was a big win against a quality football team, a very quality football team."
Here is what the SEC East standings look like now:
South Carolina 3-2
Georgia 3-2
Florida 3-2
Kentucky 2-2
Tennessee 2-2
Vanderbilt 2-3
The Kentucky WildCats have no time to pause and lick their wounds. They must prepare for Mississippi State this Saturday. The much needed rest will come the following weekend and UK will need it for the upcoming back-to-back road games at Vanderbilt and Georgia. Then comes the season finale with big-time rival Tennessee. GO BIG BLUE!
With 4 starters out, the Kentucky WildCats beat the LSU Tigers 43-37. The celebration in Lexington, Kentucky is going strong as I write this. I have lost my voice and am so hyped up I may not sleep a wink tonight. Yes, there were some things I disagreed with but all-in-all it was an amazing effort by the WildCats and coaching staff!! I must praise the UK deffense. They had taken out LSU's number 1 RB, Hester, the previous play and Kelley stopped the Tigers on 4th and 2 in the 3rd OT lifting the Kentucky WIldCats to a win over the number 1 ranked team in the country. As far as the offense went, Andre made some beautiful passes but when Burton didn't seem to have the stuff due to an ankle injury, Johnson stepped up to the plate and knocked the ball out of the park.....or should I say across the goal line! Also, kudos to Locke who's block allowed Woodson to pass to Johnson for 6 pts. Let me add that Woodson was not sacked the entire game. This is what college football is all about. I am so proud of my Cats. Be sure to check out my fellow WildCat blogger, UKjedi, for more on this game.
Rev had an idea about this week’s He Said She Said. It was that I argue the case the Florida Gators will beat my Kentucky WildCats in football this year and his debate will be the WildCats will beat his Gators. While I am a little scared, I agreed this could be a great approach especially for the debates we have on HSSS. It would be too easy and expected from me to fight….full out kicking and screaming that UK will beat FL in football and for Rev to, of course, take the Gator side. So, how shocking is this?
I didn’t realize all the feelings I was going to go through writing this and now actually posting it for others to read. It is like I am being unfaithful. I even asked Rev to come find my body along U.S. 119 because I know my WildCat brothers and sisters are going to kill me! I hope everyone, including Florida fans (because I am worried about Rev’s safety after this) will understand what we are doing. It is a different look at each other’s teams; a fresh view from another’s aspect of the game; AND I did get an adamant Gator fan to admit UK will beat FL in football this year….lmao I can’t wait to see what I can get him to do during basketball season!! I am joking! This is a wonderful idea and I have argued the case against my beloved Cats.
Tradition:an inherited pattern of thought or action.
Tradition is often overlooked or even snubbed for some reason these days. As a former basketball player I know how important believing you can win is to a team. A squad can have all the talent in the world but if they do not expect to defeat their opponent every time they step onto the court or field, they will lose. Don’t get me wrong, of course you need talent! However, you better have the mind-frame of a winner as well. The Florida Gators’ football program knows what I am talking about. This program is known and feared across the country. They have an inherited pattern of thought or action and that is winning.
Their first meeting with the University of Kentucky was in 1917. The game was played in Lexington, KY and the Cats came away with a 52-0 win. Since that time the Gators have met the Cats on a football field 56 times. FL owns the series with 39-wins, 17-losses and 0-ties. The last time UK beat FL was back in 1986 in Lexington with a score of 10-3. This year’s meeting takes place on Oct. 20th at Kentucky. But before we can take a look into the future, let’s glance into the past…
The Gators’ first snap was in 1906. Coach James Forsythe led the University to 3 winning seasons. During the 1910s the football squad acted as an independent team. In 1912, they became part of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association. In 1922, Florida joined the Southern Conference. They remained there until finding their permanent home with the SEC in 1933.
It would be in the 1960s before the world got a glimpse of what would become a long run of dominance. Head Coach Ray Graves swaggered with a team record of 70 wins. The 1966 team is considered one of the best teams in Florida history. They were led by Heisman Trophy winner, Steve Spurrier. 30 years later in 1996, the Gators won their first ever National Title. The quarterback from that championship team was Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel. During the title battle, Anthony Reidel set a record for the SEC player to score the most points -18, and touchdowns - 3, during a championship game.
The Orange and Blue are known for winning a total of 8 SEC football conference championships. Only 7 are recorded because of NCAA violations, the Gators were officially stripped of their 1984 SEC championship. The 1985 and 1990 teams finished best in the SEC, they were not eligible to compete for the championship because of NCAA violations that previous coaching staff committed.
Florida holds a handful of SEC records. In 1996, Florida scored the most points with 45. In regular season games, the Gators hold the record for scoring the most touchdowns (nine vs. Central Michigan in 1997).
Before you can judge the 2007 team you must assess their leader. At the Helm of the 2007 Florida Gators is Urban Meyer, one of the most celebrated coaches in college football. His winning percentage of 83.1% is ranked 7th nationally among active coaches. Coach Meyer is the 3rd highest paid college coach with his current 6-year contract.
Before Urban Meyer came to take the reigns of the Florida program, he had already won the;
2001 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year
2003 Sporting News National Coach of the Year
2003 and 2004 Mountain West Conference Coach of the Year
2004 Home Depot Coach of the Year Award
2004 George Munger Award for the Collegiate Coach of the Year
2004 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year
2004 Pro Football Weekly National Coach of the Year
2004 Woody Hayes Trophy Award
2004 Victor Award
In just his first 2 seasons, Meyers led the Gators to finishes of 9-3 and 13-1, respectively. This, as we all know, took FL to a 2006 BCS National Championship victory over Ohio State.
There is a problem with winning college championships. That is you usually lose a lot of star talent to the pros the next season. The 2007 University of Florida Football Gators did just that. They lost star QB Chris Leak (free agent with the Bears) and a host of others. However, Coach Meyer did find a replacement for Leak. His name is Tim Tebow. Tebow IS the FL offense. It is essential he stay healthy and as much as he runs this is highly questionable by the time the Gators face the WildCats. This Heisman candidate just earned his second Offensive Player of the Week honor after last weeks win over Ole Miss. Tebow accounted for 427 yards of total offense (best in the SEC this year), including a school record 166 rushing yards by a quarterback. He also had career-highs in completions (20), attempts (34) and rushing attempts (27) while throwing for 261 yards and two touchdowns. Thus far, for the season, Tebow leads the SEC in passing efficiency, is 6th in rushing yards and leads the SEC in rushing touchdowns (7). Adding to this offense is WR Percy Harvin and RB Kestahn Moore. Harvin has 155 yds RUSH and 336 REC; a total of 491 yds offense after 4 games. Moore has netted 279 yds RUSH and 37 yds REC; a total 316 yds offense after 4 games.
The big question will be can the FL defense stop UK’s offense. After losing 9 defensive starters from last year’s National Championship team, the Gator defense is definitely in a rebuilding year. They do return pre-season, First Team, All-SEC selection, DL Derrick Harvey. But after 4 games the Gators D is led by sophomore LB Brandon Spikes. This young man has 21 solo tackles and assisted on 15 for a total of 36 tackles. With the loss of Marcus Thomas the Gators D has been solid but has not had the kind of success stopping the run that Thomas brought.
The Florida offense is averaging 44.5 points per game while their defense is holding opponents to 22.0 ppg. The Gators are scoring 2 or more touchdowns each quarter. The WildCats have a hard time dealing the run especially against QBs. This along with their slow starts and having to “come-back” in the 4th quarter will be their downfall. There is no answer for Tebow. His 358 yds RUSH and 1096 yds PASS says it all. I do believe the game will be tight, but Florida will hold with tradition and beat Kentucky 31-30.
Hey All! I am a sports nut....especi ally college hoops!! You have to be if you are from Kentucky. Basketball is a religion here in The Blue Grass. We love our WildCats and can be tough on them at times. However, you will never find more loyal or passionate fans! I am a Steeler fan, I am a Reds fan but, I am a WildCat!!
BLEED BLUE!!
WildCats lose a heartbreaker to the Florida Gators 45-37. The Cats never quit, they have no quit in them. I continued to believe we would win the game until the Gators scored with 1:33 left on the clock bringing the score to 45-31. This game broke an 8-game home winning streak for UK. Even after losing, Kentucky should be seen as valid adversaries. After last week’s battle against LSU, the WildCats could have folded and fallen flat on their faces. We lost the game but we certainly didn’t fall flat on our faces. Although I am brokenhearted, I am extremely proud of my team.
this. I have lost my voice and am so hyped up I may not sleep a wink tonight. Yes, there were some things I disagreed with but all-in-all it was an amazing effort by the WildCats and coaching staff!! I must praise the UK deffense. They had taken out LSU's number 1 RB, Hester, the previous play and Kelley stopped the Tigers on 4th and 2 in the 3rd OT lifting the Kentucky WIldCats to a win over the number 1 ranked team in the country. As far as the offense went, Andre made some beautiful passes but when Burton didn't seem to have the stuff due to an ankle injury, Johnson stepped up to the plate and knocked the ball out of the park.....or should I say across the goal line! Also, kudos to Locke who's block allowed Woodson to pass to Johnson for 6 pts. Let me add that Woodson was not sacked the entire game. This is what college football is all about. I am so proud of my Cats. Be sure to check out my fellow WildCat blogger, 
team. A squad can have all the talent in the world but if they do not expect to defeat their opponent every time they step onto the court or field, they will lose. Don’t get me wrong, of course you need talent! However, you better have the mind-frame of a winner as well. The Florida Gators’ football program knows what I am talking about. This program is known and feared across the country. They have an inherited pattern of thought or action and that is winning. 
the 2007 Florida Gators is Urban Meyer, one of the most celebrated coaches in college football. His winning percentage of 83.1% is ranked 7th nationally among active coaches. Coach Meyer is the 3rd highest paid college coach with his current 6-year contract. 
In just his first 2 seasons, Meyers led the Gators to finishes of 9-3 and 13-1, respectively. This, as we all know, took FL to a 2006 BCS National Championship victory over Ohio State. 
Tebow IS the FL offense. It is essential he stay healthy and as much as he runs this is highly questionable by the time the Gators face the WildCats. This Heisman candidate just earned his second Offensive Player of the Week honor after last weeks win over Ole Miss. Tebow accounted for 427 yards of total offense (best in the SEC this year), including a school record 166 rushing yards by a quarterback. He also had career-highs in completions (20), attempts (34) and rushing attempts (27) while throwing for 261 yards and two touchdowns. Thus far, for the season, Tebow leads the SEC in passing efficiency, is 6th in rushing yards and leads the SEC in rushing touchdowns (7). Adding to this offense is WR Percy Harvin and RB Kestahn Moore. Harvin has 155 yds RUSH and 336 REC; a total of 491 yds offense after 4 games. Moore has netted 279 yds RUSH and 37 yds REC; a total 316 yds offense after 4 games.
defensive starters from last year’s National Championship team, the Gator defense is definitely in a rebuilding year. They do return pre-season, First Team, All-SEC selection, DL Derrick Harvey. But after 4 games the Gators D is led by sophomore LB Brandon Spikes. This young man has 21 solo tackles and assisted on 15 for a total of 36 tackles. With the loss of Marcus Thomas the Gators D has been solid but has not had the kind of success stopping the run that Thomas brought. 
opponents to 22.0 ppg. The Gators are scoring 2 or more touchdowns each quarter. The WildCats have a hard time dealing the run especially against QBs. This along with their slow starts and having to “come-back” in the 4th quarter will be their downfall. There is no answer for Tebow. His 358 yds RUSH and 1096 yds PASS says it all. I do believe the game will be tight, but Florida will hold with tradition and beat Kentucky 31-30.
