Our seats were in the end zone. The Gators, as they sometimes do, were stinking it up the entire game. Quarterback Terry Dean was benched in favor of a redshirt freshman named Danny Wuerffel, but neither played great: they combined for a total of 7 interceptions during the game. Late in the fourth quarter, Kentucky was winning, 20-17.
A drunk Wildcat fan, spotting my orange Florida hat floating among a sea of blue and white, started heckling me. Over and over again, he shouted, "WHERE'S YOUR SHANE MATTHEWS NOW!? WHERE'S YOUR SHANE MATTHEWS NOW?!"
And then... THE CATCH. With only 8 seconds remaining in the game, Wuerffel lofted a 28-yard touchdown pass to a walk-on wide receiver named Chris Doering, lifting the Gators to a 24-20 victory.
I jumped up, raised my arms and shouted a victory cry. I'm sure my orange cap and joyous ejaculations presented a stark contrast to the slack-jawed yokels in blue who surrounded me, now silent and dejected. I turned to my tormentor, several rows away, and taunted him mercilessly. I don't quite remember what I said, but I do remember giving him the finger.
He didn't respond. When the final seconds ticked off the clock, he silently filed out of the stadium along with all the other Kentucky faithful.
That was my first away game. Here's the final Florida drive:
[video=youtube;h1TFthJbdYE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1TFthJbdYE[/video]
Despite a heartbreaking loss to Auburn, Florida went on to win its first SEC Championship Game that year, beating Alabama 28-13 in Birmingham. The Gators also dominated the Sugar Bowl, beating the #3 West Virginia Mountaineers 41-7.
As for the fat chick, no I didn't fuck her. She was disgusting - but she had tickets.
But enough reminiscing, let's learn a little about UK.
[TR]
[TD]Name:[/TD]
[TD]University of Kentucky[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Location:[/TD]
[TD]Lexington, Kentucky[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Mascot:[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]
Wildcats[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Colors:[/TD]
[TD]Blue and White[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Founded:[/TD]
[TD]1865[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Enrollment:[/TD]
[TD]28,000[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Notable Alumni:[/TD]
[TD]A.B. "Happy Chandler", Mitch McConnell, Ashley Judd[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Division and Conference:[/TD]
[TD]Div. I-FBS, Southeastern Conference[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Head Coach:[/TD]
[TD]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]170[/ATTACH]
Joker Phillips (12-16 overall, 4-12 in SEC play) played wide receiver for the Wildcats from 1984-1988. Do you want to know how he got those scars?
[/TD]Joker Phillips (12-16 overall, 4-12 in SEC play) played wide receiver for the Wildcats from 1984-1988. Do you want to know how he got those scars?
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]All-Time Record vs. UF:[/TD]
[TD]17-45; their last victory was in 1986, when the Wildcats won 10-3.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2011 vs. UF:[/TD]
[TD]Gators won, 48-10 in Lexington[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2011 Record:[/TD]
[TD]5-7, 2-6 in the SEC[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Most Stunning Victory of 2011:[/TD]
[TD]A 10-7 win over the Tennessee Volunteers. On second thought, I wouldn't call it "stunning," but I'm sure the Kentucky faithful were happy.[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Most Devastating Loss of 2011:[/TD]
[TD]When you're a Kentucky fan, you're used to being disappointed, so I don't think any of their losses were "devastating." Let's call it their most unexpected loss: to Vanderbilt, 28-8. [/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Notable Traditions:[/TD]
[TD]Basketball, losing miserably[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Player with the Silliest Name:[/TD]
[TD]I'm gonna go with #1, senior cornerback Martavius Neloms
[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
What's to say that hasn't already been said about this game? Kentucky sucks. So far this year, they lost to Louisville and Western Kentucky. They managed to beat the Kent State Golden Flashes, though, so I guess that's a feather in their cap.
Offensively, expect Kentucky to pass, pass and pass some more - they have only made 68 rush attempts versus 151 passing attempts per game. Kentucky actually leads the SEC in passing offense, averaging 322 yards per game. Unfortunately, the Wildcats have racked up these numbers against teams that are not known as football powerhouses: Kentucky, Kent State and Western Kentucky. Florida's pass defense, although not particularly strong statistically, managed to completely shut down its opponents in the second half of two tough SEC road games. I think Florida wins this match-up, hands-down.
On defense, Kentucky is vulnerable everywhere. The Wildcats are ranked 76th in total defense, 97th in rushing defense and 55th in passing defense. I would expect that the Florida rushing attack will completely dominate the game. Last year, the Gators rushed for over 400 yards against the Wildcats, and I expect a similar performance this year.
Intangibles: Florida is coming off an emotional victory against the Tennessee Volunteers, during which the offense seemed to come together. Quarterback Jeff Driskell had a great game, earning SEC Player of the Week honors. The defense completely shut down the Volunteers in the second half, repeating their performance against Texas A&M the week before. The Gators are clearly a team that is building steam as the season progresses. In contrast, Kentucky lost to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in overtime last week, a game that sparked new calls for the firing of head coach Joker Phillips.
In short, Kentucky doesn't stand a chance. Gators win big at home, 48-7.
