Gutsy 2-Point Conversion Lifts UK to Historic Overtime Upset of No. 10 LSU
By Jamie H. Vaught
KySportsStyle.com Magazine
Thrilling!
Wow!
Speechless!
Stunning!
Exciting!
That's a pretty accurate description of how Big Blue Nation felt Saturday night at Kroger Field as Kentucky bounced back late in the fourth quarter with a game-tying field goal in regulation and came up with a surprising 35-34 overtime victory over No. 10 LSU.
With the Wildcats trailing 34-33 in the first overtime after a 1-yard TD run by CJ Baxter, coach Will Stein called for a two-point conversion -- just like what he did against South Carolina in the previous week. Kenny Minchey then executed a successful QB draw against the Tigers, improving UK's season record to 5-1 (3-1 SEC).
And the jubilant fans immediately rushed the field to celebrate with the Wildcats.
Needless to say, this one is definitely one for the books, reminiscent of the 2007 UK-LSU matchup at Commonwealth Stadium when coach Rich Brooks' Cats upset top-ranked and eventual national champion LSU in three overtimes.
Ironically, in the overtime periods against both South Carolina and LSU, Kentucky won the toss, played defense first, and won by the exact same score (35-34) when the Wildcats had a TD and two-point conversion.
Said an emotional Stein in his postgame press conference, "I’m running out of lives after that one. Wow. There’s really not a lot of words right now. I’m pretty shocked, in shock. I shouldn’t say shocked, I’m in shock. We are a really good football team. Really good football team. People count us out. I took a picture of (ESPN's) College GameDay this morning and everybody picked LSU. Keep doing that. I appreciate that. Gives us a lot of fuel and a lot of fire because everybody doubts us.
"It’s a really tough group that has battled a lot. Injuries. A lot of change that’s happened since we’ve gotten here and this is a really big moment for our players. They’ve earned it, the way they practice, the way they prep, they way that they just keep playing is really phenomenal. It’s unbelievable, to be honest. These guys give it their all."
Even college football legend Paul "Bear" Bryant, who coached the Wildcats for eight seasons, didn't have same success in his first six games of his UK coaching career in 1946, posting a 4-2 mark. By contrast, Stein is currently 5-1 in his first year at Kentucky.
"I have all the respect for Bear Bryant," said Stein. "But I would not consider me Bear Bryant. He’s got hundreds of more wins. I don’t know what his total is of national championships. There’s no way in hell I would compare myself to him. Just try to be my best every single day and give it my all for this university that took a chance on me and give it all for my players who have done such an unbelievable job up to this point. It’s about them. It’s not about wins. We are 5-1, which is great. And we got more opportunities ahead."
Stein is the first head coach to start 5-1 in his first season at UK since Alpha Brumage in 1913.
Back In 2007, when he was just a teenager, Stein was part of the crowd that stormed the field following UK's upset win over LSU. When asked how it felt to experience a field storming as a head coach versus doing it back then with his family and friends, Stein smiled.
"Well, I about got killed out there," said Stein. "It was awesome. Great to see all of those students and fans celebrating, they deserve it. They put their heart and soul in this game just like we did as a team and they were loud and they affected the game and it was really cool."
On the stat sheet, Minchey completed 23 of 36 passes for 246 yards. He also rushed six times for 18 yards on non-sack plays, including one TD.
Running back CJ Baxter rushed 19 times for 123 yards and two scores. On Kentucky's first offensive play, he rushed for a 77-yard gain, setting up his own three-yard TD run on the next play to give UK an early 7-3 lead.
LSU coach Lane Kiffin, whose Tigers dropped to 4-2 overall (2-2 SEC), praised the Wildcats after the game.
“Credit to Will and their staff and players," he said. "They played really well today and made a lot of plays in all three phases of the game. That game came down obviously to a one-play game, but there were a lot of plays before that. We got a chance. As I told them before the game, when chance comes in the 4th quarter, you cannot let them hang around. We had the ball ahead, then we turned the ball over, and then another chance to end it there.
"Obviously, when things go the other way, you look back, and I thought about going 4th and 1 and talked myself out of it. The way their kicker had missed two field goals already, and that we’d punt them deep and play defense. In the worst scenario, even if they drove down and made it, we’d go into overtime, and that’s what happened."
UK will make its first trip to Oklahoma since 1980 when the Cats face the Sooners on Saturday. Game time is 7:30 p.m. ET (6:30 p.m. CT in Norman) and it will be shown on the SEC Network.
Oklahoma, by the way, upset top-ranked Texas 27-24 Saturday on a last-second field goal.
Jamie H. Vaught, a longtime sports columnist in Kentucky, is the author of seven books about UK basketball, including recently published “Unforgettable Journey with the Cats: Inside Kentucky Hoops Madness.” Now a retired college professor who taught at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College in Middlesboro, he is the editor and founder of KySportsStyle.com Magazine. You can follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @KySportsStyle or reach him via email at KySportsStyle44@gmail.com.
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