Kentucky escapes with Governor’s Cup

In a wild back-and-forth affair that’s only fitting for a rivalry this competitive, Kentucky rallied to squeak past Louisville 31-27 to win the Governor’s Cup in a game that features six lead changes.

After leading early, the Wildcats found themselves trailing midway through the fourth quarter and having to give up possession. But after the Cardinals fumbled the punt and the Wildcats recovered, quarterback Mike Hartline made sure they didn’t squander the opportunity, leading them down the field and eventually connecting with Randall Cobb for what proved to be the game-winning touchdown.

The bend-but-don’t-break Kentucky defense then made it stick, intercepting Louisville’s Justin Burke deep in Wildcats territory to seal the victory.

The real star of the game was running back Derrick Locke, who carried Kentucky with 72 yards rushing, another 47 receiving, and took a kick back 100 yards for a touchdown.

The gauntlet that is life in the SEC now commences for the Wildcats, though. After hosting top-ranked Florida and then soon-to-be No. 3 Alabama, they have to travel to South Carolina and Auburn. They’ll have to play a lot better to win even one of those games.

Saturday, September 19, 2009 at 10:12 pm by Raj Sethi

Kentucky shuts out Miami, Ohio, 42-0

The Kentucky Wildcats football team has felt invisible over the past several months after hiring of John Calipari by the basketball program.

Football has always played second fiddle to basketball at Kentucky, but it has been even more so that way of late.

Maybe Kentucky’s football team just has to win fans over, and they got off to a good start with a 42-0 shutout of Miami, Ohio.

The Wildcats failed to get on the scoreboard in the first quarter but scored three touchdowns in the second quarter to take a commanding lead into halftime.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009 at 5:20 pm by steve