With one quarter to go in the Gator Bowl, Kentucky led Clemson 21-10. Since then, the Wildcats have collapsed. They lost a fumble, threw an interception, and then lost another fumble. Clemson now leads 27-21 with 6:45 left in the game.
With one quarter to go in the Gator Bowl, Kentucky led Clemson 21-10. Since then, the Wildcats have collapsed. They lost a fumble, threw an interception, and then lost another fumble. Clemson now leads 27-21 with 6:45 left in the game.
Wait a minute! Hold the phone -- UK just threw a SIXTY YARD TOUCHDOWN PASS. Go Big Blue! Cats go 75 yards on 3 plays, and they now lead 28-27. 6 minutes left.
ReplyDeleteClemson takes the kickoff back to the UK 37.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, the UK men's basketball team plays Illinois State tonight at 6 PM Central. It's the last game before conference play begins.
ReplyDeleteIllinois State has already beaten Northern Kentucky and Murray State, so they are working on a Kentucky sweep.
DeleteIn three plays, Clemson makes two yards. With 4:20 left, they will try a 52-yard field goal. The kick HITS THE CROSSBAR, AND BOUNCES OVER FOR THREE POINTS. Clemson leads UK 30-28 with 4:20 to go. Clemson has outscored UK 20-7 in the 4th quarter.
ReplyDeleteOn first and 10 from its own 25, UK throws a pass that turns into a 72 yard gain. The Cats have first and goal from the 3.
ReplyDeleteOn first down, the Cats run up the middle and are stopped at the one.
ReplyDeleteOn second down, Ray Davis trots into the end zone. UK retakes the lead with 2:39 left. Cats again go 75 yards on 3 plays. UK leads 35-30.
ReplyDeleteThis time Clemson returns the kickoff to its own 32 yard line. 2:34 left.
ReplyDeleteWith 1:08 left, Clemson has a 1st and 10 at the UK 43.
ReplyDeleteClemson's QB runs for 3 and Clemson calls its first timeout. 2d and 7 at the UK 40.
ReplyDeleteActually, UK was called for a penalty. 1st and 5 at the UK 38. Clemson passes for two yards. 2d and 3 at the UK 36. 56 seconds left.
ReplyDeleteOn 2d and 3, Clemson's QB appears to be in the grasp, and throws the ball away. FLAG! Intentional grounding. Loss of down. Huge play by the Big Blue. Clemson now faces 3d and 18 from the Clemson 49.
ReplyDeleteClemson completes a 17-yard pass, and then runs for the first down on 4th down. Clemson has a 1st and 10 at the UK 29. Then they complete another pass to the UK 18.
ReplyDeleteThen another pass to the UK 4. 1st and goal with 21 seconds left.
ReplyDeleteAfter that intentional grounding, Clemson rallied, and UK sort of fell apart. Clemson calls its second timeout.
ReplyDeleteOn first and goal, Clemson runs it in. Just horrific defense by UK. They've given up 26 points in the fourth quarter so far.
ReplyDeleteClemson goes for two and gets it. Clemson scores 28 points in the fourth quarter, and leads UK 38-35 with 17 seconds left.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what UK's defense did on those last few plays. They just looked completely out of gas. That intentional grounding should have won them the game, and instead they just fell apart.
ReplyDeleteKentucky has had a lot of success in bowl games recently, in part because Stoops does a good job of getting his guys up for these games. But Clemson has a lot of pride, and they were never going to just roll over.
ReplyDeleteOn first down from its own 25, Kentucky throws an interception, and Clemson wins the Gator Bowl. That's UK's second bowl game loss in a row -- last year they lost the Music City Bowl. But they did beat Louisville.
ReplyDeleteKentucky was the first team from the Classic SEC to appear in a bowl game this year. So the Classic SEC is 0-1 so far.
ReplyDeleteThat wraps up the UK football season:
ReplyDelete4-0 in non-conference play during the regular season
3-5 in SEC play
7-5 record overall
Lost the Gator Bowl to Clemson
Mark Stoops's record at UK now looks like this:
73-65 overall
35-55 in the SEC
4-4 in bowl games
If you take out Stoops's first three seasons, when he was rebuilding, his record looks like this:
ReplyDelete61-41 overall
31-35 in the SEC
8 Bowl Games in a row; 4-4 record in Bowl Games
Finished Number 12 in the 2018 AP Poll
Finished Number 18 in the 2021 AP Poll
Also 6-2 in his last eight games against Louisville, including the last five in a row.
DeleteBut only 2-6 in his last eight games against Tennessee, including a current three-game losing streak.
DeleteAdou Thiero will miss tonight's game with Illinois State due to "general soreness." Honestly, does this sort of thing happen to any other major college basketball program? I think the games against Penn and UNC are the only games all year in which UK has had its full lineup.
ReplyDeleteKentucky, without Adou Thiero, rolls over Illinois State, 96 to 70. It was a very pleasant game that was finished in about an hour and 45 minutes.
ReplyDeleteUK:
11-25 from 3-point range (44.0 percent)
25-38 from 2-point range (65.8 percent)
13-17 from the line (76.5 percent)
96 points, 40 rebounds, 23 assists, 6 turnovers
Illinois St:
8-35 from 3-point range (22.9 percent)
18-44 from 2-point range (40.9 percent)
10-18 from the line (55.6 percent)
70 points, 45 rebounds, 13 assists, 8 turnovers
This was the first home game since the loss to UNC-Wilmington. D.J. Wagner was back, and the old floor was back, and they both got the job done.
DeleteKen Pom had Kentucky winning by 20 points (84-64), and the Cats won by 26 (96-70). So they won't move much on his rankings. Today they did a good job of holding Illinois State to a low shooting percentage, but they gave up 24 offensive rebounds, which why the Redbirds had so many more shots than UK did.
ReplyDeleteAntonio Reeves had 27 points, Rob Dillingham (who is one of my favorite UK players of all time), had 16, and D.J. Wagner (who is actually the best player on the team) had 14. I didn't fully appreciate Wagner at the beginning of the year, but he really grows on you. He missed the Wilmington game, and the Cats scored only 73 points in 77 possessions. He's played in the other 11 games, and they are 10-1 and have scored at least 81 points every time. I don't know enough about basketball to understand it, but when he's out there the ball goes where it's supposed to.
ReplyDeleteToday they scored 96 points in 71 possessions, which is really hard to do.
DeleteThrough 12 games, including the Wilmington game, the Cats are averaging 91.1 points per game, which is incredible. They play at the 26th fastest pace in the country, and they are 2d in the country in lowest percentage of turnovers. They are also 3d in the country in three-point shooting percentage. So, yes, they really are fun to watch.
DeleteInterestingly, both the 2017 team (with De'Aaron Fox and Malik Monk) and the 1997 team (Pitino's last team) finished with the 26th fastest tempo in the country. Since 1997, no other Kentucky team has finished in the top 60. Only the John Wall team finished in the top 70.
DeleteAlso interestingly, the 1997 team, the John Wall team, and the 2017 team are three of my favorite Kentucky teams ever.
DeleteThe Cats go into Conference Play with a record of 10-2. Here are their recent records after 12 games:
ReplyDelete2016: 10-2 (15 on Ken Pom)
2017: 10-2 (4)
2018: 10-2 (16)
2019: 10-2 (15)
2020: 9-3 (15)
2021: 4-8 (54)
2022: 10-2 (11)
2023: 8-4 (13)
2024: 10-2 (19)
Ken Pom still thinks they will finish 22-9 overall, and 12-6 in the SEC.
ReplyDeleteUK's next game is on January 6 at Florida. In recent years, the Cats have generally played poorly in their first SEC road game. This year they start with Florida on the road, come home to face Mizzou, and then go to Texas A & M. Those three games will tell us a lot.
DeleteThere are 19 games left in the season, and it really feels like they will be worth watching. If you don't have fun watching this type of basketball, you should really try soccer.
DeleteMeanwhile, Ohio State leads Classic Big Eight Champion Missouri in the Cotton Bowl. The score is 3-0 with 8:41 left in the first half.
ReplyDeleteMissouri is wearing the old helmets with the block "M," which is the only Missouri helmet I recognize. They still have the silly italic numerals, though. And both teams are wearing their home uniforms.
ReplyDeleteI'm passing on the Cotton Bowl to watch San Diego State (10-2) at Gonzaga (9-3). Ken Pom has the Zags winning this one 76-70. With 10:46 left in the first half, the Aztecs lead 23 to 21.
ReplyDeleteAztecs doing Aztec stuff. They're up 64-52 with 11 minutes to go. This is how they looked last year in the NCAA's. Meanwhile, OSU still leads the Cotton Bowl, 3 to 0 with 4:19 left in the third quarter.
ReplyDeleteWith 7:27 left in the game, the Aztecs lead Gonzaga 68 to 61. With 11:30 left in the Cotton Bowl, Mizzou leads Ohio State 7 to 3.
ReplyDeleteGonzaga tried to make a run, but the Aztecs are really tough in big games. SDSU wins 84 to 74 at Gonzaga. Huge win for the Aztecs on a court where the Zags are almost untouchable.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, with 5:12 left in the game, Mizzou leads Ohio State 14 to 3.
ReplyDeleteMizzou wins the Cotton Bowl, 14 to 3. Huge win for the Classic Big 8 Champs. Mizzou's record in the Cotton Bowl is now 3-1, with wins in the 2007, 2013, and 2023 seasons.
ReplyDelete