November 9th: On this date...

... in 2002, is a day that will go down in infamy for your beloved Kentucky Wildcats. One of the most sickening feelings I’ve ever had as a UK fan. Two words: Gatorade bath. Excuse me while I go vomit.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

November 8th: On this date...

... in 2008, Georgia’s Matthew Stafford got the revenge he was looking for when he hit A.J. Green for the go-ahead touchdown (in Joe Montana/Dwight Clark fashion), giving the visiting Bulldogs a 42-38 victory in Commonwealth. Randall Cobb ran for 82 yards and three touchdowns, but was intercepted at the Georgia 13-yard line with only 43 seconds remaining to secure the Georgia win. Kentucky amassed 226 yards rushing against the SEC’s second ranked run defense. Cobb finished the game 12-20 for only 105 yards passing, as the new Wildcat package was the main source of productivity. Matthew Stafford finished game with 376 yards passing and three TDs; Knowshon Moreno ended with 123 yards rushing and three TDs; and Mohamed Massaquoi had 8 receptions for 191 yards to pace the Dawgs.


Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

Best Horse In My Lifetime

Glenn Beck Is Hurt!

November 7th: On this date...

... in 2007, Billy Clyde Gillispie’s second game turned out to be a disaster as the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs upended the #20 Wildcats, 84-68 in Rupp Arena. The game was supposed to be an easy win on the way to a four team tournament in Madison Square Garden with Connecticut, Oklahoma, and .......ahem....... Memphis. Gardner-Webb’s win forced them to fly cross country the night before the Madison Square Garden game because they hadn’t planned on making the trip to New York. At this point, it was clear to many Kentucky fans that Billy Clyde’s honeymoon was over. I’m just not sure Billy Clyde ever got that memo. Years later, the aforementioned Kentucky head coach would be arrested for Driving Under the Influence after completing a round of golf at 2:30am in Lawrenceburg, KY. I wish I was making that up.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

November 6th: On this date...

... in 1999, #8 Mississippi State needed a rally late to ward off Kentucky 23-22 in Starkville to move their record to a school record 8-0. The Cats almost pulled off the upset against the nation’s best defense by only gaining 176 total yards, 226 yards below their SEC leading average. James Whalen led Kentucky with 11 receptions, giving him 78 receptions on the year, a new NCAA record for tight ends. Harrodsburg-native Dennis Johnson blocked a punt to set up Dusty Bonner’s offense at the 1-yard line. Bonner would sneak it in to put Kentucky up 12-7. The Wildcats went into the locker room with a 19-14 lead, but couldn’t muster any offense in the second half and managed only three points.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

Bledsoe, Locke, Short People Out For This Weekend's Games

Excuse me, Rich? I'll take it from here.

Two of the more diminutive players on each of our sports teams have been declared out for this weekend's games. KSR says Eric Bledsoe (ankle sprain) likely will not take part in Friday's exhibition with something called Clarion. Everybody and their Mom's have declared Derrick Locke (bum knee) out for this Saturday's glorious weather game v. Eastern. Therefore, the path to World Domination might be sidetracked for a bit.

Hopefully each of these absences won't be the difference between winning and losing, especially with the football team. Our running backs (Locke aside) have been a major disappointment during the 2009 campaign. And we all know EKU didn't fall over against Indiana early in the season, coming within a goal-line fumble from winning. We were told how deep this team was in the preseason, its time to find out if someone's willing to step up.

The gauntlet for Rich Brooks has been laid. Unfortunately, he is the one who did it. PaPaw called last week's Mississippi State game the biggest game in 30 years. Since we lost, doesn't that make the EKU game the latest, "biggest game in 30 years." It does in my book. If you want packed houses at Commonwealth (once basketball starts) and want people to care about football, you can't lose games you should win and start the SEC 1-4.

For the basketball Cats, we've got plenty of time to start second-guessing our new coach. And you know its going to happen. We're Kentucky fans. People are already complaining about the lack of 2010 recruits! Doesn't anyone else think Coach Cal has this under control? Look what he pulled for us after April 1, 2009!

Knowing Eric Bledsoe will be the only guard opening night v. Morehead, resting him was the only move for Coach Cal. If for no other reason than to guarantee a point guard for the first two fake games and the first two real games. The two exhibitions also allow each of our freaky point guards a chance to play without the other in a game situation. Because if you don't think two quick hand check fouls will be called against our guards on the road in the SEC, you're kidding yourself.

Enjoy this weather.

Go Cats.

November 5th: On this date...

... in 2003, Erik Daniels and Gerald Fitch got the ball rolling for your University of Kentucky Wildcats, beating Nike Elite in an exhibition 107-89. Daniels and Fitch combined for 50 points to help #11 Kentucky win going away. And as the Big Blue faithful learned, exhibitions weren’t always a guaranteed win. Just one year earlier, Nike Elite had come into Rupp Arena and beaten Tubby Smith’s Cats 84-75. The defense was usually great, but the offense always took some time to get going, much to the chagrin of the rabid UK fan base. Fitch had 26 points on 10-16 shooting, and Daniels shot 12-21 and finished with 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. The unusual 107 point performance was a breath of fresh air to the fans, letting them know it was there, just not consistently there.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

Reeboks For Life!

November 4th: On this date...

... in 2006, Kentucky got arguably the first marquee victory in the Rich Brooks era with a 24-20 win over Georgia at Commonwealth Stadium. Tony Dixon’s three-yard run up the middle with one minute remaining gave the Cats the final margin. Trevard Lindley was named SEC Freshman of the Week after sealing the win with an interception (of Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford) with under a minute left in the fourth quarter. He also had a career-high seven tackles and a pass break-up. Fans stormed the field and tore down the goal posts. The win ended a nine game losing streak to the Bulldogs, and was only Kentucky’s 11th since the series started in 1939. The win was UK’s fifth on the season, leaving them only one win from bowl eligibility.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

From Way Downtown

November 3rd: On this date...

... in 2002, Derek Abney returned two punts for touchdowns as your Kentucky Wildcats rolled to a 45-24 thumping of Mississippi State in Starkville. The Bulldogs led 17-16 at halftime, then Abney took a punt 69-yards to paydirt to give UK a 23-17 lead. Artose Pinner gave the Cats a 30-17 lead on a 1-yard plunge minutes before Abney’s 52-yard touchdown return to put the game out of reach. Pinner finished with 104 yards, his sixth straight game over 100 yards. Abney finished the game with 225 total yards and cemented himself as the premier return specialist in college football. The Bulldogs ended with 230 yards rushing, led by Jerious Norwood’s 138 yards. Four interceptions by the Kentucky defense helped move our record to 6-3.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

At Least The Cats Didn't Do This Saturday

Gillispie Pleads Gulity to DUI, Stupidity

Today in Lawrenceburg, KY. Per ESPN. Hopefully, this is the last we hear from this guy. That is, until he gets a new gig and the NCAA pairs us up in the Tournament.

Go Cats.

November 2nd: On this date...

... in 2003, the University of Kentucky lost a heartbreaker to Arkansas (71-63) in 7 overtimes at Commonwealth Stadium. It was the longest game in NCAA history, matching a seven overtime game between Mississippi State and Arkansas in 2001. The game lasted 4 hours and 55 minutes. Kentucky forced overtime with a 13 yard touchdown pass from Jared Lorenzen to Chris Bernard with 1:38 left in the fourth quarter, tying the game at 24. The best chance for a Wildcat victory came in the third overtime after holding Arkansas to a field goal. The Cats had it 4th-and-goal on the 1-yard line, but were penalized for illegal substitution, forcing their hand. The 86 total points scored in overtime set a record for most points ever in an overtime (ya think?). Jared Lorenzen finished the game with 326 yards passing. Derek Abney caught 10 passes for 91 yards.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

November 1st: On this date...

... in 2008, your University of Kentucky Wildcats squeaked out a 14-13 victory over the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Starkville. I’m not going to lie, I had very low expectations going into this game last year and was thrilled with the outcome. This was the type of game when always lost in years past. Do-everything manchild Randall Cobb was the key to victory as he ran for a score and passed for a score. The most important play, however, was a blocked extra point early in the fourth quarter by freshman Matt Roark. The Cats sixth win guaranteed them their third bowl game in three years. Mike Hartline and Randall Cobb alternated possessions throughout the game, as this was officially Cobb’s first ever start at quarterback. He finished the game 7-13 for 56 yards (1 TD/1 INT), rushed 12 times for 41 yards (1 TD), led the team with 3 catches for 33 yards, two punt returns for 16 yards, and drove the bus home from Starkville.

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

October 31st: On this date...

... in 2007, Jodie Meeks scored a game-high 34 points and Patrick Patterson added 21 to key the Wildcats past visiting Pikeville, 99-64. It was the first of two exhibition games for the Cats and was the first appearance in Rupp Arena as Kentucky head coach for Billy Clyde Gillispie. Meeks hit seven first half 3-pointers on his way to 27 first half points, matching Pikeville’s total. Since it was an exhibition, the stats didn’t count, but Big Blue Nation didn’t seem to mind. It was also the debut for freshman Patrick Patterson. He finished the game 10-12 from the field, even though the highly touted newcomer wasn’t in the starting lineup. New head coach Billy Clyde had the starting lineup of: Ramel Bradley, Jodie Meeks, Ramon Harris, Perry Stevenson, and ...........wait for it.......................Mark Coury! Billy Clyde Gillispie is no longer employed by the University of Kentucky.

*** October 30th trivia answer: Tony Delk, Jared Prickett, and Rodrick Rhodes. Recruiting analysts tabbed that recruiting class as the #1 class in the country.***

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach

Cleared.

Move on to your next story haters.

I'm Batman.

October 30th: On this date...

... in 1991, a lanky 6'9" forward from Evansville, Indiana, decided to play basketball for your University of Kentucky Wildcats. His name? Walter McCarty. The recruitment of McCarty came down to Purdue, Kentucky, and Evansville. He chose the Cats shortly after visiting Big Blue Madness a few weeks earlier, making Kentucky four-for-four on getting commitments from the recruits coming to the 1991 Madness. Any Big Blue Nation member can tell you the importance of Walter McCarty to the rebuilding efforts of Kentucky basketball, the most famous being his shot from the corner in Baton Rouge during the Mardi Gras miracle. McCarty was an extremely rare inside-out big guy who could defend anyone on the court, as well as shoot it from anywhere on the court. He posed matchup nightmares for any Kentucky opponent. He later turned in his Big Blue Nation membership card when he hopped on Rick Pitino’s staff at that other school.

*** Can you name the other three players at the 1991 Big Blue Madness along with Walter McCarty? Answer tomorrow.***

Big Blue Booyah on Tom Leach