Rise of the Bluegrass Empire: A Kentucky Wildcats Dynasty

[jasontoddwhitt]

[georgiafan]

I'm getting the fever bad for the new one so I'm going to have to go back and read this from the start. Looks well done and I drafted Deone Walker in Madden and feel in love with him. He was one of the reasons I didn't want to retire it for the year.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Quote: Originally Posted by georgiafan

I'm getting the fever bad for the new one so I'm going to have to go back and read this from the start. Looks well done and I drafted Deone Walker in Madden and feel in love with him. He was one of the reasons I didn't want to retire it for the year.

Deone Walker is an absolute menace in real life. I will be legitimately sad when he does go pro. Thanks for reading.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Barion Brown torches the Alabama secondary on this 48-yard TD pass.

Kentucky Shocks #10 Alabama 17-7 in Historic Upset

By Alex Carrington

LEXINGTON, KY - In a momentous showdown under the rain-soaked skies of Kroger Field, the Kentucky Wildcats pulled off a historic upset, toppling the #10 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide with a stunning 17-7 victory. It marked a monumental achievement for the Wildcats, securing their first win over Alabama since 1997 and only the third triumph in school history against the powerhouse SEC program.

From the opening whistle, the Wildcats displayed unwavering determination and grit, setting the tone early with an impressive drive culminating in a 7-yard touchdown run by running back JuTahn McClain in the first quarter. The relentless rain failed to dampen Kentucky's spirits as they battled fiercely against the formidable Crimson Tide.


McClain had an unspectacular 70-yards rushing, but this TD got the Wildcats on the board early.

In Alabama's first road game, sophomore quarterback Ty Simpson struggled to find his rhythm in his second career start, filling in for the injured Jalen Milroe. Alabama struggled to stretch the field in the sloppy conditions, which played right into the strength of Kentucky's Cover 3 zone strategy.

Early in the second quarter, QB Jason Bean started getting it done with his legs, with a combination of designed QB runs and impromptu scrambles, including a 19-yard scamper that nearly resulted in a TD. Unfortunately, the Alabama defense kept the Cats out of the endzone, and they had to settle for a 23-yard field goal by kicker Jereme Thibodeaux to give them a 10-0 lead. However, Alabama quickly responded with a remarkable 97-yard kick return for a touchdown by Shazz Preston, injecting new life into the Crimson Tide and narrowing the gap to 10-7.


[L] Bean slips the tackle on his way down to inside the five. [R] Shazz Preston leaves the UK special teams in his dust.

Undeterred by Alabama's resurgence, Kentucky's offense remained poised and determined, led by quarterback Jason Bean. In the third quarter, Bean connected with wide receiver Barion Brown on a spectacular 48-yard touchdown pass, electrifying the home crowd and propelling the Wildcats to a commanding 17-7 lead.


Trevin Wallace sliced through the line and leveled Simpson.

The Wildcats' defense rose to the occasion, stifling Alabama's potent offense and preventing further scoring opportunities. Trevin Wallace's crucial sack on Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson late in the third quarter proved pivotal, forcing Simpson out of the game with a bruised sternum and disrupting the Crimson Tide's rhythm.

Despite the challenging weather conditions, Kentucky's defense stood tall, limiting Alabama to just 240 yards of offense and shutting them out in the second half. The Wildcats' resilience and tenacity were on full display as they secured the historic upset and etched their names into the annals of Kentucky football history.

Head coach Mark Stoops praised his team's performance, hailing their determination and resilience in the face of adversity. "This victory is a testament to the character and resolve of our players," said Stoops. "To defeat a powerhouse program like Alabama is a significant milestone for our program and a testament to our student-athletes hard work and dedication."

With this monumental win, the Wildcats announced their arrival as a force to be reckoned with in the SEC, sending shockwaves throughout the college football landscape and igniting hope and excitement among Wildcats fans nationwide.

Alabama Crimson Tide at Kentucky Wildcats
Oct 7, 2023	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
#10 Alabama Crimson Tide (4-2, 1-2 SEC)	0	7	0	0	--	7
Kentucky Wildcats (4-2, 2-2 SEC)	7	3	7	0	--	17

Team Stats Comparison
	ALA	UK
Total Offense	240	339
Rushing Yards	43	123
Passing Yards	197	216
First Downs	12	16
Punt Return Yards	44	38
Kick Return Yards	182	40
Total Yards	466	417
Turnovers	0	1
3rd Down Conversion	2-15 (13%)	6-14 (42%)
4th Down Conversion	3-6 (50%)	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Trips/Touchdowns/Field Goals	1-0-0 (0%)	2-1-1 (100%)
Penalties	5-25	7-35
Possession Time	17:34	18:16

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		ALA	UK
4:12	(UK) TD: JuTahn McClain, 7 Yd run (XP good)	0	7
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		ALA	UK
6:14	(UK) FG: Jereme Thibodeaux, 23 Yd FG	0	10
6:02	(ALA) TD: Shazz Preston, 97 Yd kick return (XP good)	7	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		ALA	UK
5:43	(UK) TD: Barion Brown, 48 Yd pass from Jason Bean (XP good)	7	17

Alabama Crimson Tide PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Ty Simpson 13/23 110 0 0 Steven Copeland 11/14 87 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Jase McClellan 16 40 2.5 0 Ty Simpson 4 -11 -2.7 0 Roydell Williams 3 13 4.3 0 Steven Copeland 2 1 0.5 0 RECEIVING REC/TGT YDS AVG TD Jermaine Burton 9/12 94 10.4 0 Jase McClellan 5/5 32 6.4 0 Emeka Egbuka 4/9 28 7.0 0 Kobe Prentice 2/5 -5 -2.5 0 Traeshon Holden 2/2 27 13.5 0 Jacorey Brooks 1/1 9 9.0 0 Arik Gilbert 1/2 12 12.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Seth McLaughlin 0 1 Tommy Brockermeyer 0 1 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Dallas Turner 7 (3tfl) 0 0 0 Kendrick Blackshire 7 (1tfl) 0 0 0 Bryson Shaw 7 (1tfl) 0 0 0 Kool-Aid McKinstry 6 0 0 0 Malachi Moore 5 0 0 0 Khyree Jackson 3 0 1 (1pd) 0 Jah-Marien Latham 3 (1tfl) 0 0 0 Will Anderson Jr. 3 0 0 0 Terrion Arnold 3 0 0 (1pd) 0 Max Salopek 2 0 0 0 Quandarrius Robinson 2 0 0 0 Jaheim Oatis 2 0 0 0 Chris Braswell 2 0 0 0 Tim Smith 1 (1tfl) 0 0 0 Damon Payne Jr. 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Wilson Italiano 0/1 0/0 0 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 James Burnip 6 232 38.6 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Shazz Preston 3 151 50.3 1 Kool-Aid McKinstry 1 31 31.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Shazz Preston 4 44 11.0 0

Kentucky Wildcats PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Jason Bean 20/29 216 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD JuTahn McClain 23 70 3.0 1 Jason Bean 6 38 6.3 0 Izayah Cummings 3 12 4.0 0 Kavosiey Smoke 1 3 3.0 0 RECEIVING REC/TGT YDS AVG TD Jordan Dingle 6/6 62 10.3 0 Tayvion Robinson 5/8 36 7.2 0 Barion Brown 3/6 64 21.3 1 Dane Key 3/5 34 11.3 0 Brenden Bates 2/2 15 7.5 0 JuTahn McClain 1/1 5 5.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Kobi Albert 9 (2tfl) 0 0 (1pd) 0 Trevin Wallace 7 (1tfl) 1 0 0 Jordan Lovett 5 0 0 (1pd) 0 Carrington Valentine 5 (1tfl) 0 0 (2pd) 0 J.J. Weaver 4 (2tfl) 0 0 0 Eyabi Okie 4 (2tfl) 1 0 0 D'Eryk Jackson 4 0 0 0 Deone Walker 3 (1tfl) 0 0 0 Jackson Schulz 2 0 0 (1pd) 0 Desmond Evans 2 0 0 0 Justin Rogers 2 (1tfl) 0 0 0 Noah Matthews 1 0 0 0 Jalen Geiger 1 0 0 0 Andru Phillips 1 0 0 0 Josaih Hayes 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jereme Thibodeaux 1/1 2/2 5 24 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Jake Holley 7 288 41.1 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Barion Brown 2 40 20.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Barion Brown 4 38 9.5 0

Jason Bean hits Barion Brown in stride to break the back of the Alabama defense.

[studbucket]

Amazing way to rebound. Everyone loves to beat Alabama and your boys rebounded in-game and you rebounded from a tough few weeks.

[Careless Whisper]

Really impressive rebound performance. The defense was at the top of its game.

[georgiafan]

I'm caught up and props for keeping things realistic and not winning every game that always makes it more fun to read. You made the right call at QB with Bean's speed.

That recruiting class was pretty weak, what happened? Hopefully this one will be better

[moose141]

Huge win there! Look good, feel good, play good clearly because that uniform combo for UK was filthy. Doesn't look like the offense is as explosive this year as it has been, but if the defense can shut teams down like that then you should be able to grind out some more wins.