< PreviousA LOOK BACK AT 25 MEMORABLE TOUCHDOWNS IN THE PAST 25 SEASONSBy Corey Price UK Sports Network/UK Athletics PR & Athletics Communications S tudents from Rutgers College (Uni- versity) and the College of New Jersey (now known as Princeton University) met on a field in New Brunswick, New Jersey on November 6, 1869, to compete in the Unit- ed States of America’s first-ever college football game. The rules of the game were a mixture of rugby and soccer, with the pri- mary objective to score a goal. It wasn’t until 1875 that the sport added the touchdown as a scoring play within the game. The first player to score a touchdown in a game be- tween two American colleges was Harvard's Gorham Faucon, who scored a touchdown against Tufts College on October 27, 1875. Over the last 150 years, the game of college football has changed exponentially, both on and off the field, but the ultimate objective since 1875 has remained unchanged — to score a touchdown. For the devoted fans of Big Blue Nation, there are no two words put together that are more satisfying than when Tom Leach, the Voice of the Wildcats, exclaims, “Touchdown, Kentucky!”. Over the last 25 seasons, from 2000 to 2024, the Kentucky Wildcats scored 982 touchdowns. Like most things in life, though, not all touchdowns are created equal. A multitude of those touchdowns stick out and were sig- nificant within the game itself or historically significant overall. As a result, listed below in chronological order are 25 of Kentucky football’s most memorable touchdowns over the last 25 seasons. September 16, 2000 vs. Indiana Late in the fourth quarter in a tie ball- game, and with Indiana in possession of the ball and attempting to drive down the field for the game-winning score, the Wildcats’ freshman defensive tackle Dewayne Rob- ertson attempted to sack Hoosiers’ quar- terback Antwaan Randle El. With Robertson wrapped around him, Randle El fumbled the ball at the 21-yard line. Senior defensive end Matt Layow scooped up the ball and rum- bled 21 yards into the endzone with 1:57 left in the game, sealing the 41-34 victory for Kentucky, erasing an earlier 13-point deficit. This was the Wildcats’ sixth consecutive vic- tory in the series against Indiana. October 25, 2003 vs. Mississippi State With Kentucky trailing 17-14 and the Bull- dogs punting in the third quarter, history hap- pened at Commonwealth Stadium. Senior all-purpose player Derek Abney received the punt at Kentucky’s own 20-yard line, and cutting all the way back across the field, he raced down the sideline. Around the Missis- sippi State 15-yard line, he received some help from Earven Flowers, following him into the endzone for an electrifying 80-yard punt return. With that score, Abney tied Cliff Branch and Johnny Rodgers for the NCAA re- cord for most total kick return touchdowns in a career with eight. November 13, 2004 vs. Vanderbilt After a Vanderbilt punt late in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats had the ball at the Commodore 36-yard line with 2:44 remain- ing in the game. About a minute later, senior quarterback Shane Boyd threw a wobbly ball that seemed to be in the air forever, but luck- ily the ball got over the outstretched hands of Vanderbilt defensive back Dominique Morris and into the arms of junior wide re- ceiver Glenn Holt for the game-winning 25- yard touchdown with 1:39 left in the fourth quarter, defeating the Commodores 14-13. At the time, that was the school’s largest fourth quarter comeback (13 points). November 4, 2006 vs. Georgia With 4:37 left in the game, and trailing Georgia 20-17, Kentucky marched down the field. Starting on its own 31-yard line, the Wildcats had advanced the ball 66 yards in 10 plays. Then, on second down and goal at the three-yard line, sophomore running back Tony Dixon, who had limit- ed use earlier in the game after having a hamstring injury throughout the week, ran up the middle and dove into the endzone. His run with 1:21 left in the fourth quar- ter sealed the 24-20 comeback victory for the Wildcats who had trailed the Bulldogs by 11 points earlier in the game. This was Kentucky's first win against Georgia since 1996, and the fans tore down the goalposts at Commonwealth Stadium following the conclusion of the game. September 15, 2007 vs. No. 9 Louisville Trailing intrastate rival No. 9 Louisville, 34-33, the game seemed to be out of reach after a 15-yard personal foul penalty on se- nior center Eric Scott pushed Kentucky back to its own 43-yard line with 35 seconds left. But, in what appeared to be a busted cov- erage on defense for the Cardinals, senior quarterback Andre’ Woodson connected with a wide-open senior wide receiver Ste- vie Johnson along the sideline. Johnson raced past the last line of defense for Lou- isville and into the endzone for an improba- ble 57-yard touchdown with 28 seconds re- maining in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats won the rivalry contest 40-34 for their first win against Louisville since 2002 and their first victory against a Top 10 opponent since 1977. Fans rushed to the field after the finish of the game. October 13, 2007 vs. No. 1 LSU In a heavyweight bout, No. 17 Kentucky and top-ranked LSU were all knotted up at 37 heading into the third overtime. At the two-yard line, the Wildcats were flagged for a delay of game penalty, pushing the ball back five yards. So, on third and goal at @UKSportsNetwork n 9 Stevie Johnson raced 57 yards down the sidelines for a touchdown with 28 seconds remaining to defeat Louisville, 34-33, in 2007.the seven-yard line, senior quarterback An- dre’ Woodson pump faked, and just before an LSU defender hit him from behind, he got the ball off to a wide open senior wide receiver Stevie Johnson near the corner of the endzone after LSU defensive back Jona- than Zenon had fallen. Kentucky stuffed the Tigers on their possession of the third over- time to preserve the victory, 43-37. This was the Wildcats’ third-ever win against the No. 1 team, and their first since 1964. The Big Blue faithful took to the field after the game had ended. December 31, 2007 vs. Florida State (Music City Bowl) With Kentucky leading Florida State 28- 21 in the fourth quarter of the Music City Bowl in Nashville, history was made at LP Field. Facing a second down and nine from the Seminoles’ 38-yard line, senior quarter- back Andre’ Woodson threw a short screen pass to senior wide receiver Stevie Johnson near the line of scrimmage. Johnson did the rest, zigging and zagging his way down the field for a 38-yard touchdown extending the Wildcats’ lead to 35-21. That touchdown pass was the 79th of Woodson’s career, sur- passing Jared Lorenzen for the most career touchdown passes in school history. It was also Woodson’s 40th touchdown pass of the season, surpassing Florida’s Danny Wuerf- fel to set a new SEC school record for most touchdown passes in a single season. October 18, 2008 vs. Arkansas Kentucky trailed Arkansas 20-14 late in the fourth quarter and started its drive at the Razorback 35-yard line. After one play, the Wildcats advanced the ball to the 21-yard line. On first down, sophomore quarterback Mike Hartline found freshman wide receiver Randall Cobb, wearing jersey number 12 in honor of recently injured teammate Dicky Lyons, Jr., wide open on a post route. He raced into the endzone for a 21-yard touch- down, winning the game, 21-20, for Ken- tucky. This game, at the time, tied the school record for the largest fourth quarter come- back (13 points). January 2, 2009 vs. East Carolina (Liberty Bowl) Kentucky and East Carolina were tied at 19 late in the fourth quarter of the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, with the Pirates driving down the field for a potential game-winning score. Facing second down and seven at the Wildcats’ 41-yard line, East Carolina running back Norman Whitley took a handoff and fumbled after being hit by a defender at the 44 yard line. Senior defensive end Ventrell Jenkins picked up the loose ball and started to rumble towards the endzone. During his return, Jenkins stiff-armed Pirates’ quar- terback Patrick Pinkney, knocking him to the ground on the way to a 56-yard fumble return touchdown. That proved to be the game-winner, with the Wildcats defeating East Carolina 25-19, overcoming a 13-point deficit in the second quarter. October 16, 2010 vs. No. 10 South Carolina Trailing No. 10 South Carolina 28-23 late in the fourth quarter, Kentucky was essen- tially down to a last-gasp effort to attempt to pull out a victory. Facing a fourth down and seven at the Gamecocks’ 24-yard line, se- nior quarterback Mike Hartline found a wide open junior wide receiver Randall Cobb in- explicably wide open on a corner route in the endzone. The 24-yard touchdown pass capped an almost improbable comeback for the Wildcats, who defeated South Caro- lina 31-28 after trailing by 18 points, marking the largest comeback in school history. This was also Kentucky’s first-ever win in 18 tries against a Steve Spurrier-coached squad. November 26, 2011 vs. Tennessee In an offensive struggle against border rival Tennessee, Kentucky was clinging to a meager 3-0 lead against the Volunteers ear- ly in the fourth quarter. Senior wide receiver Matt Roark, who was playing quarterback due to injuries to Morgan Newton and Max- well Smith, ended the third quarter with an impressive 26-yard run down the sideline to set up the Wildcats near the goal line. On the second play of the fourth quarter, junior run- ning back CoShik Williams ran around the left side of the offensive line, broke a tackle near the goal line and scored the only offen- sive touchdown of the game for Kentucky. The Wildcats defeated the Volunteers, 10-7, to notch their first win over Tennessee since 1984 and ended 26 consecutive defeats in the series. October 4, 2014 vs. South Carolina Following a 5-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Jojo Kemp with 2:46 remaining in the fourth quarter, Ken- tucky and South Carolina were deadlocked at 38. On South Carolina’s second play of their drive, from their own 20-yard line, quarterback Dylan Thompson dropped back to pass. His throw was deflected at the line of scrimmage by senior defensive end Mike Douglas. Senior edge rusher Bud Dupree picked the ball out of the air at the six-yard line and ran into the endzone with 2:29 left in the game, putting the fans at Common- wealth Stadium into an absolute frenzy. The Wildcats defeated the Gamecocks 45-38 af- ter trailing South Carolina by 14 points in the fourth quarter, the school’s largest fourth quarter comeback in program history. November 26, 2016 at No. 11 Louisville Intrastate rival No. 11 Louisville raced out of the gate to start the game. It took the Cards just five plays to score on their opening drive. Kentucky quickly responded. On the Wild- cats’ first play from scrimmage, from the Car- dinals’ 25-yard line, junior quarterback Ste- phen Johnson dropped back and connected with junior wide receiver Garrett Johnson near the Cardinals’ 40-yard line. Johnson did the rest. He sprinted down the middle UK celebrates after Randall Cobb's 24-yard touchdown reception sealed the victory against South Carolina in 2010. 10 n @UKFootballof the field for a 75-yard touchdown to even the score. Kentucky, who later trailed by as many 10 points in the second quarter, went on to win, 41-38. The victory was Kentucky’s first win in the Governor’s Cup since 2010. That was also the Wildcats’ longest touch- down pass in a road game since 2006. October 28, 2017 vs. Tennessee Against border rival Tennessee, Ken- tucky was running out of time, trailing the Volunteers 26-21 in the final minute of the game, but the Wildcats were driving down the field. On the tenth play of the drive, Ken- tucky faced a second down and 10 from the Tennessee 11-yard line. On the snap, se- nior quarterback Stephen Johnson took the game into his own hands, faking a handoff to Benny Snell, Jr. before scampering toward the endzone. Around the three-yard line, while trying to avoid a tackle by defensive back Shawn Shamburger, Johnson leapt into the air, putting his body on the line for his team. He landed safely in the end zone with 33 seconds left in the game. With that courageous run, the Wildcats defeated the Volunteers 29-26, just the second victory in the border rivalry for the program since 1984, and the first since 2011. September 8, 2018 at No. 25 Florida Kentucky was leading Florida 21-16 with less than a minute remaining in the fourth quarter and on the verge of a historic win, but the Gators had one last chance. Facing a second down and 10 at their own 25-yard line, Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks dropped back to pass, hoping for a miracle. Senior edge rusher Joshua Hines-Allen had other plans. He got to Franks just before he was attempting to throw, and the ball rock- eted out of his hands and landed on the ground at the 30-yard line. Sophomore de- fensive back Davonte Robinson retrieved the ball on a bounce and started to run toward the end zone. Around the five-yard line, Robinson stopped, thinking that the play might be called dead as an incomplete pass. Being urged by head coach Mark Stoops to continue to run, Robinson was met near the goal line by Gator offensive lineman Tyler Jordan. Robinson extended the ball into the end zone, scoring on the fi- nal play of regulation. That 30-yard fumble recovery touchdown sealed the Wildcats’ 27-16 win over No. 25 Florida, their first vic- tory against the Gators since 1986, ending a drought of 31 consecutive defeats in the series. September 22, 2018 vs. No. 14 Mississippi State About midway through the fourth quar- ter, and with Kentucky leading No. 14 Mis- sissippi State 14-7, a new name was etched at the top of the UK record books. Following an interception by freshman defensive back Tyrell Ajian, the Wildcats had possession at the Bulldogs’ 36-yard line. On the very next play, junior running back Benny Snell, Jr. took the handoff, busted through the line of scrim- mage and ran down the sideline into the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown with eight min- utes left in the fourth quarter, extending the lead to 21-7. Kentucky won the game 28-7. That was Snell, Jr.’s 38th career touchdown, surpassing Randall Cobb for the most career touchdowns in program history. October 27, 2018 at Missouri After a valiant comeback effort, it ap- peared as though No. 12 Kentucky’s attempt to pull out a road win against Missouri had fallen painfully short. Trailing the Tigers 14-9 at the Missouri 10-yard line, and on the final play of regulation, the pass attempt from sophomore quarterback Terry Wilson to ju- nior wide receiver Ahmad Wagner fell incom- plete in the end zone. But a pass interfer- ence penalty was called against defensive back DeMarkus Acy and the Wildcats had a second chance at the win. Since the penalty occurred in the end zone and at the end of regulation, Kentucky had one untimed down at the Tigers’ two-yard line. On the untimed down, Wilson found an open senior tight end C.J. Conrad near the pylon. The catch was ruled a completion and a touchdown. The Wildcats completed the improbable win, defeating Missouri 15-14. This was Ken- tucky’s first game-winning touchdown on the final play of a game since 1971. January 1, 2019 vs. No. 12 Penn State (VRBO Citrus Bowl) Late into the third quarter of the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, No. 16 Kentucky was lead- ing No. 12 Penn State, 20-7. Then, junior running back Benny Snell, Jr. cemented his status in Wildcat lore. Kentucky had the ball, first down and 10 on the Nittany Lion 12-yard line, after a 54- yard pass from sophomore quarterback Ter- ry Wilson to sophomore wide receiver Lynn Bowden, Jr. On that snap, Snell, Jr. took the handoff and rumbled through the middle of the offensive line. He ran the final nine yards untouched into the end zone where he fell to his knees after the score. With that 12-yard touchdown run, Snell, Jr. broke the school’s career rushing yards record. The previous mark had been held by Sonny Collins since 1973. Kentucky went on to win 27-24, secur- ing the school’s first 10-win season since 1977. December 31, 2019 vs. Virginia Tech (Belk Bowl) In the final seconds of the fourth quarter, Virginia Tech was leading Kentucky 30-24 Quarterback Stephen Johnson leaps into the endzone with 33 seconds remaining to give Kentucky a, 29-26, win over Tennessee in 2017. 12 n @UKFootballat the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, and the Wild- cats were running out of time to complete a comeback victory. Kentucky had methodical- ly trekked down the field, facing a first down and 10 at the Hokie 13-yard line. On the Wild- cats’ 18th play of the drive, junior wide-re- ceiver-turned-quarterback Lynn Bowden, Jr. dropped back for just his 12th passing at- tempt of the game. Bowden, Jr. found junior wide receiver Josh Ali open in the end zone with 19 seconds left in the game, putting Ken- tucky in the lead, 31-30. The Wildcats ended up winning 37-30 after trailing the Hokies by 10 points in the second quarter. October 17, 2020 at No. 18 Tennessee Kentucky, already leading No. 18 Tennes- see 7-0 early in the second quarter, dealt a crushing blow to the Volunteers’ spirit. Facing a first down and 10 at the Wildcat 28-yard line, Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano dropped back to pass, trying to tie the game with one play. Guarantano’s pass was intercepted by junior linebacker Jamin Davis at the Kentucky 15-yard line. Led by a convoy of blockers, Davis rum- bled 85 yards untouched into the end zone with 10:33 remaining in the second quarter, expanding the Wildcats’ lead to 14-0. Ken- tucky went on to win 34-7. It was UK's first victory in Knoxville since 1984. October 2, 2021 vs. No. 10 Florida No. 10 Florida was leading Kentucky 10-7 in the third quarter and was looking to ex- tend its lead when magic happened at Kro- ger Field. Gator kicker Jace Christman was attempting a 48-yard field goal. With an ex- traordinary effort, fifth-year senior defensive lineman Josh Paschal blocked the attempt at the line of scrimmage and freshman line- backer Trevin Wallace retrieved the ball out of mid air at the Kentucky 24-yard line. With great blocking, Wallace scampered 76 yards into the end zone with 6:36 remaining in the third quarter, turning a potential six-point deficit into a 13-10 lead. That resulted in one of the loudest moments in Kroger Field history. The Wildcats defeated Florida 20- 13, the school’s first win against the Gators in Lexington since 1986. Wallace’s touch- down was also the longest blocked field goal return touchdown in program history. January 1, 2022 vs. No. 17 Iowa (VRBO Citrus Bowl) No. 25 Kentucky was trailing No. 17 Iowa 17-13 late in the fourth quarter and needed another dose of Citrus Bowl magic in Or- lando. Following a 52-yard pass from junior quarterback Will Levis to junior wide receiv- er Wan’Dale Robinson, the Wildcats faced a first down and goal at the one-yard line. But a false start penalty moved Kentucky back five yards to the six-yard line. On the next play, junior running back Chris Rodriguez, Jr. took the handoff and appeared to have been tackled at the 11-yard line by Hawkeye de- fensive lineman Zach VanValkenburg. Rodri- guez, Jr. managed to escape the tackle and bullied his way into the end zone with 1:48 left in the game, securing the 20-17 victory for the Wildcats. The win gave Kentucky its second 10-win season in the last four sea- sons. November 25, 2023 at No. 9 Louisville Kentucky and No. 9 Louisville were in the middle of yet another classic intrastate battle, with the game tied at 31 late in the fourth quarter. On first down and 10 at the Cardinal 37-yard line, fifth-year senior run- ning back Ray Davis ran himself into the Wildcat record book. Davis busted through the line of scrimmage, avoided a shoe- string tackle attempt at the 31-yard line, and sprinted the rest of the way untouched into the end zone with 1:02 remaining in the fourth quarter. The touchdown cemented the 38-31 victory for Kentucky, erasing a 10-point deficit in the third quarter. That was Davis’ 20th touchdown of the season, surpassing Benny Snell, Jr. for the most touchdowns scored in a single season in program history. September 28, 2024 at No. 6 Ole Miss Late in the fourth quarter against No. 6 Ole Miss in Oxford, it looked as though Kentucky had a victory literally slip right through its hands. But the Wildcats finally had a bounce go their way. Trailing the Rebels 17-13, Ken- tucky had a first down and goal at the Ole Miss six-yard line. For the play, junior quarterback Gavin Wimsatt replaced junior starting quar- terback Brock Vandagriff for a designed run play. Wimsatt called his own number. Around the two-yard line, Rebel defensive back Trey Washington hit Wimsatt hard, forcing the ball to pop out of his hands. The ball went right into the hands of junior tight end Josh Kattus, who fell into the end zone for the miraculous touchdown with 2:23 left in the game. The Wildcats defeated Ole Miss, 20-17. The victo- ry was the program’s highest-ranked win in a true road game since 1977. Chris Rodriguez, Jr. escaped an Iowa defender and scored with 1:48 remain- ing to secure a, 20-17, victory over the Hawkeyes. @UKSportsNetwork n 13PLAYERS 2520Next >