< PreviousBy Corey Price UK Sports Network/UK Athletics PR & Athletics Communications 10 MOST SIGNIFICANT WINS IN CWS/KROGER FIELD'S FIRST 50 YEARS@UKSportsNetwork 9 T he date is September 15, 1973. The AM/FM airwaves are being domi- nated by Helen Reddy’s hit “Delta Dawn”, the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 sin- gle. On the silver screen, moviegoers flock to theaters to see the film “Shanghai Kill- ers”, the top-grossing film in America. On the small screen, most TV sets in the U.S. are tuned into the CBS sitcom “All in the Family”, the highest-rated television show. Regarding sociopolitical issues, the Unit- ed States had ended its involvement in the Vietnam War earlier in the year, while the Watergate Hearings were still ongoing in the nation’s capital. In Lexington, on the University of Kentucky’s southern end of campus, the Kentucky Wildcats football team kicked off their 1973 campaign with a home contest against Virginia Tech at the brand-new Commonwealth Stadium (CWS). The Wildcats proved to be victo- rious in their inaugural game of the new stadium, defeating the Hokies 31-26. This was Kentucky’s first home game in a new stadium since 1916, when Stoll Field offi- cially opened. On May 1, 2017, the Uni- versity of Kentucky, along with JMI Sports, announced the stadium’s name change to Kroger Field. This upcoming season will be an histor- ic one for the Wildcats as they will be play- ing their 50th season inside CWS/Kroger Field. In the first 49 seasons, Kentucky has had many thrilling, program-defining vic- tories against top-notch opponents. In cel- ebration of the 50th season of CWS/Kroger Field getting under way, I have compiled a list of the ten most significant wins in the stadium’s storied history. The games in this list include epic comebacks, renewing a rivalry, ending long losing streaks, defeat- ing the best team in the country and much more. So, enjoy as we look back at the home wins that have defined the Kentucky football program since 1973. November 16, 1974 vs. No. 9 Florida Although Kentucky defeated No. 14 Tulane 34-7 at CWS in 1973, head coach Fran Curci’s first season at the school, this victory against the Gators signified that Curci had finally arrived in Lexington. But it did not look as though the game was going to end in the Wildcats’ favor early on. Florida’s Dave Posey connected on a 22-yard field goal to give the Gators a 17-6 lead in the second quarter. Aided by five Gator turnovers, Ken- tucky outscored Florida 35-7 the remainder of the contest, including junior Steve Cam- passi’s one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter that put the Wildcats up for good, in their resounding 41-24 comeback victory. Included in the scoring was sophomore John Pierce’s 52-yard field goal in the third quar- ter, setting a then-school record for longest made field goal. This was Kentucky’s sec- ond victory all-time against a Florida squad ranked in the AP Poll, defeating No. 17 Flor- ida 40-6 on November 4, 1950. November 19, 1977 vs. Tennessee Heading into the season finale against the Wildcats’ border rival Tennes- see, No. 7 Kentucky knew that this contest was essentially their bowl game. Kentucky received a bowl ban for the 1977 season due to NCAA rules violations. But the Wildcats knew that there was still a lot at stake. With a 9-1 record entering the game, Kentucky had a chance to make history and they did so in dramatic fashion. Ailing from injuries to key players, Kentucky struggled with the Volunteers, who sported a 3-6 re- cord entering the game. Tennessee’s Jimmy Gaylor successfully made a 57-yard field goal with 10:53 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Volunteers a 17-14 lead. Kentucky senior starting quarterback Der- rick Ramsey, with a sore shoulder, did not start the following drive as the sophomore backup Mike Deaton was called into ac- tion. Deaton’s 36-yard completion to soph- omore wide receiver Felix Wilson provided a spark on the Wildcats’ march down the field. Ramsey reentered the game, and with 5:29 left, scored the game-winning touch- down on a one-yard keeper, sealing the 21- 17 win for Kentucky. This was the Wildcats’ 10th victory of the season, becoming only the second team in school history to reach that win total in a single season (the 1950 squad had 11 victories). This was also Ken- tucky’s first victory against the Volunteers in Lexington since November 21, 1959. October 22, 1988 vs. No. 11 Georgia To say that Kentucky was suffer- ing from recent struggles against SEC com- petition leading up to their game against No. 11 Georgia would be an understate- ment. The Wildcats had lost their last eight conference games, but four of the previous seven such losses were decided by four points or less. Kentucky needed to find a way to get over the hump, and they did so against one of the best teams in the country in the Bulldogs. And the player who most helped guide the Wildcats to the upset victory had plenty of motivation to do so. Junior running back Alfred Rawls, a Geor- gia native who had originally signed to play his college football for the Bulldogs, led the Kentucky ground attack with 128 rushing yards, including a 48-yard touch- down on the final play of the third quarter that proved to be the game winner, lifting the Wildcats to the 16-10 upset win over Georgia. The Wildcats’ defense was also valuable in the game, limiting the Bulldogs to just 224 yards of total offense. This was Kentucky’s first regular season win against an opponent ranked in the AP Poll since October 15, 1977, when they defeated No. 16 LSU 33-13. September 3, 1994 vs. Louisville This intrastate clash was simply known as “Game One”. Fans of both the Wildcats and the Cardinals had waited generations for the two schools to finally meet again on the gridiron. The last time Kentucky and Louisville played a football game against each other: 70 years earlier, on October 4, 1924. There was much hype and a tremendous atmosphere heading into this game, with state bragging rights on the line. The game did not have much offen- sive fireworks, with the game tied at 14 late into the fourth quarter. But the Wildcats’ ju- nior backup quarterback Antonio O’Ferral provided the difference. With sophomore starter Jeff Speedy exiting the game with a separated left shoulder, O’Ferral trotted into the endzone from four yards out with 3:18 left in the game to seal Kentucky’s 20- 14 victory over renewed rival Louisville. A then-school record 59,162 fans crammed into CWS to witness this monumental game. Senior running back Damon Hood led the Wildcats’ ground attack with a ca- reer-high 108 rushing yards . October 4, 1997 vs. No. 20 Alabama Heading into the 1997 season, the football series between Kentucky and Ala- bama was as one-sided as it could possibly be. In the previous 33 meetings between the two schools, the Wildcats had an abysmal overall record of 1-31-1 against the Crim- son Tide. But, in those previous 33 games, Kentucky did not have a generational talent like quarterback Tim Couch. The sophomore gunslinger, and Kentucky native, threw for 355 yards and four touchdowns, including the game-winning 26-yard toss to Craig Yeast in overtime, to end the Wildcats’ three-quar- ter century misery against the Crimson Tide. The 40-34 victory was Kentucky’s first win against Alabama in 75 years, a 6-0 shut- out victory on November 18, 1922. Couch was not the only offensive weapon for the Wildcats in the game though. The running back duo of freshman Derek Homer and sophomore Anthony White combined for 292 yards from scrimmage and two touch- downs. This game also made history as the Wildcats’ first ever overtime game played in school history, as well as the first game that fans came onto the field and tore down the goal posts at CWS.10 @UKFootball On May 1, 2017, UK and JMI Sports announce the stadium's name change to Kroger Field. The Wildcat Marching Band is part of the stadium's 50-year gameday tradition. The stadium opened on September 15, 1973. "It's Football Time in the Bluegrass" as UK players enter the stadium. Randall Cobb scored the winning touchdown against South Carolina in 2010. UK defeated No. 9-ranked Louisville in 2007 to win the Governor's Cup.September 15, 2007 vs. No. 9 Louisville The intrastate rivalry between the Wildcats and the Cardinals was unfor- tunately becoming not much of a rivalry heading into the 2007 edition of The Bat- tle of the Bluegrass. In the previous eight meetings between the two schools, Ken- tucky had won just one game (Septem- ber 1, 2002). On paper, it did not look as though things were going to change in the rivalry as Louisville entered the contest ranked in the top ten in the country in the AP Poll, at No. 9. Luckily for the Wildcats, this game was not played on paper. Ken- tucky stormed out to a quick 13-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Cardinals did not give up. Louisville came all the way back to take the lead, 34-33, on a two-yard touch- down run by Anthony Allen with only 1:45 remaining in the game. The Wildcats need- ed a miracle to pull out a victory, and they did just that with one of their most thrilling finishes in recent memory. On first down and 25 on their own 43-yard line, and with only 28 seconds remaining, senior quarter- back Andre’ Woodson found senior wide receiver Stevie Johnson wide open down the sidelines as the two connected on a 57-yard touchdown and took CWS into absolute pandemonium. That score gave the Wildcats an improbable 40-34 victory over the Cardinals and the fans rushed onto the field. Senior running back Rafael Little was the workhorse for Kentucky’s offense, gaining 151 yards on the ground on 27 car- ries. This was the Wildcats’ first win over an opponent ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll since October 1, 1977, when Kentucky defeated No. 4 Penn State 24-20. October 13, 2007 vs. No. 1 LSU The LSU Tigers came into Lexing- ton as the best team in the country, ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll and an unblemished 6-0 record. Prior to 2007, Kentucky had man- aged just a 2-8 record all-time against teams that were ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll. But the Wildcats were certainly up for the chal- lenge, having a 5-1 record themselves and a No. 17 ranking in the AP Poll. The Tigers attempted a knockout punch when Colt Da- vid’s 30-yard field goal with 3:49 remaining in the third quarter provided them their big- gest lead of the game at 13 points, 27-14. Kentucky came roaring back though, scoring the final 13 points in regulation, including sophomore Lones Seiber’s 27-yard field goal with 4:21 left in the fourth quarter which sent the game into overtime, tied at 27. In the first overtime, both teams exchanged short touch- down runs. In the second overtime, both teams managed to make a field goal, sending the game to a third overtime, tied at 37. The Wildcats started the third overtime and took the lead 43-37 with a seven-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Andre’ Wood- son to senior wide receiver Stevie Johnson in the back of the endzone. It was the Tigers’ turn to try to tie or win the game. LSU ran the ball four consecutive times, with junior line- backer Braxton Kelley stopping Tigers’ run- ning back Charles Scott short of a first down on fourth down and two and cementing the 43-37 overtime upset win for Kentucky, with the fans storming the field afterwards. John- son was the catalyst for the Wildcats’ offense, racking up 134 receiving yards on seven catches. This was Kentucky’s first victory over a team ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll since Sep- tember 26, 1964, when Kentucky defeated top-ranked Ole Miss 27-21. October 16, 2010 vs. No. 10 South Carolina There probably was not a single head coach that the Kentucky Wildcats hat- ed seeing on the opposite sideline more than Steve Spurrier. Heading into the 2010 sea- son, Kentucky had a combined 0-17 record against Florida and South Carolina when Spurrier was the head coach, with an aver- age margin of defeat of 24.6 points. Add the fact that the Gamecocks were ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll heading into the game and the odds were stacked against Kentucky. The odds of winning the game grew slim- mer when a 47-yard touchdown pass from Stephen Garcia to Marcus Lattimore gave South Carolina a commanding 28-10 lead with 2:03 remaining in the second quarter. What happened over the next 32 minutes 12 @UKFootball Fans storm the field after Kentucky defeats No. 1-ranked LSU in overtime, 43-37. It was UK's first victory over a No. 1-ranked team since 1964.of action resulted in one of the most im- probable victories in school history for the Wildcats. Kentucky outscored the Game- cocks 21-0 in the second half, capped off by a 24-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Mike Hartline to junior wide receiver Randall Cobb with 1:15 left in the fourth quarter, on fourth down, to give the Wildcats the 31-28 lead. Junior cornerback Anthony Mosley sealed the victory for Ken- tucky when he intercepted a South Carolina pass in the endzone as time expired. The 18-point deficit overcome in the win result- ed in the largest comeback in school his- tory. And the Wildcats were finally able to defeat Spurrier. Hartline was nearly flawless as the signal caller, passing for 349 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions while also completing 76-percent of his attempts. But it was senior wide receiver Chris Matthews who stole the show, having a career night, hauling in a dozen catches for 177 yards and one touchdown. Mat- thews’ 177 receiving yards were the most by a Wildcat in a single game since Craig Yeast had 269 receiving yards against Van- derbilt on November 14, 1998. November 26, 2011 vs. Tennessee The border rivalry between Ken- tucky and Tennessee had been more of a border beatdown over the previous quar- ter-century heading into the 2011 season. The Volunteers had won each of the last 26 meetings against the Wildcats. To make matters worse, Kentucky had no active quarterbacks on the roster that were avail- able to play in their season finale, so they turned to senior wide receiver Matt Roark to take snaps from center for the game. The Wildcats turned into a run-heavy offense, with Roark attempting only six passes the entire game. The ground attack proved to be effective, and junior running back Co- Shik Williams’ six-yard touchdown run with 14:12 remaining in the fourth quar- ter gave Kentucky a 10-0 lead over Ten- nessee. The Volunteers quickly responded with a 53-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Bray to Rajion Neal that cut the lead to 10-7. But the Wildcats held off Tennessee’s comeback efforts, sealing the 10-7 victory, Kentucky’s first over Tennessee since No- vember 24, 1984, with an interception by senior safety Taiedo Smith with 1:37 left in the fourth quarter. Fans rushed onto the field as 26 years of the same result against the Volunteers finally turned into the Wild- cats’ favor. Roark pulled off a heroic per- formance, rushing for 124 yards in his only collegiate start at quarterback, ironically in the final game played in his career. October 2, 2021 vs. No. 10 Florida Florida had flat out dominated the series with Kentucky in recent memory heading into their game last season. The Ga- tors had won 33 of the previous 34 meetings between the two schools, including each of the last 16 games played in Lexington. Flor- ida looked primed to extend their winning streak at Kroger Field against the Wildcats, entering the game ranked No. 10 in the AP Poll. But the Wildcats were confident them- selves, with a perfect 4-0 record heading into the game. The first half was sluggish on offense for both teams, with Florida clinging to a 10-7 lead at halftime. But the momen- tum completely switched to Kentucky’s side early in the second half. With 6:36 remain- ing in the third quarter, a 48-yard field goal attempt by the Gators’ Jace Christmann was blocked by senior Josh Paschal. Freshman Trevin Wallace recovered the block and scampered 76 yards for a touchdown, giv- ing the Wildcats a 13-10 lead. Junior run- ning back Christopher Rodriguez, Jr. put the icing on the cake, scoring on a nine- yard touchdown run with 11:32 left in the fourth quarter to extend Kentucky’s lead to 20-10. Florida tacked on a field goal with 6:23 remaining in the game, but that’s all they could muster as the Wildcats picked up the 20-13 upset victory over the Gators. This was Kentucky’s first victory over Florida in Lexington since November 15, 1986, and their first victory over a Florida team ranked in the top ten of the AP Poll since November 16, 1974. @UKSportsNetwork 13 UK defeated Florida, 20-13, on October 2, 2021. It was the Wildcats first win over Florida in Lexington since 1986.Thank You to Our CORNERSTONE PARTNERS OFFICIAL BANK OF UK ATHLETICSNEPLAYERS 2022Next >