< PreviousBy Corey Price UK Sports Network/UK Athletics PR & Athletics Communications A LOOK AT THE TOP 10 VICTORIES FROM MARK STOOPS' FIRST DECADE AT UKT he date is September 7, 2013. On the radio, Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” is dom- inating the airwaves, in its 12th week as the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 song. In the- aters, moviegoers flock to see “Riddick”, starring Vin Diesel, on its opening weekend, making it the highest-grossing film in the U.S. that weekend. TV shows are a few weeks away from starting the fall season, but Netflix had just begun airing original programming, with new shows “House of Cards” and “Orange Is the New Black” becoming very popular among streamers. And, at Commonwealth Stadium, in just his second game as the new head coach of the University of Kentucky football program, Mark Stoops earns his first career vic- tory as the Wildcats defeated Miami (Ohio) 41-7. Since that day, Stoops has racked up a school-record 66 career wins as head coach. Sep- tember 7, 2023 will mark 10 years since his first victory, so I decided to take a look back at his first decade as head coach at Kentucky and share my top 10 wins of his tenure in the Bluegrass. These wins are considered his best by me for a variety of reasons, including quality of opponent, overcoming large deficits, and exhilarating late game-winning scores. Without further ado, let us relive Kentucky football’s 10 best wins of the Mark Stoops era.October 4, 2014 vs. South Carolina Kentucky was starting to gain momentum, defeating Vanderbilt, 17-7, the week before to end their 17-game losing streak in SEC play. That momentum began to slip away early in the fourth quarter when South Carolina running back Mike Davis scored a touchdown on a 26-yard run to extend the Gamecocks’ lead to 38-24 with 11:45 remaining in the game. Then, Ken- tucky put the ball in Jojo Kemp’s hands to start the comeback. Lining up at quarter- back in the Wildcat formation, Kemp scored two rushing touchdowns, the last with 2:46 left in the fourth quarter, to tie the game at 38. On South Carolina’s next possession, quarterback Dylan Thompson attempted a pass that was deflected by defensive line- man Mike Douglas. The ball hung up in the air for what seemed to be forever, with line- backer Bud Dupree intercepting the ball at the six-yard line and rumbling into the end- zone with 2:29 remaining for the thrilling game-winning touchdown, with the Wild- cats defeating South Carolina 45-38. The 14-point comeback was the largest fourth quarter comeback in school history. November 26, 2016 at No. 11 Louisville Kentucky was struggling against intrastate rival Louisville heading into their annual battle. The Cardinals had won each of the last five meetings between the two schools. On paper, no one gave the Wildcats a chance to win the game, with oddsmakers making Kentucky a 26.5-point underdog. The Wildcats showed early that they came to play. On their first play from scrimmage, quarterback Stephen Johnson hooked up with wide receiver Garrett John- son on a 75-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at seven with 12:39 left in the first quarter. Boom Williams scored on a 36-yard touchdown run with 4:07 left in the first quarter to give Kentucky their first lead of the game at 14-7. Then both teams went on scoring runs of their own. Louisville was the first, scoring the first 17 points of the sec- ond quarter, to give the Cardinals a 10-point lead at 24-14 with 3:09 remaining in the first half. Kentucky returned the favor, outscoring Louisville 24-7 over a span of 17:54 of game play, regaining the lead on a 35-yard touch- down pass from Johnson to wide receiver Dorian Baker with 14:19 left in the game. Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson, even- tual Heisman Trophy winner, tied the game at 38 with 7:44 left in the fourth quarter on a one-yard touchdown run. It looked as though Louisville was going to regain the lead as they marched down the field to the nine-yard line. Then, Jackson fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Wildcats’ line- backer Courtney Love at the 10-yard line with 1:45 remaining in the game. Kentucky methodically went down the field, getting to the 29-yard line with only 18 seconds left in the game. The Wildcats set up for a 47-yard field goal attempt. Kicker Austin MacGinn- is, calm pressure, successfully made the try with 12 seconds left to win the game, 41- 38, and end UK's five-game losing streak to Louisville. October 28, 2017 vs. Tennessee Kentucky was downright dread- ful in recent memory against Tennessee, winning just one of its previous 32 meet- ings against the Volunteers heading into the contest. But, just three days before Hallow- een, the Wildcats put a scare into Tennes- see in the first half of the game. Running back Benny Snell, Jr. scored on a one-yard touchdown run with 5:58 remaining in the second quarter, Kentucky had their largest lead at eight points, 21-13, over the Volun- teers. Tennessee was not spooked though, scoring the game’s next 13 points, taking a 26-21 lead on a 45-yard field goal by kicker Brent Cimaglia with 13:24 left in the fourth quarter. A couple defensive stops later, the Wildcats started their drive on their own 28- yard line with 4:43 remaining in the game. Kentucky went to the ground on the drive, running the ball on seven of its first nine plays, advancing to the Tennessee 11-yard line. Then, quarterback Stephen Johnson laid it all out on the next play. Johnson, on a designed run, was scrambling toward the end zone, and with two defenders quick- ly approaching, leaped into the air from around the four-yard line and dove into the endzone with 33 seconds left in the game to give the Wildcats a 27-26 lead. Kentucky at- tempted a two-point conversion afterward, scoring on a trick play pass from Johnson to Snell to extend the lead to 29-26. The Volun- teers had the final scare of the game, com- pleting a hail mary pass on the final play of the game, but wide receiver Jeff George was tackled three yards short of the endzone, cementing the Wildcats’ victory, just their second against Tennessee since 1985. September 8, 2018 at No. 25 Florida The series with the Gators was literally owned by Florida heading into Gainesville, with Kentucky losing 31 con- secutive meetings between the two schools dating back to 1987. But this Wildcats squad did not buy in to the history, scoring first in the game on a 29-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Terry Wilson to wide receiver David Bouvier with 5:07 left in the first quarter. Then, with 4:11 remaining in the third quarter, Wilson connected on a 54- yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Lynn 10 @UKFootball Bud Dupree Austin MacGinnis Stephen JohnsonLynn Bowden, Jr.Mark Stoops Radio Show Tune in all season long to the UK Sports Network for official coverage of Kentucky Wildcats Football. Visit UKathletics.com/UKSportsNetwork for radio and tv affiliates in your area. Monday Nights this Fall 6-7 p.m. on the UK Sports Network. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for complete UK Sports Network coverage of the Cats.Bowden, Jr. to give Kentucky their largest lead of the game at 11 points, 21-10. Florida cut into the lead on a four-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Feleipe Franks to wide receiver Freddie Swain with 3:34 left in the game, cutting their deficit to five points, 21- 16. Florida had the ball again, and on the fi- nal play of the game, were on their own 25- yard line and in need of a miracle. Franks dropped back for a pass, but linebacker Josh Allen forced a fumble that many players on the field thought was actually an incomplete pass. Cornerback Davonte Robinson picked up the ball on the 30-yard line and ran into the end zone, making the final score 27-16 and ending the Wildcats’ 31-game losing streak to the Gators. October 27, 2018 at Missouri Kentucky was rolling into Co- lumbia, riding a 6-1 record and ranked No. 14 in the latest Associated Press Poll. But it appeared that the Wildcats never got off the team bus, struggling in the first half, with Missouri leading 14-3 heading into halftime. The score was not indicative of how much the Tigers were dominating the game. The Wildcats were a completely different team in the second half, especially on defense. Kentucky forced Missouri to go three-and- out on each of their first six drives of the sec- ond half. At the end of the Tigers’ sixth sec- ond half drive, they punted to Lynn Bowden, Jr. Bowden, Jr. received the punt at the 33- yard line and weaved his way through the Tigers and rumbled for an electrifying 67- yard touchdown with 5:18 remaining in the game, cutting the Wildcats’ deficit to five points, 14-9. Kentucky’s defense con- tinued their stellar play, forcing two more three-and-outs, giving the Wildcats the ball back on their own 19-yard line with 1:24 left in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats, then, methodically marched down the field, with quarterback Terry Wilson completing five passes to get Kentucky down to the 10- yard line. On the final play of the game, Wilson attempted a pass to wide receiver Ahmad Wagner in the end zone, which fell incomplete. But the referee called a pass- ing interference penalty on Missouri, which resulted in one untimed play from the two- yard line. With the game on the line, Wil- son connected with tight end C.J. Conrad on an out route on a two-yard touchdown pass to complete the comeback, defeating the Tigers 15-14. This was the first time that Kentucky won a game on a touchdown on the final play of the fourth quarter since No- vember 6, 1971 at Vanderbilt. The defense was the MVP of the game for the Wildcats, not allowing Missouri to have a single first down in the second half. January 1, 2019 vs. No. 12 Penn State (Citrus Bowl) Kentucky was riding high, ranked No. 16 in the AP Poll and in their first New Year’s Day bowl game in 20 years. The Wildcats also had nine wins and were vying for their first ten-win season since 1977. Kentucky came out of the gates firing on all cylinders, dominating the first three quarters of the game. The Wildcats capped the first quarter with a 58-yard punt return for a touchdown by Lynn Bowden, Jr., ex- tending their lead to 10-0 with 45 seconds remaining in the quarter. Then, late in the third quarter, running back Benny Snell, Jr. made history. Snell, Jr. rumbled 12 yards into the end zone with 1:35 left in the third quarter, giving Kentucky their largest lead of the game at 20 points, 27-7. With that run, he surpassed Sonny Collins to set the new school record for most rushing yards in a career. The Nittany Lions did not give up though, mounting a furious comeback in the fourth quarter. With kicker Jake Pin- egar’s 32-yard field goal with 4:12 left in the game, the Nittany Lions cut Kentucky’s lead to just three points, 27-24. Penn State got the ball back on their own 17-yard line with just one second remaining. On the final play of the game, quarterback Trace McSorley completed a pass to wide receiv- er DeAndre Thompkins, but on a lateral attempt, the ball was loose and linebacker Chris Oats recovered the fumble, cementing the 27-24 victory for the Wildcats. This win gave Kentucky just its third 10-win season in school history. December 31, 2019 vs. Virginia Tech (Belk Bowl) Kentucky, after starting the season with a 3-4 record, headed into the Belk Bowl having won four of their last five games with wide receiver Lynn Bowden, Jr. becoming the starting quarterback after injuries to quarterbacks Terry Wilson and Sawyer Smith. What Bowden accomplished in the game will go down as one of the greatest individual performances in school history. But first, Virginia Tech scored on a six-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Hendon Hooker to tight end Dalton Keene with 10:20 left in the second quarter to give the Hokies their largest lead of the game at 10 points, 17-7. The Wildcats rallied back to tie the game at 24 on a breathtaking 61-yard touchdown run by Bowden, Jr. with 7:57 re- maining in the third quarter. Virginia Tech’s kicker Brian Johnson added two field goals, the last with 12:47 left in the fourth quarter, to give the Hokies a 30-24 lead. Kentucky received the ball on their own 15-yard line with 8:25 left in the game after a Virginia Tech punt. What ensued was one of the Wildcats’ most impressive drives of the en- tire season. Kentucky painstakingly worked their way into scoring territory, with 15 of their first 17 plays on the drive coming via the ground attack, including 12 carries by Bowden, Jr. After his last carry, Kentucky was at the 13-yard line with 19 seconds remain- ing in the fourth quarter. Perhaps catching the Hokies’ defense off guard, Bowden, Jr. dropped back for just his 12th passing at- tempt of the game, and calmly connected with wide receiver Josh Ali on a 13-yard touchdown pass with just 15 seconds left in the game, giving the Wildcats a one-point lead, 31-30. That monumental drive lasted 8:10 and took 18 plays to go 85 yards. Vir- ginia Tech had the ball on their own 25-yard line with just four seconds remaining. Hook- 12 @UKFootball C.J. ConradLynn Bowden, Jr.er completed a short pass to wide receiver, and future Kentucky player, Tayvion Robin- son. After a few laterals, Hooker had the ball again and was attempting a lateral himself. Cornerback Brandin Echols forced a fumble, with linebacker Jordan Wright retrieving the ball at the 28-yard line and scampering into the end zone, scoring on the final play of the game, and providing the final score, 37-30. Bowden, Jr. had a game for the ages, rush- ing for 233 yards and two touchdowns and passing for 73 yards and one touchdown, including the game-winner. October 17, 2020 at No. 18 Tennessee Although Kentucky had de- feated Tennessee just three years prior, the Wildcats had not defeated the Volunteers in Knoxville since 1984. Kentucky turned all that negative history into one of their most dominant performances against Tennessee in school history. After a scoreless first quar- ter, the Wildcats’ defense turned up the heat in the second quarter. Volunteers’ quarter- back Jarrett Guarantano attempted a pass that was intercepted by cornerback Kelvin Joseph, who then returned it 41 yards for a touchdown with 12:47 left in the second quarter to give Kentucky their first lead of the game, 7-0. On Tennessee’s next posses- sion, the Volunteers were intercepted on their third consecutive drive, this time by linebacker Jamin Davis, and he rumbled 85 yards for a spectacular touchdown, extend- ing the Wildcats’ lead to 14-0. Volunteers’ running back Ty Chandler scored on a four- yard touchdown run with 1:36 remaining in the second quarter, cutting Kentucky’s lead to 17-7. That turned out to be Tennessee’s only score of the game. The Wildcats thor- oughly outplayed the Volunteers in the sec- ond half, outscoring Tennessee 17-0, capped off by running back Chris Rodriguez, Jr.’s two-yard touchdown run with 10:54 left in the fourth quarter. Kentucky won the game 34-7, their largest margin of victory against Tennessee (27 points) since 1935, and the largest in Knoxville since 1893. This game was special for another reason, as former player and current offensive line coach John Schlarman, who was battling cancer at the time, was presented with the game ball in the locker room. Sadly, Schlarman passed away 26 days later on November 12th at the age of 45. October 2, 2021 vs. No. 10 Florida Kentucky was on one of their hottest streaks in recent memory, winners of their last six games dating back to the 2020 season, when the No. 10 Gators came into Lexington. Both teams traded touch- downs in the first quarter, with quarterback Will Levis connecting with wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson on a short pass that he magically turned into a 41-yard touchdown with 5:19 remaining in the quarter, tying the game at 7. The game was somewhat stagnant heading into the second half, with Florida clinging to a three-point lead, 10- 7. Then, the game was completely turned on its head. On fourth down at the 31-yard line, the Gators’ kicker, Jace Christmann, was attempting a 49-yard field goal. Ken- tucky defensive end Josh Paschal muscled his way through the line and blocked the field goal attempt, with freshman lineback- er Trevin Wallace grabbing the ball out of midair and rumbling 76 yards for a touch- down with 6:36 left in the third quarter, giv- ing the Wildcats a three-point lead, 13-10. If there was a roof on Kroger Field, it would have been blown off from that play. Early in the fourth quarter, running back Chris Ro- driguez, Jr. provided the nail in the coffin, scoring on a nine-yard touchdown run with 11:32 remaining, extending the Wildcats’ lead to 10 points, 20-10. Florida added on a field goal with 6:23 left in the game, as Ken- tucky upset Florida 20-13, extending the Wildcats’ winning streak to seven games. This victory was also the first time that Ken- tucky had defeated an opponent ranked in the Top 10 of the AP Poll since 2010, when they defeated No. 10 South Carolina 31-28 in Lexington. January 1, 2022 vs. No. 17 Iowa (Citrus Bowl) Kentucky, ranked No. 25 in the latest AP Poll, had a roller coaster ride of a season heading into their second Cit- rus Bowl appearance in the last four sea- sons. The Wildcats started the season 6-0, then lost three consecutive games, fol- lowed by a win in each of their last three games heading into the bowl game against No. 17 Iowa. Kentucky dominated play in the first half, capped off by a 27-yard field goal by Matt Ruffolo with 38 seconds left in the second quarter, giving the Wildcats their largest lead of the game at 10 points, 13-3. The game was a tale of two halves, as the Hawkeyes outplayed Kentucky in the second half, scoring the first 14 points, with quarterback Spencer Petras connect- ing with tight end Sam LaPorta on a 36- yard touchdown pass with 10:54 remain- ing in the game. That score gave Iowa their first lead of the game at 17-13. Both teams traded scoreless drives, with Kentucky get- ting the ball on their own 20-yard line with 3:31 left in the fourth quarter. This is when wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson put the team on his back. Quarterback Will Levis connected with Robinson on four passes on the drive, including the last comple- tion that resulted in a gain of 52 yards, with Robinson juking defenders and being tackled just one yard shy of the end zone. After a false start penalty, the Wildcats had the ball on the six-yard line. Running back Chris Rodriguez, Jr. took a pitch from Levis and rumbled six yards into the end zone with 1:48 remaining in the game, reclaim- ing the lead for Kentucky, 20-17. Iowa had plenty of time to get a score themselves. On second down at Kentucky’s 40-yard line, Petras attempted a pass that was in- tercepted by linebacker DeAndre Square at the 26-yard line, sealing the victory for the Wildcats. This win gave Kentucky just their fourth 10-win season in school history, and second in a span of four seasons. @UKSportsNetwork 13 Jamin Davis Chris Rodriguez, Jr. Wan'Dale RobinsonThank You to Our CORNERSTONE PARTNERS OFFICIAL BANK OF UK ATHLETICSNEPLAYERS2320Next >