CatsPause.com - Kentucky beats Auburn for first time since '66

October 17, 2009

Matt May
CatsPause.com Senior Writer

AUBURN, Ala. - Kentucky had been searching for the one game where destiny and determination came together in the type of celestial performance that could alter the course of its season. Turns out a trip to the frigid Alabama Plains would be where those dreams would come true.

Kentucky rallied for a 21-14 win over Auburn before 86,217 bone-chilled fans at Jordan-Hare Stadium, erasing a 14-7 deficit in the final 6:29 to potentially save a season that has been so close to greatness, but has often faltered under the weight of costly mistakes. For a night the stars were finally aligned in UK's favor.

"One of the things when you start losing and have a three-game losing streak you start getting people maybe headed in different directions, so we just had to get everybody back together," offensive head coach Joker Phillips said. "When we are together we are a good football team. When we are focused on the same thing and headed in the right direction we are a good football team."

Auburn found that out in cruel fashion, as UK won for the first time at Auburn since 1961 and only the second ever in 14 trips. The victory ended a 15-game losing streak to the Tigers and a three-game stretch where the Cats had fallen victim to Top 25 foes, including the nation's top two teams.

With the wind chill dipping into the 30's it felt like a late November affair, but UK turned up the heat down the stretch as the Tigers collapsed under an avalanche of costly penalties. Auburn kept shooting itself in the foot, turning a promising early fourth quarter drive into a comedy of errors. The Tigers had just two penalties through three quarters but were flagged six times on the possession, short-circuiting what could have been a nail-in-the-coffin scoring punch.

It was the spark UK needed to burst through a door that has been closed for so many years.

"We had our chances to win the game and we didn't do it," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said. "The penalties that emerged in the fourth quarter, we couldn't overcome them."

After Auburn's mistake-filled drive, UK took control at it's own 25-yard line with 11:26 remaining and immediately ripped off huge chunks of yards on the ground. Derrick Locke went over 100 yards for the first time in his career with a 20-yard burst before Alfonso Smith ripped off 20 more on consecutive carries. Facing a 4th-and-3 from the Auburn 18 the Cats gambled and Fidler hit T.C. Drake just as the big tight end was met by safety Darren Bates, holding on for a seven-yard gain. Three plays later Fidler took a quarterback draw two yards to tie the game with 6:29 remaining.

The UK defense then came up huge yet again, forcing another three-and-out and getting the offense the ball back at its 32 with 5:08 left on the clock. Cobb produced his magic wand yet again, taking the second snap of the series in the 'Wildcat' formation, starting right and then darting through a hole in the middle into the open field. Cobb streamed down the middle of the field, picked up a block from Chris Matthews near the 20 and raced to the Auburn 3 before being knocked out of bounds. The sophomore capped the scoring drive by following Moncell Allen's lead block and beating the Tiger defenders to the left edge of the end zone to give UK the lead with 3:17 left in the game.

"I saw a crease on that play, hit it and tried to go from there," Cobb said. "I saw a few guys in front of me so I should have given them a second move but I was gassed at that point. It's designed to go outside on that play, but I saw a hole and luckily nobody was there."

Auburn took one last drive to the UK 43-yard line and faced a 3rd-and-1 before two false starts pushed them back and forced them to throw two long passes. When Randall Burden, who was from nearby LaGrange, Ga., broke up a final fourth down pass UK ran out the clock and ran to the locker room in celebration.

"I don't know if I said enough prayers in the last few minutes but boy my mouth was dry, I needed a Diet Coke or something because I was praying," defensive coordinator Steve Brown said. "I'm so very thankful to come away with a victory and it's great to see their hard work pay off.

"It puts some adrenaline in everything we do because when you lose three games in a row like we did your dapper is down and you start questioning this and that. This will propel us."

Matt May is the football beat reporter for The Cats' Pause. If you have questions or comments about the Cats e-mail him here.

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