LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) – Throwing despite a sprained right thumb, falling tothe turf after being hit by two defenders, Tim Couch launched a prayer that wasanswered.
Couch’s 6-yard touchdown pass to leaping Craig Yeast, a throw actuallylaunched from beyond Kentucky’s 20, gave Kentucky a 37-35 victory overMississippi State and made the Wildcats (6-3, 3-3 Southeastern Conference)bowl-eligible for the first time since 1993.
“I just tried to put some air under it, to give Craig a chance to get underit,” said Couch, who played through the first-quarter sprain, finishing35-of-45 for 338 yards and two touchdowns.
“I had guys on me, but there was no way I was going to let it hit theground,” said Yeast, whose catch and a subsequent extra point gave theWildcats a 37-29 lead with 8:21 left.
Mississippi State (5-3, 3-2) led by 11 points early in the second half andgot a 209-yard rushing performance from James Johnson, the second-best ever atthe school.
“The touchdown at the end was one of those that you just pull out of abag,” Mississippi State coach Jackie Sherrill said. “Craig Yeast made thatplay. We had Couch sacked.”
The Bulldogs were in Couch’s face almost all night, sacking him three timesand hurrying him repeatedly. But they were undone by 13 penalties for 116 yardsand a determined Couch. The junior led three second-half touchdown drives, hurtthumb and all.
“There was no way I was coming out of the game with a bowl game on theline,” said Couch, who said he hurt himself when he hit the helmet of ablitzing Mississippi State defender as he followed through on a pass.
X-rays on the thumb showed no break and Couch was expected to be able toplay against Vanderbilt next Saturday.
Kentucky’s preseason goal was a New Year’s Day bowl game, and coach HalMumme showed up at his postgame news conference in one of the team’s “Focus:1-1-99” T-shirts – a reminder to his players that they still have Vanderbiltand Tennessee ahead.
“I’m proud of our kids, especially our seniors, and how hard they worked toget to this point,” Mumme said.
Several players admitted first-half jitters, and said the victory lifted theweight of the state’s bowl expectations from their shoulders.
“It’s just a great feeling to be a part of such a great thing, to go to abowl,” said Derek Homer, who ran for 130 yards and two long touchdowns. “Thiswas a mountain to climb.”
“It’s satisfying, because I’ve been here for four years and this is thefirst time we’re going bowling,” said senior wideout Kevin Coleman, who hadeight catches for 103 yards.
There were some last-minute dramatics before Kentucky could celebrate.
After Yeast’s touchdown, the teams exchanged possessions before State’sfreshman quarterback, Wayne Madkin, led a two-pass drive that ended in a43-yard strike to diving Kevin Prentiss with 3:31 left.
With a chance to tie, Madkin (8-of-16, 163 yards, two touchdowns) wasstopped by tackle Mark Jacobs and linebacker Jeff Snedegar on the 2-pointconversion attempt.
Kentucky ran the clock out with two first downs on its next possession, tothe delight of a Commonwealth Stadium crowd of 57,760.
The crowd had been much quieter at the start of the second half, when Statedrove 76 yards – 71 gained by Johnson – to take a 29-18 lead.
In his grittiest performance of the season, Couch rallied the Wildcats.
A four-play, 69-yard drive midway through the third quarter was capped bytwo straight completions to Coleman, the last for 13 yards to reduceMississippi State’s lead to 29-24.
State went three-and-out and Kentucky came right back. Given the ball on aright-side sweep, Homer found a hole and burst through it, sprinting down thesideline for a 39-yard touchdown and a 30-29 lead.
Homer had a 54-yard scoring burst in the first half.
With his fourth complete pass of the game, a 3-yarder to Homer onfourth-and-7 in the first quarter, Couch set an NCAA record for mostcompletions over two seasons, passing David Klingler’s mark of 652, set atHouston in 1990-91. Couch finished the night with 684.
But it was an otherwise lackluster 30 minutes for Couch, who appeared out ofsync, overthrowing receivers, floating passes and missing throws plays that heusually completes.
His worst mistake came in the second quarter, when he tried to throw overthe middle to Coleman as he was being hit. Safety Ashley Cooper returned theinterception 45 yards for a touchdown that put the Bulldogs ahead 15-10.
By TIM WHITMIRE
AP Sports Writer
