Oct. 2, 2003
Lexington, Ky. – The University of Kentucky junior varsity football team fell to sixth-ranked and undefeated Georgia Military, 17-16, at Commonwealth Stadium on Thursday.
The Cats rallied from a 17-7 deficit in the fourth quarter with a chance to send the game into overtime. With 1:18 remaining in the game, running back Monquantae Gibson (Louisville, Ky.) scored on a three-yard run to pull the Cats within one, 17-16. Kicker Justin Hutton, who had previously converted an extra point in the second quarter and a 27-yard field goal in the fourth, missed the tying extra point when the ball hit off the right upright. Georgia Military held on for the victory.
Gibson proved to be the Cats’ bright spot on the afternoon, scoring both UK touchdown and rushing for an impressive 138 yards on 20 carries. Gibson also led the receiving corps with three catches for 27 yards.
UK quarterbacks Trey Barclay (Mayfield, Ky.) and Rocco Maragas (Canton, Ohio) split time leading the offense. Barclay finished the night completing 2-of-10 passes for 58 yards while Maragas completed 4-of-8 passes for 35 yards.
Defensively, freshman Brad Booker (Smith’s Grove, Ky.) led the team in tackles with 18. Senior Jamie Saylor (Bremen, Ga.) followed with seven.
The Bulldogs (5-0) were led by quarterback Justin Tyler who completed 12 of 28 passes for 143 yards. He also was the team’s leading rusher with 24 carries, 122 yards and two scores. Leading tacklers for GMC were Michael Sturgis and James Sabb with eight apiece.
The JV Cats are now 10-12 all-time and 0-3 vs. Georgia Military. UK fell 35-20 in 1997 and 66-34 in 1998. This marks the only junior varsity game for the Wildcats this season.
