Kentucky?s thrilling 40-34 Governor?s Cup victory over Louisville drew the highest rating in the history of ESPN Classic, according to Dave Brown, ESPN vice-president for programming. The game?s final national rating was .78, but jumped to 1.84 for the last 30 minutes, as UK engineered a last-minute touchdown drive to earn the win.
The rating does not include those watching the broadcast on local stations in Lexington (WKYT) and Louisville (WHAS).
Brown also pointed out that ESPN?s College Gameday Final, which recaps the day in college football, began its Saturday night show by recapping the UK-UofL contest.
Fans Encouraged to Vote for Game Changing Performance of the Week: Andr? Woodson?s 57-yard game-winning touchdown pass to Steve Johnson is one of four nominees for the weekly ?Pontiac Game Changing Performance? award.
Now it?s up to UK fans to determine if the Cats earned the ?Pontiac Game Changing Performance? for the third week of the 2007 NCAA football season. Fans can go to , where they can view video clips of the four finalists and vote for their favorite play. Voting ends at midnight on Wednesday. ESPN will announce this week?s winner on Thursday night during the Pontiac Performance Halftime Report.
The winning university receives a $5,000 contribution from Pontiac to its general scholarship fund. Additionally, the winning play will be nominated for the ?Pontiac Game Changing Performance of the Year? and the chance to win a $100,000 general scholarship from Pontiac.
?Awarding more than $1 million since its inception, the Pontiac Game Changing Performance program continues to be a great example of how passionate fans can have a positive impact academically and athletically by generating scholarship dollars for university-wide programs,? said Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN GameDay analyst.
In addition, each week one person who visits Pontiac.com/ncaa will also win a $5,000 scholarship for him/herself or family. In total, Pontiac will provide $300,000 of scholarships to universities throughout the season.
Fans Also Asked to Vote for National Player of the Week: Andr? Woodson is one of four nominees for the AT&T All-America Player of the Week award, and now it?s up to fans to determine the winner.
Woodson joins Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, Wisconsin running back P. J. Hill, and Michigan running back Mike Hart on the ballot list, which was selected by ESPN based on the players? outstanding performances on Saturday. Fans determine the winner by text messaging VOTE to 87654 on their wireless phone.
Fans have until 11:59 p.m. EDT on Wednesday to submit their votes. The winner will be announced Sept. 20 during ESPN?s Thursday night game between Texas A&M and Miami. There is no limit on fan voting, and each vote counts as one entry into a sweepstakes to win a trip to the 2008 BCS National Championship game in New Orleans, La.
Kentucky-Louisville Part of ?Double Instant Classic?: ESPN Classic has announced that it will show the Kentucky vs. Louisville football game Wednesday at 7 p.m. EDT as part of a ?Double Instant Classic? evening.
The game, which saw the Wildcats upset the Cardinals 40-34, will be followed by Saturday?s Arkansas at Alabama game at 9 p.m. EDT. The Crimson Tide scored a touchdown with eight seconds left to defeat the Razorbacks 41-38 in Tuscaloosa.
