This Week in Kentucky Football History: Florida Week
On Thursdays throughout the 2015 season we will take a trip down memory lane and look back at past great plays, players and games associated with University of Kentucky football for that given week. So be sure to check back with us on each and every Thursday to relive the moments that make this football program so special.
Sept. 13
• 1958: Running back Calvin Bird set a school record that still stands today by scoring 25 points (four touchdowns and one extra point) in a 51-0 Kentucky win against Hawaii. It was the Wildcats’ largest shutout win since 1950.
• 1975: The Wildcats pounded the ball on the ground against Virginia Tech with 74 rushing attempts (third most in school history) and 22 rushing first downs (tied for the third most in school history) in a 27-8 victory over the Hokies. Sonny Collins led the Kentucky running attack with 120 yards.
• 1986: Kentucky and Rutgers battled to a 13-13 draw in Lexington, the Wildcats’ last tie in school history.
• 2003: Linebacker Chad Anderson was all over the field against Alabama, recording 15 solo tackles (tied for second most in the history), in a 27-17 defeat to the Crimson Tide.
• 2008: Cornerback Robbie McAtee made a shoe-string tackle of a Middle Tennessee receiver headed to the endzone on a last-second pass to secure a 20-14 win for the Wildcats over the Blue Raiders.
• 2014: The Wildcats traveled down to Gainesville and had a chance to end their 27-game losing streak to the Florida Gators but came up just short in a 36-30 defeat in a three-overtime thriller. Kentucky’s offense was led by Patrick Towles’ 369 passing yards and Garrett Johnson’s 154 receiving yards, the most ever by a freshman in school history.
Sept. 14
• 1974: Kentucky had a running attack that couldn’t be stopped by Virginia Tech, rushing a school-record 77 times for 441 yards (second most in school history) and 22 first downs (tied for the third most in school history) in a convincing 38-7 victory for the Wildcats. Kentucky had two 100-yard rushers as a result of their ground dominance, Sonny Collins (112) and Mike Fanuzzi (111).
• 1985: Kicker Joey Worley sets a then-school record with four made field goals, but it wasn’t enough as the Wildcats lost to the Bowling Green Falcons 30-26. Quarterback Bill Ransdell passed for 313 yards, his first career 300-yard passing game, highlighted by an 82-yard pass to Cisco Bryant.
• 2002: Kentucky defeated border rival Indiana 27-17 in Lexington, led by Artose Pinner’s 141 rushing yards. Quentus Cumby sealed the win for the Wildcats with an 82-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Sept. 15
• 1951: Kentucky put on an offensive show, setting school records for total offense (646 yards), rushing yards (446), and rushing touchdowns (9), in a 72-13 blowout victory over the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles. The 72 points scored by the Wildcats are the third most in school history.
• 1973: Kentucky played in their first-ever game in Commonwealth Stadium and opened it up with a 31-26 victory over the Virginia Tech Hokies. It was also the first game for the Wildcats under new head coach Fran Curci.
• 1984: The Wildcats effectively moved the chains on the ground, rushing for a school-record 24 first downs in a 48-14 win against the Indiana Hoosiers. Kentucky’s rushing attack was led by two 100-yard rushers, George Adams (145) and Marc Logan (104).
• 2007: Kentucky defeated intrastate rival and ninth-ranked Louisville on a 57-yard touchdown pass from Andre’ Woodson to Stevie Johnson with 28 seconds left in an instant classic between the two schools. This was the Wildcats’ first victory over the Cardinals since 2002, first in Lexington since 1997, and their first victory over a top-10 opponent since 1977. Rafael Little led Kentucky with 151 rushing yards.
• 2012: Quarterback Maxwell Smith passed for 332 yards but it wasn’t enough as the Wildcats lost to intrastate foe Western Kentucky 32-31 in overtime.
Sept. 16
• 1950: Running back Bill Leskovar rushed for 119 yards, the first 100-yard rushing game of his career, as the Wildcats shut out the North Texas Mean Green 25-0.
• 1989: Kicker Ken Willis made a career-long 50-yard field goal and running back Alfred Rawls rushed for 130 yards in a 19-6 victory for the Wildcats over the North Carolina Tar Heels.
• 1995: Defensive end Kurt Supe dominated the Indiana offensive line, recording four sacks (tied for second most in school history), in a 17-10 win over the Hoosiers.
• 2000: Quarterback Jared Lorenzen passed for 339 yards as Kentucky defeated border rival Indiana 41-34.
Sept. 17
• 1949: Kentucky set a then-school record for most points scored in a 71-7 victory against Mississippi Southern.
• 1960: The Wildcats traveled to Atlanta and lost to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 23-13 in the last-ever meeting between the two schools as SEC foes.
• 1966: Terry Beadles rushed for a career-high 106 rushing yards in a 10-0 shutout win for Kentucky over North Carolina.
• 1983: Punter Paul Calhoun certainly flipped the field on special teams with a school record 80-yard punt in a 24-13 Wildcat victory against the Indiana Hoosiers.
• 2005: Andre’ Woodson connected with wide receiver Scott Mitchell on a 79-yard touchdown pass, Woodson’s second-longest career pass play, in a 38-14 defeat to the Indiana Hoosiers, the last meeting between the border rivals.
Sept. 18
• 1954: The Wildcats were shutout by the Maryland Terrapins 20-0 in the first game under new head coach Blanton Collier.
• 1965: Terry Beadles tied a school record by intercepting three passes as the Wildcats shutout the Missouri Tigers, 7-0.
• 1999: Quarterback Dusty Bonner passed for 304 yards, James Whalen had 121 receiving yards, his first career 100-yard receiving game, and Anthony White rushed for a career-high 130 yards in a 44-35 Kentucky victory over the Hoosiers of Indiana.
• 2004: Taylor Begley scored 15 points (tied for third most in school history by a kicker) in a high-scoring 51-32 victory for Kentucky over border rival Indiana. Shane Boyd rushed for a career high 130 yards, the most rushing yards by a Kentucky quarterback since 1974.
• 2010: Running back Derrick Locke rushed for a career high 166 yards as the Wildcats defeated the Akron Zips, 47-10.
Sept. 19
• 1936: Bob Davis rushed for 246 yards, the third most in school history prior to World War II, as the Wildcats thoroughly defeated Maryville, 54-3.
• 1964: Rodger Bird rushed for 101 yards in a 13-6 Wildcats’ victory over Detroit.
• 1970: Kentucky had their best run-stopping performance in school history, limiting Kansas State to an SEC record negative-93 yards rushing as Kentucky upset the 13th-ranked Wildcats 16-3. Dave Hardt needed to ice his leg though, punting a school record thirteen times for a then-school record 537 yards.
• 1987: Quarterback Kevin Dooley displayed pinpoint accuracy against Indiana, completing 86.6 percent of his passes (second best in school history), as Kentucky defeated the Indiana Hoosiers 34-15. Ivy Joe Hunter led the Wildcats with 100 yards rushing.
• 1992: Linebacker Dean Wells wreaked havoc in the Hoosiers’ backfield, sacking their quarterback a school-record five times in a 37-25 win for the Wildcats over border rival Indiana. Donnie Redd also set a career high with 104 rushing yards.
• 1998: Tim Couch passed for 301 yards, but it was backup quarterback and head coach’s son Matt Mumme’s 79-yard touchdown pass to Garry Davis that sparked a 31-27 victory for Kentucky over Indiana.
• 2009: Kentucky was impressive on special teams with 254 kickoff return yards (second most in school history), capped off by Derrick Locke’s 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown as the Wildcats defeated intrastate rival Louisville 31-27.
