I hope everyone enjoyed the video clips. I had a blast making them. I
didn't shoot any more clips for my last day of being back home in KY
but I thought I'd do at least a quick blog to wrap up the weekend.
After
Joel and I left Lexington, we stopped at a Denny's near Mt. Vernon, KY.
I had stopped there last year after the "Madness" and thought I would
make that part of my little tradition that I began last year. It wasn't
long after we sat down that the giddiness began to set in. We began
coming up with lyrics for songs for a "fictional" rock band that we're
in. One of the titles we came up with is "Carrot Cake Can Go Wrong
Sometimes." Don't ask...
After finishing up our wonderful meal,
topped off with a piece of Coconut Cream Pie, it was about time to head
back to the homestead. But before that, we first had to have a
conversation with the serving staff about what the Big Blue Madness was
like, followed by our expectations for the upcoming UK/LSU football
game. After about 20 minutes of great conversation we finally left to
go back to my parent's house.
I ended up sticking around for the
majority of the day while Joel headed back to TN early Saturday
morning. Later that afternoon I had plans of watching the UK football
game and what a game it turned out to be.
The
short version of the game is UK was down by 13 points with about 3:00
minutes left in the 3rd quarter. They were able to mount a comeback and
tie the game up in regulation. After LSU missed a last second field
goal, it went into overtime. They traded touchdowns in the first
overtime, then field goals in the 2nd overtime. Then came the 3rd
overtime.
Kentucky's Heisman-hopeful candidate, Andre' Woodson,
lofted a pass to the wide-open, and big-time clutch receiver, Steve
Johnson in the end zone. TOUCHDOWN! They then had to attempt a 2-pt
conversion but failed.
Now it was LSU's turn. They tried running
the ball right up the gut with Jacob Hester, the workhorse from LSU's
big victory in the previous week over Florida. His first run went for 6
yards, his second attempt went for 0, and then his third attempt went
for 2. On that play, he came up slightly injured, as did the UK
linebacker, Micah Johnson, who made the tackle on the play.
It's
now 4th and 2. LSU had been perfect all season on 4th down attempts,
including the 5 for 5 from the Florida game last week, as well as 1 for
1 so far in this game. They gave the ball to Charles Scott who had
ripped off a 50 yard run in the first half. The running lane was clear,
wide open. Then Braxton Kelly, the junior linebacker from LaGrange, GA
came up and made the biggest tackle of his life. He stopped the LSU
back after a gain of 1 yard, leaving them 1 yard short of the 1st down
and giving UK it's first victory over a #1 ranked team since 1964, and
the first time they had ever done it in Lexington.
The stands
emptied as the fans made their way on to the field. It was quite a
scene. I couldn't sit down while I was watching the 3rd overtime. After
we scored, I stood up in front of the TV and remained standing until it
was over. This victory definitely helped ease the pain of so many
losses that UK football has endured in the past.
Well, after the
game was over, I had to leave for Nashville. As I was listening to the
post-game interviews on the UK Radio Network on the way home, they
interviewed one of the players from the game. He said that after they
realized that they had won, he was just overcome with emotion. He
really didn't know what to do so he just sit there on the field and
cried.
As I listened to the joy in his voice, I thought about
what it must have felt like to have been a part of that team. To have
gone through all the heartaches that they have gone through in years
past and to finally put some of those ghosts to rest. I couldn't help
but get emotional myself and a couple of tears rolled down my cheeks.
For those who know me, I'm a pretty emotional guy anyways.
I
listened to the post-game interviews the rest of the way home. And then
after that went off the air, I found a call-in show featuring one of
UK's greatest Basketball players of all-time, Kenny "Sky" Walker. I
couldn't resist calling in. I call in to the local shows down here in
Tennessee all the time, so I thought I had to take this chance. It was
pretty neat getting to talk to the "Sky-walker" after watching him play
when I was a kid.
All in all, it was an AWESOME weekend!
