Losing to Florida, Hope, and Panic Seats...

This time last night, I was watching the UK Football game. We played Florida, in Gainesville. I had planned on watching the game with my computer in my lap.  My idea was that I would write up a nice little story about the time my mom, my daughter, and I snuck around in the Marriott in Lexington and walked right past Urban Meyer and the other Florida football coaches.  We were actually on the hunt for Tim Tebow.  Well, we were actually supposed to be at our friend Bird’s wedding.  Bird was getting married at the Marriott.  I’m not sure if he knew he was going to be sharing his wedding venue with the enemy team.  And I’d like to think it didn’t bother him, being so preoccupied with getting married.  But, I also know that Bird loves UK as much as anybody in my family, so I have a hunch he noticed there were Florida fans and players in the lobby and everywhere besides in the ballroom during his wedding ceremony.  We never did find Tim Tebow.  Apparently Tim was sick and stuck in his room. Remember that game where Taylor Wyndham knocked the breath out of Tim Tebow and sent him to the hospital?  That was the year. 

Jog your memory here.

Anyway, I figured I was going to have plenty of time to write up that story, inspired by the game that was currently on TV, but also recognizing that when UK plays Florida, especially in Florida, it’s a bit of a blowout.  In Florida’s favor, obviously.  So, I could watch and write and try to remind myself of some happy memory associated with Kentucky getting killed.

Imagine my surprise then, when, last night, Kentucky played Florida and the score was tied up, three to three at halftime.  This was new.  We had some points.  Florida didn’t have many points.  Something hopeful in the depth of my heart wondered if we’d be able to hang in the second half.

We did hang in.  We even led the game a couple times.  But we never pulled far enough ahead to have the game in our control.

That brings up a problem for a UK Football fan like me.  That problem is called “Hope.”  And the reason hope is a problem for a UK fan is that you don’t know if you should let yourself consider the hope of winning to be a possibility.  Because, usually, when you allow yourself to hope winning is possible, you experience pain. Pain because you knew you would lose but you let yourself believe this game might be different.

This is our reality: as of yesterday morning, Kentucky had not beaten Florida in a football game since 1986.  Kentucky had not won in Gainesville since 1979. That means in my lifetime, Kentucky has never beaten Florida at Florida.  I’m thirty-four years old. I was six the last time we did win.

So, if Kentucky hasn’t won at Florida in my 34 years, why should I hope that they would win this year?

Because, last night, Kentucky was playing awesome. Even with some interceptions by Florida, things seemed to be going our way.  And as the game clock clicked down, the hopeful feeling in the depth of my heart grew.  Good plays and a little bit of good luck on our part had the game tied at the end of regulation.  Overtime.  Hope increases.

But, I’ve seen overtimes before…seven against Arkansas one time.  A few against Tennessee.  Those did not end well.  But, that one time against LSU…that one ended in legend.  Would this one end that way, too?

As I’ve mentioned before, my motto for UK Football is “Never surprised, but often disappointed.” I reminded myself of this motto as overtime began.  Maybe that jinxed us.  Or maybe it was when I moved into my panic seat, the one on the cedar chest where I’m able to be inches away from the TV and I can yell closer to the game.  Cause that matters.  (Last year, I sat in that seat during the whole of March. That was me giving good vibes to my cousin, Aaron Harrison.  Ok, he’s not really my cousin.)  Maybe I shouldn’t have gone to the panic seat.  The panic seat is where I sit when I’m really, really hoping we’ll win.

The motto “Never surprised, but often disappointed” didn’t fit last night though. Honestly, I wasn’t surprised we lost, but I was surprised my team played so well.  I was surprised to play three overtimes in Gainesville.  I was surprised I had the opportunity to allow myself to hope we would win.  Was I disappointed we lost?  Of course.  In this case, crushed is more like it. I cried. I wanted us to win.  So badly.

My friend Jason sums it up well for me: “Was totally convinced we were going to lose, but couldn’t help but believe this was the one.” (Sorry Jason, for stealing your tweet without your permission.) I convinced myself this was the one where we win. I held onto Hope.

I sat in my panic seat, head in my hands, realizing I’d seen this game before - some bad calls, some bad plays, some awesome plays, but at the end it was my team heading off the field with a loss, still believing we could have, should have had a win.

My family and friends were talking positive today.  We lost last night, but our team looked good. And there’s a lot of football left to play this season.

So we’ve still got a problem.  Hope.  

Go Cats.  My panic seat, and my Kleenex, are ready.