Why Kentucky will beat Mississippi State today.

October 13, 2007 was Ben’s birthday.  We had been invited by some friends to eat dinner at their house.  The time they had scheduled for dinner was about half and hour before the kickoff for a football game.  It was Kentucky hosting LSU.  LSU was ranked #1. Even thought they had a crushing road loss the week before, Kentucky was in the middle of what was to become my favorite season of Kentucky football to date. We just didn’t know it that night.  

We went to dinner at our friends’ house because it was the right thing to do and because we didn’t truly believe that Kentucky could hang with the #1 team in the nation, no matter how good we were playing.

When we got home from dinner we turned on the TV for the second half and we were glued to it.  We were three overtimes in when I stood on the couch and screamed, because we did it!  We won!

Today is October 25, 2014.  Nobody in my family is having a birthday and we haven’t been invited anywhere to dinner.  BUT, one of our kids’ friends is having a birthday and she has invited them to her party.  The party starts about half and hour before the kickoff for a football game. It is Kentucky hosting Mississippi State.  Mississippi State is ranked #1.  Even though they had a crushing road loss last week, Kentucky is in the middle of a really good season.  Of course it is too early to know if it is going to be a favorite.

We are taking our kids to the birthday party because it is the right thing to do and because we believe that if we make today like October 13, 2007 in all the ways we can, it will affect the outcome of a football game.  We will come home and turn on the TV for the second half and we will win. 

Do your part people.  #whynot

Death Valley

The University of Kentucky lost tonight to LSU, in Death Valley 41 to 3.

There is a part of me that is not surprised.  After all, I've been watching Kentucky football my entire 34 years on earth and I've never seen us win at LSU, so why would we win today?

Then, there is a part of me that wants to cry.  I was buying in to the hashtags:

#changethegame

#whynot

#we'rejustgettinstartedbro

and I wanted to believe we would play better, closer, and if we had a few lucky plays we could even win.  But we didn't.  We shot ourselves in the foot early and even though it felt like we might step it up, the last five minutes of the first half had us hurting ourselves again. It was like the Kentucky I've seen so many times before.

I think a lot about hope when I think about football.  Wanting to hope but being afraid to hope.  It hurts my heart too much.  I'm pretty sad tonight.  I'd hoped to be happier.  I hoped we'd finally win.

Even in the disappointment, I remind myself that my team (to which I am always loyal, even in a loss) is now 5-2 on the season.  And if you thought that would be our record right now, you need to go buy lottery tickets, tonight.  This is a pretty good season of football.  We could win more games.  Ok, probably not next week, but surely we can win one more!  Who knows about Missouri, but I think we're capable of beating Tennessee.  And, if we win one more, we'll be "bowl eligible."  And, getting to a bowl game, for Kentucky, is like the best.  (Unless it's that bowl game at "historic" Legion Field in Birmingham, because that place was not fun.  But that's a story for another day.)

Here's to hoping those #1 ranked Mississippi State Bulldogs overlook us next week.  Or we can at least beat Tennessee.

#whynot

South Carolina- post game

Just wanted to point out that I was hoping for this win all day, and I boldly (ok, not so boldly) posted my hope of winning tonight's game against South Carolina and it came true.  Guess I can join the happy football fans tomorrow at church.

Can we just agree that our pride and joy, Randall Cobb, brought some good vibes into Commonwealth Stadium tonight and they rubbed off on JoJo Kemp? That dude was killing it from the Wildcat.

I must admit that I got a little nervous when they showed the students about to jump the wall onto the field before the game was officially over.  I did that once and it did not end well. (LSU 2002.  How could you not remember? Well, I guess those Freshman students were just six years old in 2002, but surely their parents have raised them with a knowledge of UK Football history.  ...Man, I'm old.)

Back to the modern, *changed* era of UK Football: did you hear JoJo's post game interview?  Our coaches have been selling the vision of UK Football and JoJo buys in and played hard to reach that vision tonight.  #Changethegame #Whynot JoJo told us he needed the whole team to win and that this team is here to change the program.  Why not Kentucky? Those are some stellar leadership skills, Coach Stoops.

JoJo believes it.  I want to believe it.

Go Cats.  #Whynot

Game Day - South Carolina

It's a beautiful October day on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.  It actually feels like fall.  And the football today has been something to watch.  I've been writing a sermon for church tomorrow, but I've taken a few breaks.  I've seen Mississippi State soundly beat a ranked opponent in Texas A & M.  I just watched Ole Miss beat #1 ranked Alabama.  Fans of all these schools go to church with us, so I'm predicting that the feeling at church in the morning will be mixed - some people super duper excited and some other people feeling very, very sad.

This is an unedited post, and I probably won't even proofread it because I don't want to give myself the opportunity to change my mind. I'm going out on a limb and hoping (yet again) that these upsets by a home team against a ranked opponent are a good omen for my Kentucky Wildcats.  Yes, my Kentucky Wildcats are playing at home in 5 short minutes.  Yes, they are playing South Carolina who just dropped out of the rankings.  Yes, the coach is Steve Spurrier and our record against him is a sad 20-1.  But I think we can win.

We've got 1 SEC win this season.  Why not 2?

Please, let me be one of the happy football fans at church tomorrow.

(Please, don't comment that my happiness should come from Jesus and not football.  I know, ok?)