Wildcats looking for big finish after loss
Kentucky lost its bid for the SEC East title with the 34-17 thumping from Georgia, but the Wildcats (7-2, 5-2 SEC) still have something to play for with three games remaining.
The Wildcats are down to their last SEC opportunity at Tennessee on Saturday. They finish the regular season with non-conference outings against Middle Tennessee State and at Louisville.
“Like I talked last week, the situation is going to change every week,” coach Mark Stoops said. “This is a different situation. We’re going on the road. We’re playing Tennessee at Tennessee with our last league game.
“It’s very important to us.”
The Wildcats still are in the running for just the third season of double-digit wins in program history and could match the 11-1 1950 team, coached by Bear Bryant, for the school record for victories.
They also will be going for a sixth SEC win for just the second time in school history and the first since the 1977 Wildcats went 6-0 in league play. That team finished the season 10-1, the only other Kentucky team to reach double-digits in wins.
Winning the three outings, plus a bowl victory, would put an 11-2, 6-2 SEC stamp on the 2018 season, a remarkable achievement considering the program’s history. The Wildcats have won eight games in a season only three times, the last in 2007, and reached nine wins just twice — in 1904 and 1907.
Also, as was the case against Florida earlier in the year, when they ended a 31-game losing streak to the Gators with a 27-16 win, the Wildcats will be looking to end a long skid against Tennessee.
They have lost their last 16 meetings with the Vols in Knoxville, with their last win there a 17-12 decision in 1984. Last year’s win in Lexington was only their second in the series over that span.
Stoops discounts that as any sort of motivating factor, however.
“I think just beating Tennessee is important to us,” he said. “Whether there’s a streak involved or not, why would that make a difference to our team? They don’t know anything about 34 years ago.
“To be honest with you, they really don’t care. They want to win for their team this year. I think that’s very important and that’s motivation for us. For me, to say that, of course I always say that.
“I acknowledge the importance to our fans, I acknowledge the importance to our state and community. But to our team, they’re hungry for each other and for this year.”