{"id":11146,"date":"2017-12-06T13:46:39","date_gmt":"2017-12-06T18:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosoncfb.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=11146"},"modified":"2025-09-13T15:17:44","modified_gmt":"2025-09-13T19:17:44","slug":"five-plays-which-shaped-kentuckys-2017-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2017\/12\/06\/five-plays-which-shaped-kentuckys-2017-season\/","title":{"rendered":"Five Plays Which Shaped Kentucky&#8217;s 2017 Season"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Five Plays Which Shaped Kentucky&#8217;s 2017 Season<\/h4>\n<p>For a second straight year the Kentucky Wildcats are 7-5 and going bowling. They will face the Wildcats from <strong>Northwestern<\/strong> in the <strong>Music City Bowl<\/strong> on December 29th. In a 12 game regular season it is difficult to choose the five most important plays, however that is what we are going to do. While any list is subjective here now are Five Plays Which Shaped Kentucky&#8217;s 2017 Season.<\/p>\n<h4>A Big Stop On Defense<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Number Five- <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/mike-edwards-8.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mike Edwards&#8217; <\/a> Interception Against Eastern Michigan.<\/strong> One week after letting one slip away against Florida (more on that later) the Cats led the Broncos late in the fourth quarter. A <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/benjamin-snell-jr-157.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Benjamin Snell Jr.<\/a> touchdown run put Kentucky up 24-14 with twelve minutes to go. However EMU cut the lead to four on an <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/ian-eriksen-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ian Eriksen<\/a> touchdown run with under three minutes to play.<\/p>\n<p>On their ensuing possession the Cats went three and out giving the ball right back to the Broncos. The game&#8217;s final play saw <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/brogan-roback-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brogan Roback<\/a> launch a hail mary towards the end zone. Edwards picked off the pass in the end zone to save the Cats from what would have been a horrible loss.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Kentucky vs Eastern Michigan NCAA Football Highlights 2017\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/JcWa2Mm0sAo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4>Johnson To The Rescue<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Number Four- <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=stephen-johnson-1,stephen-johnson-8&amp;search=Stephen+Johnson&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Johnson<\/a>&#8216;s Run Against South Carolina. <\/strong>Playing in an always rowdy Columbia the Wildcats led the Gamecocks 20-13 with six minutes remaining. Facing a third and eight the quarterback scrambled 54 yards to the South Carolina 10. Following\u00a0 Johnson&#8217;s big play <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/austin-macginnis-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Austin Macginnis<\/a> kicked his third field goal of the game to gave Kentucky a 23-13 victory.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to giving the Cats pick up their fourth straight win over the Gamecocks it gave the Big Blue Nation of its best images of the season. Furthermore it is a reminder to True Blue Fans how much they will miss Johnson in 2018.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_11194\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-11194\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-11194\" src=\"https:\/\/lwosoncfb.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/Kentucky-1-300x158.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"158\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/Kentucky-1-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/Kentucky-1-768x404.png 768w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/Kentucky-1.png 1024w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/Kentucky-1-696x366.png 696w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/Kentucky-1-1068x561.png 1068w, https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2017\/12\/Kentucky-1-799x420.png 799w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-11194\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">File photo. Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Stephen Johnson. (Photo courtesy Todd Bennett, Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4><img alt=\"\" \/><\/h4>\n<h4>A Heartbreaking Loss<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Number Three: Ole Miss&#8217;s Converts In The Closing Seconds<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Coming into this game the Rebels had nothing to play for. Not only were they on probation for 2017 but lost quarterback <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/shea-patterson-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shea Patterson<\/a> to a knee injury. Enter <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/jordan-taamu-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jordan Ta&#8217;amu<\/a> who torched the Kentucky defense for 382 yards and four touchdowns.<\/p>\n<p>Following a touchdown run by Snell which put the Cats up 37-34 with two minutes left. Many in the crowd of almost 56,000 at<strong> Kroger Field<\/strong> all the same thing, &#8220;Kentucky left too much time on the clock.&#8221; Those words proved to be prophetic as Ta&#8217;amu calmly led the Rebels down the field. An overturned fumble call gave the ball back to Ole Miss at the seven yard line.<\/p>\n<p>From there Ta&#8217;amu hit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/dk-metcalf-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">D.K. Metcalf<\/a> in the back of the end zone to win the game. While <strong>Lonnie Johnson<\/strong> was right there in coverage the ball was thrown perfectly and the catch was even better.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">WHAT A COMEBACK!!!<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/OleMissFB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@OleMissFB<\/a> takes down Kentucky on a last second TD catch by <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/DKMetcalf14?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@dkmetcalf14<\/a>: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/s5zQyuyGoV\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/s5zQyuyGoV<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/VZMyNv6QGN\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/VZMyNv6QGN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; SEC Network (@SECNetwork) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SECNetwork\/status\/926955635417239552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 4, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>\u00a0A Rare Win Over An SEC Rival<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Number Two: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=stephen-johnson-1,stephen-johnson-8&amp;search=Stephen+Johnson&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Johnson<\/a>&#8216;s Run And <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/derrick-baity-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Derrick Baity<\/a>&#8216;s Game Saving Play Versus Tennessee<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As most Kentucky fans are well aware the Cats have only defeated the Volunteers twice since 1984. Even with Tennessee&#8217;s worst team in years Kentucky still almost didn&#8217;t pull this one out. Trailing 26-21 late in the fourth quarter and with a bad shoulder Johnson ran 11 yards and dove for the end zone to give the Cats the lead. On the following play he hit Snell for a two point conversion and a three point lead.<\/p>\n<p>However as any long suffering Kentucky fan knows no lead is safe and that was the case here. On a fourth and 19 the defense let <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/jarrett-guarantano-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jarrett Guarantano<\/a> complete a 25 yard pass to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=brandon-johnson-11,brandon-johnson-2&amp;search=Brandon+Johnson&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brandon Johnson<\/a>. In what happened quite a bit in 2017 the game came down to the last play. Guarantano completed a hail mary to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=jeff-george-1,jeff-george-4&amp;search=Jeff+George&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jeff George<\/a> for 48 yards. Thankfully for Kentucky Baity recovered quickly and stopped George at the three. Cat fans can relive the action right here.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"FB: Kentucky 29  Tennessee 26\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pOtgYrO4w50?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h4>Heartbreak Once Again To The Gators<\/h4>\n<p><strong>Number One: Del Rio To Swain In The Final Minutes<br \/>\n<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The last time Kentucky defeated <strong>Florida<\/strong> in football Crocodile Dundee was the number one movie in America. Over the 31 year losing streak the Cats have had their chances but none more so that this season. Much like Tennessee the 2017 Gators were one of the worst teams in school history. However the Cats were unable to finish the deal due to some costly errors.<\/p>\n<p>The Wildcats led 24-14 heading into the fourth quarter and it looked like this was finally the year. But it was not to be as <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/luke-del-rio-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luke Del Rio<\/a> hit an uncovered <strong>Freddie Swain<\/strong> with a six yard touchdown to put the Gators up 28-27. To make matters worse this was the second time Kentucky left a receiver uncovered both leading to touchdowns.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Can&#39;t stop laughing at the Kentucky cheerleader giving the entire defense the business after this play. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/UFvsUK?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#UFvsUK<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/za2k0s3Qtc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/za2k0s3Qtc<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Will Mitchell (@wmitch) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/wmitch\/status\/911793157918126081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">September 24, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Even after that play Kentucky still had a chance to win. However a ridiculous holding penalty on <strong>Nick Haynes<\/strong> forced <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/austin-macginnis-1.html?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Austin Macginnis<\/a> to try a 57 yard field goal which fell just short. As it turned out the losses to Florida and <strong>Ole Miss<\/strong> prevented the Cats from making the Outback Bowl.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks for checking out Five Plays Which Shaped Kentucky&#8217;s 2017 Season here at Last Word On College Football. What played did we miss and what would be your plays? Post them in the comment section or tweet me <strong>@kevinmcguffey.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Five Plays Which Shaped Kentucky&#8217;s 2017 Season For a second straight year the Kentucky Wildcats are 7-5 and going bowling. They will face the Wildcats from Northwestern in the Music City Bowl on December 29th. In a 12 game regular season it is difficult to choose the five most important plays, however that is what [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":877,"featured_media":11195,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,35579,3],"tags":[184,79,71,21,1777,1141,415,544],"class_list":["post-11146","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-kentucky-wildcats","category-sec","tag-cfb","tag-college-football","tag-football","tag-kentucky-wildcats","tag-mike-edwards","tag-music-city-bowl","tag-sec-east","tag-stephen-johnson"],"modified_by":"Michael Kovacs, ADMIN","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11146","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/877"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11146"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11146\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78730,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11146\/revisions\/78730"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11195"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11146"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11146"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11146"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}