By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
Mark Stoops wasn’t about to let a poor second half get the best of his emotions although he had plenty of reasons to be down after his Kentucky squad escaped with a 40-33 triumph over Louisiana Lafayette Saturday night.
Stoops knew the Wildcats couldn’t afford a letdown following a two-year $120 million renovation project, giving a stadium that made its official debut in 1973, a complete makeover from top to bottom. The administration and fans did their part and Stoops wanted to make sure his team did the rest to make the renovation a complete success.
“We felt a big obligation to play a good football game and to win this game,” Stoops said. “I’m not going to let the fact that it got a little sloppy in the second half take away from that. It’s a victory. We’re always going to be grateful for victories. It was a good start.”
The Catwalk, a sellout crowd and certainly the excitement of playing in the “new” Commonwealth Stadium for the first time provided an early boost for Kentucky and it showed, especially 11 seconds into a contest that took nearly four hours to complete.
Sparked by a 75-yard touchdown run by Stanley “Boom” Williams on the opening play from scrimmage, Kentucky raced out to a 24-7 halftime lead and appeared ready to runaway with an easy victory against a Sun Belt opponent that had won nine games in the past four years, a feat matched by only Oregon during that same span.
However, the quick start and impressive first half showing by the hosts became a game of two halves, the latter dictated by the guests.
After the Ragin’ Cajuns stormed back and tied the score at 33-33 in the fourth quarter, the Wildcats could have reverted back to their old ways in a familiar stadium. Instead of getting down on themselves, the Wildcats didn’t get rattled and remained composed. The defensive unit, which gave up 23 unanswered points, “stayed calm,” giving senior linebacker Josh Forrest reason to believe the Wildcats were going to pull it out during a dramatic and tense fourth quarter.
“We play better when we play calm,” Forrest said.
Kentucky did just that on the game-clinching drive in the final five minutes. Quarterback Patrick Towles, who threw for 257 yards and three touchdowns, showed just how determined the Wildcats were after he fell on a ball he bobbled on fourth down, keeping the clinching drive alive. The heroic play by Towles led to Mikel Horton’s 12-yard touchdown run with 57 seconds remaining that sealed the deal.
“We just had to go out and make a play,” Towles said. “We just had to keep plugging along and make a play. It’s hard no matter who you are playing. A lot of things had to come together.
“I’m glad we’re facing this now and not week No. 6. We’ll learn from it and move on.”
Towles shouldered the blame for Kentucky’s offensive struggles in the final two quarters, leading to a late rally by the Ragin’ Cajuns.
“I just wasn’t making the throws in the second half that I was in the first half,” he said.
Like his coach, Towles didn’t dwell on the negatives and opted against feeling down after a game that could have went either way.
“It counts,” Towles said. “It’s one. We’ve got the best record in the country right now,” Towles said. “We’re 1-0 and we’re moving on.”
In moving forward, Towles knows the Cats have plenty to room to grow but added learning from their mistakes now is better than waiting until later in the season.
“‘I’ve got be more consistent for sure, but we won,” Towles said. “We’ll take the win and we’ll never take those for granted.”
Especially when several close calls have historically gone the opposite way in the past.
Keith Taylor is a columnist and senior sports reporter for KyForward.com