July 20, 2018: SEC Network picks Kentucky to finish 5th in the SEC east. They’re given a 0.3% chance to win the division.
Lets’ start there; The Wildcats came into the 2018 season, generating little, to no outside excitement. But Mark Stoops and co. had different plans. The Wildcats returned key starters, like senior linebacker Josh Allen, and third year running back Benny Snell Jr. Then, they found a quarterback. Terry Wilson, the transfer from Oregon, came, and won the starting job in Lexington.
September 8, 2018: Kentucky goes into The Swamp, and snaps a 31-game losing streak in the series, beating #25 Florida 27-16. Benny Snell rushed for 175 yards in The Cats historic win.
“The odds were against us… We shocked the world.” – Benny Snell Jr.
Kentucky was now 2-0.
September 22, 2018: In their SEC home opener, once again behind the legs of Benny Snell, Kentucky dominated #14 Mississippi State 28-7.
The very next day, The Wildcats woke up ranked (#17) for the first time since 2007.
After beating South Carolina and opening 5-0, they ventured to Kyle Field. And in front of 100,000 plus fans, The Cats took The Aggies all the way to overtime before losing a heartbreaker: 20-14. In years prior, Mark Stoop’s team might’ve let this loss get the best of them. But this team was different.
October 27, 2018: In the final minutes of regulation, Terry Wilson led the offense 81 yards, and threw a touchdown as time expired to complete their comeback over Missouri. 15-14. Terry Wilson went 22-31 for 267 yards and 1 touchdown as the Wildcats moved to 7-1 on the season.
November 3, 2018: After opening as #9 in the first College Football Playoff rankings of the year, Kentucky was ready for their biggest game of the year. They played Georgia at home, in a game that would decide the SEC east.
“This next game? I’m not gonna lie. It’s big for us. Really big. I won’t make any predictions or promises. That’s not what I’m about. But here’s what I can tell you about what will go down in Lexington on Saturday. What you’re going to see out there on the field against Georgia is a true brotherhood, giving it all we got and laying it out on the field.” – Benny Snell Jr.
As you know now, Kentucky did not win this game. The Cats lost to a much better, more talented football team. Nonetheless, this team, this whole team has fought all year long. The Wildcats have gone from being bottom feeders in the SEC, to competing with some of the best teams in the nation. Regardless of what Kentucky does next, it goes with out being said that The Cats have had a special season.
