No. 12 Kentucky won on a walk-off touchdown against Missouri on Saturday, beating the Tigers 15-14. If you quit watching after the first three quarters of the game, you're probably baffled as to how Kentucky put itself in position to win the game.
The Wildcats offense had nine possessions through the first 45 minutes of action. Five of those possessions ended with a punt, two ended with a turnover on downs, one -- the first -- ended with a field goal, and the other stopped at halftime. Kentucky had run 52 plays for 239 yards, earning a paltry 4.6 yards per play. In short, nothing good was happening for the Wildcats offense.
With less than six minutes left in the game, it looked as if things were hopeless. Kentucky trailed 14-3, but its defense, which had kept it in the game all night long, forced a Missouri punt. A punt that Lynn Bowden Jr. returned 67 yards for a TD to cut the Mizzou lead to 14-9. Kentucky went for a two-point conversion and failed. After forcing another punt, the Kentucky offense got another shot, but on the third play of the drive, Kentucky quarterback Terry Wilson was picked off. It seemed as if the game was over, but again the Kentucky defense got a stop, forcing a three-and-out to get the ball back.
A Missouri punt pinned Kentucky at its 19-yard line with 1:24 to go, and suddenly the Kentucky offense found a rhythm, moving 71 yards down the field to the Missouri 10-yard line. That's when Wilson's pass to Ahmad Wagner as time expired fell incomplete, but a pass interference call on Missouri's DeMarkus Acy gave the Cats an untimed down.
An untimed down Wilson used to find C.J. Conrad for the game-winning score.
As improbable as the win seemed, what would have seemed crazier a few months ago is that Kentucky is now 5-1 in the SEC and tied with Georgia atop the SEC East. And who does Kentucky play at home next week?
That's right, Georgia. It just might be a winner-take-all game for the division.