I'll Take That Bet!

As I restlessly awaited the final 20 minutes of my workday to end last Friday, I couldn’t help but overhear a colleague and friend of mine stand up from his chair and shout out one of the craziest sports bets I think I’ve ever witnessed. “Who wants to bet me the (Kentucky Wild) Cats over Alabama for $20 tomorrow?!” Despite the short 4 hours of sleep I had gotten the night before, my ears opened up 1,000 times faster than my eyes did that morning. As I slowly turned around, I noticed Casey, the die hard Kentucky fan that he is, was staring me down with a huge grin on his face as if he knew something I didn’t. I stared back at him for about 30 seconds waiting for him to retract the bet, but it never happened. He was serious as a heart attack and honestly felt that the University of Kentucky football team could take their undefeated record to the land of legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant and sneak out a win in the 2^nd ranked Alabama Crimson Tide back yard. And when he said he wanted to bet the game straight up with no point spread on the line, I knew I had this one in the bag.

I wasn’t going to let this bet get away from me as I knew it was going to be an easy payday for me. I quickly took the bet and never looked back as Casey, the man we nicknamed Sloaney, was getting bashed by co-workers for even dreaming that Kentucky could beat Alabama in football was a possibility!

Enter Saturday afternoon/evening. I was flying high with no need to look in the rear view mirror as the Tide jumped out on the Cats 14-0 in the first quarter. Not only was I feeling as confident as ever when Alabama’s Glenn Coffee scampered for a 78 yard touchdown a little more than five minutes into the contest, I was all but $20 richer when Javier Arenas came in on a corner blitz and caused Kentucky’s quarterback Mike Hartline to fumble and be recovered in the end zone for a Crimson Tide touchdown.

The exuberant feeling slowly began to fade when it sunk in with 40 seconds remaining in the game that the Wildcats were only down by a field goal after Hartline’s 48 yard touchdown pass to DeMoreo Ford. But a gigantic sigh left my lungs when Alabama recovered an onside kick attempt by Kentucky and locked up the win for the Crimson Tide. Hey, $20 is $20 and I’ll take the extra cash any way I can get it.

And now for some game analysis…

It’s true that no one, excluding Casey, gave the Big Blue much of a chance to walk into Tuscaloosa and steal one of the toughest wins in the SEC. In fact, the line on the game by kickoff indicated Alabama was a 15 point favorite. But I have to hand it to Kentucky for a job well done by simply controlling the game. What do I mean? Think about it. Besides a 24-yard field goal in the fourth quarter, the only scores that came from crimson and white were the afore mentioned big plays by Coffee and Alabama’s defense. If those two monumental plays are taken away, then the outcome of the game would be much MUCH different. In fact, if there is anyone who is NOT to blame for the loss, it’s the Wildcats’ defense. I know, I know. They gave up 277 yards on the ground. Big deal. The point is that after the Coffee touchdown, the defense hunkered down, gritted their teeth and didn’t allow another offensive touchdown by Alabama.

Am I saying that Kentucky has one of the best defenses in the country? No. Am I saying that the Cats have one of the best defenses in their conference? No. I’m simply implying that when their backs were against the wall, the defense played their hearts out and kept the game within reach of a possible comeback win against one of the best and most heralded football programs in the nation.

Try to imagine the handshake that ensued by both head coaches at midfield immediately following the game. Nick Saban nervously wipes away the sweat from his forehead as his Crimson Tide squeaked out a 17-14 victory over Rich Brooks' valiant Wildcats: "Well Rich..." Saban says smiling and then winks at his counterpart and yells "At least you're still the best team in the Bluegrass State!!”