The Play

I sat down to watch LSU play against Kentucky earlier this year. LSU really needed to win the game to stay alive in the SEC title hunt and Kentucky figured to be an easy opponent. But Kentucky was at home and the players were ready. Kentucky would go on to play a great game that day. When they walked off the field that day it would be covered with Kentucky fans and their coach would be drenched in Gatorade.


During football season, I spend my Saturdays and Sundays watching college and professional football. I’m a big LSU fan so I sat down on a Saturday morning to watch the LSU vs. Kentucky game. Every week there are usually one or two games that stand out from the rest. LSU vs. Kentucky was definitely one of those games.


Kentucky came out and played hard. LSU wasn’t ready. Kentucky took an early 7-0 lead and looked good in the 1st quarter. LSU came back in the 2nd quarter, scoring two touchdowns and carrying a 14-7 lead into halftime. Then, after stopping UK in just three plays, Joseph Adai broke a 63 yd run to put LSU up 21-7. The game looked to be over with. LSU appeared to have all the momentum. But Kentucky came back. They steadily outplayed LSU for the rest of the game.


Kentucky ended up in great position. After a good punt return they were on the LSU 31 yard line with a 27-27 score and only fifty one seconds left to play. They went on to complete a pass or two and get a shot at a 29 yard field goal. “It’s up. And it’s good.” Kentucky leads 30-27. The game was over. It had to be. There were only eleven seconds left on the clock and Kentucky still had to kick off to LSU. There was no time unless they got a miracle return.


LSU had the ball on their own eight yard line with eleven seconds to go. They were 92 yards from the end zone and had only eleven seconds left to get the ball there. Marcus Randall threw a 17 yard out pattern to Michael Clayton. It was positive yardage but no one thought it mattered. There were only two seconds...