Even though Kentucky was only playing another team with a losing record Saturday, their win over the weekend was one of the biggest of the season.
The Wildcats beat Tennessee 10-7 to snap the longest losing streak to an opponent in the country. The victory was Kentucky’s first over Tennessee since 1984 — a span of 26 games. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of their win was that they did it despite not having a true quarterback.
Freshman Maxwell Smith hurt his shoulder against Georgia the week before, and junior Morgan Newton has ankle and shoulder injuries as well. The team decided to practice wide receiver Matt Roark at quarterback and they rolled with him for the game.
Roark played quarterback in high school and Tee Martin, Kentucky’s current wide receivers coach, was his high school coach. The senior from Georgia ran for 124 yards on 24 carries and completed 4/6 passes for 15 yards. He didn’t have a turnover, and he led the team on an 8-play, 77-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter. He ended up carried off the field by teammates and fans for his impressive play.
If you’re going to snap a 26-game losing streak, that’s how to do it. Maybe the loss was karma for Tennessee after their celebration last week.
