The countdown is complete

Mark Story / Herald-Leader Sports Columnist

No. 1 moment: Kentucky fans stormed the field after the Wildcats knocked off top-ranked LSU 43-37 in three overtimes in 2007.

No 5. Sept. 3, 1994:Kentucky 20, Louisville 14
Comment: In the first UK-U of L matchup of the modern era, Kentucky linebacker Donte Key was the star, setting up the game-winning UK TD by forcing a fumble, then sealing the Cats' victory with a pass interception.No. 4. Nov. 22, 1997:Tennessee 59, Kentucky 31
Comment: This missed the Top 25 because it wasn't an especially competitive game, but the quarterback play of Peyton Manning (523 passing yards, five TDs) and Tim Couch (476 yards, two TDs) was exquisite.No. 3. Sept. 27, 2003:Florida 24, Kentucky 21
Comment: Kentucky led 21-3 in the fourth quarter before Florida true freshman QB Chris Leak, making his first career start, led an epic Gators comeback.No. 2. Oct. 1, 1988:Alabama 31, Kentucky 27
Comment: Unknowingly, Alabama Coach Bill Curry got a taste of his future when he watched UK come from 20-7 and 27-16 ahead to lose on a Vince Sutton TD pass with three seconds left.No. 1. Nov. 7, 1998:Kentucky 37, Mississippi St. 35
Comment: Tim Couch's TD pass — thrown in the teeth of an MSU blitz — to a leaping Craig Yeast that supplied the game-winning margin over the eventual SEC West champions was a thing of beauty.
The five that missed the cut

At the end of our day-by-day trek through the 25 most memorable Kentucky football games since 1983, the UK record stands at 15-10 in the games I selected.

Included are Wildcats victories over teams ranked No. 1, No. 9, No. 11, No. 17, No. 19 and No. 20.

The foes who appeared the most were Louisville (not a surprise) and Florida (which would have surprised me at the start) with four games each. Tennessee and LSU each showed up three times and Georgia and Clemson twice.

Among UK coaches, there were eight games from the Rich Brooks era, followed by Jerry Claiborne (six), Hal Mumme (five) and Guy Morriss and Bill Curry (three each).

The point of our stroll through Kentucky football's recent past was to promote the "Blasts From The Past" feature on our Kentucky-Sports.com Web site.

Every UK game story in football and men's basketball that has appeared in the Herald-Leader since 1983 (when the newspaper's archive went electronic) is available online.

Go to the front page of Kentucky-Sports.com. You will find databases that allow you to search for game stories via several criteria, ranging from date played to opponent to games UK won or lost by specific margins.

Below you will find my full list of the 25 most memorable UK football games since 1983 — with a bonus: the five games that just missed making the cut.

No. 25. Oct. 15, 1983:Kentucky 21, Louisiana State 13

Comment: Joker Phillips caught two touchdown passes and Kerry Baird returned an interception for a TD — meaning Franklin-Simpson High School products accounted for all of UK's touchdowns — as Jerry Claiborne scored his first win over an SEC "big boy" in Baton Rouge.

No. 24. Nov. 4, 2006:Kentucky 24, Georgia 20

Comment: Trevard Lindley of Hiram, Ga., intercepted Georgia freshman Matthew Stafford to preserve Rich Brooks' first "signature win" as UK head coach.

No. 23. Sept. 28, 2002:Florida 41, Kentucky 34

Comment: Derek Abney scored on a kickoff return (100 yards) and a punt return (49 yards) and UK roared back from a 19-0 halftime deficit to take a 28-25 lead in The Swamp — but then lost anyway.

No. 22. Jan. 2, 2009:Kentucky 25, East Carolina 19(Liberty Bowl)

Comment: Defensive end Ventrell Jenkins picked up a fumble and rumbled 56 yards for a TD with 3:02 left in the game to lead Kentucky to a bowl victory for a third straight year for the first time in school history.

No. 21. Nov. 21, 1987:Tennessee 24, Kentucky 22

Comment: Down 24-20, UK had the ball first-and-goal at the Tennessee 5-yard line in the game's final minutes — yet four straight runs by Kentucky star Mark Higgs ended with the ball agonizing inches short of the goal line and victory.

No. 20. Dec. 31, 2007:Kentucky 35, Florida State 28(Music City Bowl)

Comment: Behind Andre Woodson's four TD passes, a stellar UK senior class (think Woodson, Burton, Little, Tamme and Woodyard) went out with a win over Bobby Bowden.

No. 19. Sept. 11, 1993:Florida 24, Kentucky 20

Comment: Amazingly, UK intercepted seven passes — seven passes! — and still lost on Danny Wuerffel's 28-yard TD toss to Chris Doering with three seconds left.

No. 18. Nov. 15, 1986:Kentucky 10, Florida 3

Comment: UK defensive back Tony Mayes stopped one late Florida drive with a pass breakup at the goal line then stopped the final Gators drive with a fumble recovery for what remains the most recent Kentucky win over UF.

No. 17. Sept. 26, 1998:Florida 51, Kentucky 35

Comment: Craig Yeast electrified The Swamp with TD receptions of 97 and 74 yards plus a 100-yard kickoff return for a score, but UK's defense was overmatched.

No. 16. Sept. 23, 1995:Kentucky 35, South Carolina 30

Comment: Moe Williams ran wild and free over the Columbia terrain as the UK star went for 299 rushing yards and four TDs.

No. 15. Jan. 1, 1999:Penn State 26, Kentucky 14(Outback Bowl)

Comment: In its first New Year's Day Bowl in 47 years, Kentucky roared to a 14-3 lead behind two Tim Couch TD passes, but Joe Paterno's defense stifled Hal Mumme's offense in the final three quarters.