John Clay: Non-Stoops recruits contribute to signature win

Far into the future, when historians undertake the archaeological dig on Kentucky's Mark Stoops Era, they will no doubt point to Oct. 4, 2014, as the night college football came back to the Bluegrass.

That was night of a blackout and black magic. That was the night Kentucky football wore shiny, chrome helmets. That was the night energy coursed through Commonwealth Stadium.

That was the night nearly every seat was filled inside Commonwealth Stadium, which hasn't been the case of late.

It was also the night Kentucky beat Steve Spurrier and South Carolina, overcoming not one but two 14-point deficits and scoring the game's final 21 points for a thrilling 45-38 victory.

Despite the fact South Carolina was unranked for the first time in 70 weeks, historians might correctly document the victory as a watershed moment in the Stoops Era for a young Kentucky team, but it shouldn't overlook the guys who actually made the big plays.

We're talking the old guys. We're talking the guys who arrived under the previous coach, who probably thought Stoops and his new staff would turn things around, probably feared that the fruits of their labors wouldn't be realized until after their departures.

Guys such as Mike Douglas, the senior defensive tackle from Largo, Fla., who was primarily a backup to the Mister Cobble/Donte Rumph tandem until this year, and who on Saturday night made the biggest play in a game of big plays.

It was Douglas who, inside the final three minutes, batted South Carolina quarterback Dylan Thompson's pass high into the air and into the annals of Kentucky football history.

Guys such as Bud Dupree, the senior defensive end from Irwinton, Ga., who is Kentucky's best player, who has an NFL career awaiting, and who found himself Saturday night underneath the ball that Douglas' batted, who gathered it and six yards later proceeded to score the winning touchdown.

In the media room afterward, a reporter asked Dupree if he had any idea that Kentucky would be in the midst of such a stunning turnaround, going 2-10 last season, sitting 4-1 now.

"I knew it would happen," Dupree said. "I didn't know it would happen this quick."

Guys such as Zach West, the junior offensive guard from Lexington Christian, who had missed the last couple of games with an unusual nerve issue in his neck, but who on Jojo Kemp's 43-yard run out of the Wildcat formation — all Kentucky's key offensive plays seemed to come out of the Wildcat formation — appeared to deliver the key block on what was the night's key drive.

Guys such as Josh Forrest, the junior linebacker from Paducah Tilghman, who first came to UK as a wide receiver/tight end, but has made the transition to linebacker and who Saturday night looked for all the world like Avery Williamson, making 15 tackles.

Guys such as Ashely Lowery, the senior safety from Cleveland, Ga., who picked off a Thompson pass on South Carolina's final drive snuffing out the Gamecocks' final chance.

To be sure, Stoops and Company have imported a slew of upgrades in talent, but don't forget the key holdovers, the ones who emerged from the rubble of back-to-back 2-10 seasons and helped execute the steep climb from rock bottom to Saturday's high point.

There's a lot of football left to be played, of course. Asked if Saturday felt like turning the corner, Stoops replied, "Only if we win the next game."

Right now, however, after a few years of falling off the path, Kentucky football is relevant again.

This story was originally published October 5, 2014 at 7:38 PM with the headline "John Clay: Non-Stoops recruits contribute to signature win."