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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Kentucky Fans Ride Wave Of Joy

Associated Press

At last, there was reason to celebrate at Kentucky after a game against Alabama.

The Wildcats beat the Crimson Tide for the first time in 75 years Saturday night when Tim Couch hit Craig Yeast on a 26-yard touchdown pass in overtime for a 40-34 victory in Commonwealth Stadium.

After the game-winning play, joyous fans charged on the field to congratulate the Wildcats and then pulled down the goal posts. Nearly 2 hours after the game, many fans were still in the parking lot, savoring the rare victory over the 20th-ranked Crimson Tide.

Alabama dropped out of the AP Top 25 with the loss.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Couch, who completed 32-of-49 passes for 355 yards and four TDs. “It’s a great emotional thing for us and the state of Kentucky. I think people will have to pay attention to us now. We’ve gone a long way in a year.”

Kentucky (3-2, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) gained just its second victory over Alabama (3-2, 1-2) in the rivalry that dates to 1917. The Wildcats last beat the Tide in 1922.

Kentucky won the toss in overtime, and decided to defend on the first possession. A holding call on first down took Alabama back to the 37, out of field goal range, and three plays later, Chad Goss fumbled Freddie Kitchens’ pass at the 21 and Kentucky’s Tremayne Martin recovered.

Kentucky also had a holding penalty on its possession, setting up a second-and-15 from the 30. Couch completed a four-yard pass to Darrin Clark before hitting Yeast with the game-winner.

“They made the plays when they had to and we didn’t, but that’s my responsibility,” Alabama coach Mike DuBose said.

Huskies eye Rose Bowl trend

If last year’s Washington-Arizona State game is any barometer, the Huskies will be in Pasadena, Calif., on New Year’s Day.

The Huskies opened their Pac-10 schedule with a 26-14 victory over defending champion Arizona State, beating the team that kept them out of the Rose Bowl last season.

Washington, which remained at No. 10 in The Associated Press poll, lost its opener on a last-second field goal in Tempe last year.

And Arizona State went on to post an 8-0 record in conference play to the Huskies’ 7-1 mark.

Oklahoma State in, Alabama out

Florida and Penn State held steady at 1-2, the top 10 remained unchanged and Oklahoma State cracked The Associated Press’ Top 25 for the first time in nine years.

The Cowboys (5-0), with a 42-16 win over Texas Saturday, jumped into the rankings at No. 20 - their first appearance since finishing No. 11 in the 1988 final poll.

In the USA Today/ESPN poll, the top five - Florida, Penn State, Nebraska, Florida State and North Carolina - are the same as in the AP poll. Washington State ranks No. 12 in both polls.

The following fields overflowed: SUPCAT = COLUMN - College football notebook