< PreviousHe understands what he has do. Now, he just physically has to do it.” It’s worth noting that Wilson’s numbers were markedly better against the best com- petition in his one full season as the starter on a 10-win team. His completion percent- age, his yards-per-attempt and his TD-to-in- terception ratio were all on the plus side in that comparison (source: cfbstats.com). “I think if you have a mobile quarter- back it helps (under this season’s unusual circumstances),” Cubelic added. “I think you’re going to see more quarterback runs this year because they’re easier and you can steal more yards that way. I think if you have quarterback experience, it’s go- ing to go even further this year than it has in the past. Overall, returning starters are a much bigger deal just because you didn’t have spring ball and the chance to be in the weight room with your strength coach. The less complicated you can be and still be good at what you do is going to be a real advantage. Guys haven’t had time to get ac- climated and haven’t had time to physically be the same kind of player they’ve been in the past.” On defense, the Cats’ depth chart fea- tures mostly seniors and juniors and co- ordinator Brad White is counting on that experience to pay dividends for a unit that surpassed expectations last season. “The accountability piece is the biggest piece,“ White said. “This is a player-led team and when that happens, you tend to have a lot of success. It’s a very positive vibe and it’s a fun vibe if you’re a coach. There’s a seriousness but there’s no tension. “With an older group,” White continued, “they know what their job is and they can play free. It’s a good place to be if you’re sit- ting in my shoes. The more confidence you have in leaving guys on islands or playing different types of coverages will give us that added piece to be a little more multiple than we were last year. To have interchangeable parts makes you unpredictable and that gets to be really hard on an offense.” As for special teams, Kentucky returns the league’s top punter in All-America candidate and 2019 Ray Guy Award win- ner Max Duffy but consistency from the placekicker position must get better. The roster is the culmination of a lot of hard work from Stoops and his staff but there is more to this equation for success than the plan he brought to Lexington, as the coach explained in a recent “BBN Live” program with Hall of Fame thoroughbred trainer Shug McGaughey at ukathletics.com. “One of my friends, an old-time coach, told me ‘you have to have a great plan but you also have to have a good gut’ and have good instincts,” Stoops said. “That’s what I feel more comfortable with year to year.” @UKSportsNetwork 9 Max Duffy won the Ray Guy Award in 2019. The award is given to the nation's best punter.10 @UKFootball 11-1 Head Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant led UK to an 11-1 record.Kentucky Finished the Season 11-1 and was 1950 National Champions @UKSportsNetwork 11 By Corey Price UK Communications and Public Relations The fans of Big Blue Nation and everyone across this country, and around the globe for that matter, have had to endure an extraordinary time this year. It has been shown in the past that sports can unite the country during difficult times. Although some might declare 2020 as a year to quickly forget, it also holds a special anniversary for the University of Kentucky football program. Let us embark on a bit of time travel. The year was 1950. The U.S. was not far removed from World War II, and had just entered the Korean War. Through difficult times, even then, Kentucky’s football team had an extraordinary season to remember and boost the spirit of their devoted fans. Under the direction of head coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, that Wildcat squad racked up a school record in wins, while setting various statistical records throughout the season. The team basked in both individual and team success, with seven lettermen going on to play in the NFL. Kentucky’s dream season was capped off with a Sugar Bowl win on New Year’s Day over Oklahoma, and a national championship. That is, retroactively awarded to them 40 years later in 1990, by Jeff Sagarin and his computer-based ratings system. So, in honor of the 70th anniversary of one UK’s greatest football teams, I will recount the season with a timeline of important events, including a game-by-game recap. Here’s a look back at the 1950 Kentucky Wildcats football team.Sept. 16, 1950: Kentucky 25, North Texas State 0 With three scouts from LSU, the Wild- cats’ next opponent, in the press box, Ken- tucky shows very little in their 25-0 victory in their season opener in front of 24,000 fans. Kentucky doubled North Texas State in total offense, 404 yards to 201. Bob Gain blocked a North Texas State punt in the first quarter to set up the Wildcats’ first touch- down of the season. Junior quarterback Vito “Babe” Parilli, who suffered a groin injury during the game, completed four of 11 passes for 40 yards and had one rushing touchdown. Junior fullback Bill Leskovar rushed for 119 yards. This was the first time that Kentucky had shut out their opponent in a season opener since 1939, against the Virginia Military Institute. A shock to most in attendance, head coach Bryant had the team run wind sprints for half an hour after the game. Sept. 23, 1950: No. 13 Kentucky 14, LSU 0 Kentucky shuts out LSU 14-0 in front of 35,000 fans. The Wildcats had health con- cerns among some of their players. Jamerson did not play in the game, junior left halfback Emery Clark only played a few snaps before being carted off the field, and Parilli came into the game with hardly no practice in the week leading up to, resting with the groin injury suffered in the season opener. Kentucky came out of the gate aggressive, attempting a pass on 16 of their first 18 offensive plays. Since Parilli couldn’t effectively run due to his inju- ry, Kentucky started the game away from their traditional “T” offense, instead operating from the double and single wing. In the second half, UK played conservatively on offense, only attempting three passes. The Wildcats had a goal-line stand against LSU in the third quarter to help preserve the shutout. Ken- tucky almost doubled up the Tigers in total offense, 363 yards to 186. Parilli completed seven of 20 passes for 48 yards and one inter- ception with a rushing touchdown. Leskovar had a career day, amassing 171 rushing yards, and a modern-era single-game school record. Leskovar’s 171 rushing yards were the most for a Kentucky player in a single game until 1973, when Sonny Collins had 229 rushing yards against Mississippi State. Sept. 30, 1950: No. 13 Kentucky 27, Ole Miss 0 The Wildcats defeated Ole Miss 27-0 in front of 32,000 fans. Unfortunately for the team, Gain, Leskovar, and junior cen- ter Doug Moseley were all injured in the first quarter and did not play the rest of the game. Jamerson did not appear in his sec- ond straight game. Kentucky outgained Ole Miss 312 yards to 201 in total offense. The Wildcats’ defense was dominant when it needed to be, and the Rebels never reached the Kentucky 20-yard line. Parilli only at- tempted seven passes, completing five of them for 88 yards. Oct. 7, 1950: No. 6 Kentucky 40, Dayton 0 Kentucky held, yet, another opponent scoreless, defeating Dayton 40-0 in front of 20,000 fans. The Wildcats cruised to a 33-0 lead at halftime, thanks to scoring five touch- downs on just 14 offensive plays in the first half. Leskovar and Moseley did not play due to their injury in the Ole Miss game. The Wild- cats stopped two Flyers’ drives inside the five- yard line in the fourth quarter to preserve the shutout. Parilli completed 10 of 15 passes for 163 yards. In his first game back from injury, Jamerson caught a touchdown pass. Kentucky opened their season with four consecutive shutouts for the first time since 1911. Oct. 14, 1950: No. 5 Kentucky 41, Cincinnati 7 The Wildcats, in their first game ever played while ranked in the top five of the AP Poll, defeat Cincinnati 41-7 in front of 35,000 fans. Kentucky was in unfamiliar territory, trailing their opponent for the first time all season, 7-0, in the opening quarter. The Wildcats quickly regained control of the contest, scoring the game’s final 41 points. UK broke the game open in the third quarter, scoring 28 points. Parilli had a record-setting performance. He completed 18 of 29 passes for 338 yards and five touchdowns, setting an SEC record for single-game passing yards and tying the SEC record for single-game passing touchdowns. Parilli’s 338 passing yards were the most for a Kentucky player in a single game until 1965, when Rick Nor- ton had 373 passing yards against Houston. Also, Parilli’s five passing touchdowns were not eclipsed by a Wildcat quarterback un- til 1997, when Tim Couch threw for seven touchdowns against Indiana. Senior right end Al Bruno played one of his best games, recording six receptions for 155 yards and three touchdowns. Bruno’s 155 receiving yards were the most for a Kentucky player in a single game until 1964, when Rick Kestner had 185 receiving yards against Ole Miss. The Wildcats almost tripled the Bearcats in total offense, 452 yards to 162. Oct. 21, 1950: No. 4 Kentucky 34, Villanova 7 In Kentucky’s first road game of the sea- son, they defeated Villanova 34-7 in Phila- 12 @UKFootball Quarterback Babe Parilli led the Kentucky offense which set a school single season record with 4,082 yards of total offense. delphia in front of 18,000 fans. The Wild- cats overwhelmed Villanova early, leading by a score of 20-0 after the first quarter. In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats’ defense chipped in on the scoring when senior left guard Bill Wannamaker intercepted a Vil- lanova pass and ran it back 35 yards into the end zone. Parilli completed nine of 19 passes for 161 yards and one touchdown, and his streak of consecutive passing at- tempts without an interception ended at 50. Kentucky outgained Villanova 282 yards to 150 in total offense. Jamerson contributed on offense, scoring three touchdowns. The Wildcats’ unblemished record through their first six games marked their longest winning streak in a season since 1910. Oct. 28, 1950: No. 4 Kentucky 28, Georgia Tech 14 The Wildcats defeated Georgia Tech 28- 14 in front of 35,000 fans in Atlanta. Ken- tucky was trailing their opponent for just the second time this season, 7-0, in the first quarter. Once again, the Wildcats took con- trol of the game after trailing, scoring the game’s next 28 points. Gain had his sec- ond blocked punt of the season, setting up Kentucky’s first touchdown in the second quarter. The Wildcats went to tricky and confusing spread formations in the second quarter to throw off the Yellow Jackets’ de- fense. Georgia Tech was the first opponent to score twice against the Wildcats this sea- son. Parilli completed 12 of 18 passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns. Kentucky doubled up Georgia Tech, 364 yards to 182, in total offense. This was the fourth time that Kentucky won at least seven straight games in a single season (1898, 1903, and 1910). Nov. 4, 1950: No. 5 Kentucky, No. 17 Florida 6 In Kentucky’s first game of the season against a ranked opponent, the Wildcats de- feat No. 17 Florida 40-6 in front of 33,000 fans. Kentucky set a school record with their eighth consecutive win of the season. This was the Wildcats’ Homecoming, but the game was marred with bad weather, a rain and snow mix, which saw most fans leave the game at halftime, with Kentucky lead- ing 26-6. Coach Bryant took out most of the starters midway through the third quarter. Parilli completed eight of 14 passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns. The Wildcats were efficient on offense, as none of their drives ended in a punt. Kentucky thoroughly dominated the Gators, outgaining them 458 yards to 101 in total offense, including hold- ing Florida to a meager negative-eight yards rushing. The Wildcats tied the SEC single game record for most first downs, with 28. Kentucky’s 40 points scored were their most against Florida since their first ever meeting, in 1917. The Wildcats would not score at least 40 points against the Gators again until 1974. Kentucky’s 34-point margin of victory is the largest margin of victory against an AP Poll-ranked opponent in program history. Nov. 11, 1950: No. 4 Kentucky 48, Mississippi State 21 The Wildcats were finally challenged on defense, but still came away with a victory, defeating Mississippi State 48-21 in front of 28,000 fans in Starkville, spoiling their Homecoming. Kentucky’s scoring was high- lighted by 27 second quarter points, amassed in a lightning-quick span of just three min- utes and 45 seconds. Senior right end Dom Fucci added a defensive touchdown in that second quarter, returning an interception 45 yards for a score. Parilli was taken out of the game late in the third quarter, with the Wildcats leading 34-7, but returned to ac- tion after Mississippi State scored. Appear- ing to run up the score, Kentucky, leading 41-21, scored on a three-yard touchdown pass with only four seconds remaining in the game. The Wildcats racked up 409 yards of total offense against a Bulldogs defense that was ranked No. 1 nationally entering the game. Parilli completed 12 of 21 pass- es for 232 and three touchdowns, tying the SEC record for most touchdown passes in a single season, 18. Kentucky tied the school record for most wins in a single season, nine, accomplished four times before (1904, 1907, 1909, and 1949). With the victory, the Wildcats clinched at least a share of their first SEC championship. The Bulldogs were the only opponent to score more than 14 points against Kentucky all season. This was the Wildcats’ fifth SEC win of the season, set- ting a new school record. Kentucky has gone on to win at least five SEC games in a single season four times since then (1954, 1976, 1977, and 2018). The 48 points scored by the Wildcats were their most against an SEC opponent in program history at the time. Kentucky wouldn’t score at least 48 points against an SEC opponent again until Novem- ber 11, 1978, when they scored 53 points against Vanderbilt. Nov. 18, 1950: No. 5 Kentucky 83, North Dakota 0 Kentucky gave the crowd in Lexington something to cheer about in the final home game of the season, dismantling North Da- 14 @UKFootball The 1950 Kentucky Wildcat team had seven players who went on to play in the NFL.kota 83-0 in front of 20,000 fans. The win clinched the Wildcats their first-ever SEC Championship as Georgia Tech lost to Ala- bama earlier in the day. With border rival Tennessee coming up in the next week, Kentucky played a very vanilla offense. The Wildcats led 56-0 at halftime, including a school-record 35 points in the second quar- ter. Parilli completed 15 of 20 passes for 198 yards and five touchdowns. Kentucky outgained North Dakota 544 yards to 109 in total offense. Parilli was taken out of the game in the second quarter with the score at 35-0. This game was all about break- ing and setting new records for the program. The Wild- cats had a combined eight touchdown passes, setting a school single-game record. Kentucky scored the second most points in a single-game in school history, 83, and the most since scoring 87 against Wilmington on Sep. 26, 1914. The Wildcats set a school re- cord for wins in a single-season with 10. Gain tied the SEC sin- gle-game record for most extra points made, 10. Kentucky’s 11 total made extra points also set a new SEC single-game record. Bruno tied the SEC single-season record for most receiving touch- downs with 10, and set a school single-game record for most re- ceiving touchdowns, four. Bru- no’s 10 touchdown receptions were the most for a Kentucky player in a single-season until 1997, when Craig Yeast matched his total of 10. Parilli did the most damage, setting four records – NCAA and SEC records for most single-season touchdown passes (23), SEC single-season record for most passing yards (1,477), and SEC single-season record for most touchdowns responsible for (28). Kentucky also set the school single-season record for most points scored (380). The 380 points scored in a single sea- son were not eclipsed by another Wildcat squad until 1998, when they scored 417 points. The Wildcats’ defense loved playing in front of familiar fans, allowing a total of 13 points in their seven home games. Nov. 25, 1950: No. 9 Tennessee 7, No. 3 Kentucky 0 The Wildcats, with their highest Associ- ated Press Poll ranking in program history, suffers their only defeat of the season, losing to No. 9 Tennessee 7-0 in front of 45,000 fans in Knoxville in sub-freezing tempera- tures. Simply put, it was a game of mistakes for Kentucky who committed 12 turnovers (eight fumbles and four interceptions). The Wildcats were able to stay in the game, with Tennessee having six turnovers of their own (four fumbles and two interceptions). Leskovar did not play due to injury, and junior fullback Cliff Lawson left the game in the third quarter with a concussion. The Wildcats could never produce a sustained drive on offense, not once crossing the Vol- unteers’ 30-yard line. For the first time this season, Kentucky was outgained on offense, 202 yards to 186, in favor of Tennessee. The Wildcats trailed their opponent for just the third time this season. The Volunteers’ only score of the game came on a 27-yard touchdown pass on fourth down in the second quarter. Parilli completed 14 of 30 passes for 150 yards. This was Kentucky’s 15th straight game without a victory against the Volunteers (they managed a tie in 1948). Even with a disappointing loss, head coach Bryant was not discouraged about his squad, saying, “I am proud of this team as if it had won 60- 0. Any mistakes that were made were mine. The boys played their hearts out. A team with less courage would have given up after the third bad break, much less the 12th.” The Wildcats set the SEC single-season record for most first downs (202). Kentucky also set the school single season record for most yards of total offense (4,082). The 4,082 yards of total offense in a single-season were not eclipsed by another Wildcat team until 1997, when that squad had 5,214 yards of to- tal offense. The day at least ended on a good note, with Kentucky accepting an invitation to play in the Sugar Bowl right after the game. Jan. 1, 1951: No. 7 Kentucky 13, No. 1 Oklahoma 7 On one of the grandest stages in college football, and against one of the toughest opponents the Wildcats have ever faced, Kentucky defeated No. 1 Oklahoma 13-7 in front of 82,000 fans at the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. The Wildcats end- ed the Sooners’ 31-game win- ning streak, the longest winning streak in major college football since 1918. Oklahoma’s last loss occurred on September 25, 1948. Kentucky had all the mo- mentum, racing out to a 13-0 lead in the second quarter. Jam- erson was the star on offense, scoring both touchdowns for the Wildcats. His first touch- down came on a leaping grab in the end zone within the first three minutes of the game, one play after Kentucky recovered an Oklahoma fumble on a punt re- turn. Then the Wildcats’ defense chipped in, with a goal-line stand in the third quarter. That goal-line stand was a 17-play, eight-minute drive for the Soon- ers that started the second half of play. Kentucky used a different defense to stifle the Oklahoma offense, playing with three de- fensive tackles. Senior right tack- le Walt Yowarsky played as the third tackle and he was a game changer, recovering two fum- bles, one on a punt with three minutes left in the game that essentially sealed the victory for the Wildcats. Moseley also was a big con- tributor on defense, recovering two fumbles for Kentucky. The Wildcats’ passing defense was magnificent, allowing just 38 yards on three completions. Kentucky was outgained on offense for the just the second time this season, 227 yards to 189, but were aided by five lost fumbles by Oklahoma. The Soon- ers’ only score came with seven minutes left in the game. Oklahoma’s last-second des- peration pass at the end of the game was intercepted to officially seal the victory for the Wildcats. Parilli completed nine of 12 passes for 105 yards and one touchdown. Deservedly so, Yowarsky was named MVP of the Sugar Bowl. @UKSportsNetwork 15 Walt Yowarsky was named MVP of the 1951 Sugar Bowl.Thank You to Our CORNERSTONE PARTNERS OFFICIAL B ANK OF UK A THLETICSCORNERSTONE PARTNERS OFFICIAL B ANK OF UK A THLETICSNext >