Were it not for the inexplicable inaction of the officiating, Jojo Kemp might’ve been able to back up his trash talk from earlier in the week.
The scene was this: Kentucky tied Florida with a field goal late in the fourth quarter, ultimately sending their game into overtime. In that first overtime session, UK had the first possession and scored a touchdown, meaning that UF had to match it in order to send it into the second time.
The Gators did just that on a Jeff Driskel touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson. Well, officially they did. The reality? The touchdown shouldn’t have counted as the Gators didn’t get the play off in time.
The photo evidence was overwhelming and conclusive:
Those zeros don't mean anything right? #UKvsUF pic.twitter.com/nZlt5eCOTZ
— SEC Sports Talk (@SEC_SportsTalk) September 14, 2014
Unbelievably, the officials failed to call a delay of game on the play, giving the Gators new life that they ultimately turned into a 36-30 win in triple overtime. Of course, even if the officials had called the penalty it wouldn’t have been the end of the game as, after a five-yard mark-off, it would’ve been fourth-and-12 at the 15-yard line.
Still, there’s no excuse for such a blatant officiating miss that would’ve made it, at the very least, a bit harder for UF to convert. It was the single biggest play of the game, and the crew blew it.
That said, Florida escaped The Swamp with yet another win over Kentucky. UF has now won 28 straight over UK, with the latter’s last win coming in 1986. The Wildcats’ last win in Gainesville? 1979.