This ain't your daddy's Wildcats

Rember that old lady in Poltergeist when she tried to run off those pesky ghosts?

"We have exercised the demons. This house is clear".

What we saw Saturday was a Kentucky team that wiped out every kick in the crotch, rip your heart out, stomp your guts in demon this team has ever faced. When the final horn sounded, Danny Wuerfell's ghost had a silver bullet, a wooden stake, and holy water shoved up it's ectoplasmatic excretory orifice all at once.

And then some.

With Kentucky's win over top-ranked LSU, this year's Cats went from premature Gatorade-dumping hard-luck losers to legitimate contenders for a BCS bowl. Instead of playing the stooge in the top 10 of every "unbelievable game-ending plays" list, they ended the game in the top 10 in the BCS standings.

For years Kentucky fans have seen games like Saturday's happen every week, just not in Commonwealth Stadium. We've seen teams step up and make great plays to win a big game. We've seen programs go through tough times and turn the corner. And now, finally, we get to see it happen to our team. Heck, the whole country got to see it happen to our team. Don't think that doesn't make an impression on recruits. Don't think the current players aren't building more and more confidence with every program changing win this year.

Contrary to what I'm hearing some places though, this was not the "Bluegrass Miracle II". No. This was not a miracle at all. It was a really good team beating the number one team in the country in front of a rowdy home crowd.

If you must give a title to the game, call it the "Bluegrass Redemption", because Rich Brooks has tunneled this team out of probation prison. He has drug them through a river of poor play and bad breaks "and came out clear on the other side."

This game was huge. Biggest in decades. It should turn the program around permantly. And the best part is, I don't think it was a miracle at all.