No Kentucky players hit with more punch than the offensive line. Those players listened all last week to how good LSU's defensive front was and how teams had struggled to move the ball or score points because LSU was among the national defensive leaders in every category.
Yet in the third and fourth quarters, UK averaged 5.9 yards per play and scored 13 points. In overtime, UK got two touchdowns.
"Just because they are No. 1, that doesn't mean we had to change what we do. They had a heralded defense. I am pretty sure everybody looked at our offensive line as the weak part of our team," UK guard Zipp Duncan said. "But if you get hit in the mouth enough, you are going to fold sooner or later."
Highly-touted LSU tackle Glenn Dorsey had only four tackles, and LSU did not have a sack. For much of the game, Christian Johnson more than held his own blocking Dorsey. He even correctly guessed after the game how many tackles Dorsey had.
"Against other teams, he just crushed the quarterback and tailback," Johnson said. "This game he did not do that. He had a good game, but I think our offensive line showed up more. I know everybody thought LSU was just going to dominate this game up front, but it didn't quite work out that way.
"We didn't give up any sacks. They didn't just live in the backfield like they have against some teams. It was like a David vs. Goliath battle, but once again David won."
But can David keep winning? That's the dilemma for Brooks and his players now.
As important as the win was over LSU - not only is UK on CBS-TV for the second straight week on Saturday against Florida, but ESPN Game Day is also coming to Commonwealth Stadium for the first time ever - it is not the last big hurdle for the Cats.
Florida is a dangerous, dangerous opponent. The Gators did win last year's national championship and they have had a week to rest after suffering back to back losses to Auburn and LSU. Another loss and Florida can kiss its Southeastern Conference title helps bye-bye. But if Florida wins out, it could still win the SEC East and play in the SEC championship game.
However, if Kentucky wins to get to 3-1 in SEC play with consecutive wins over LSU and Florida, watch out. South Carolina and Tennessee each have only one league loss, but in its final four games the Cats play Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Georgia and Tennessee. Today UK would be favored to win all four.
"We are a factor (in the SEC East), but only are as long as we keep winning. That is the tough thing going forward," Brooks said. "Florida had LSU beat going into the fourth quarter.
"This is a huge, huge game and they have had two weeks to get ready and healed up and do whatever game plan they want to do. It's difficult to make up for their freshness and extra work. But that's just the way the schedule falls. So we will do our best to get ready for a very, very big football game."
Big game" No problem. UK has already beat Louisville with a late score, won at Arkansas and learned valuable lessons in its only loss at South Carolina. Throw in the LSU win and big games are now common for Kentucky " and that's what a big-time program wants.
Kentucky went from a contender to a pretender in the minds of many when it lost at South Carolina. "They started to drop us like a hot rock," Brooks said.
Today, UK is so hot that it is No. 7 in the first BCS rankings. That's right. No. 7.
"We should have gained a measure of respect nationally for what we did (beating LSU) and showed what we did earlier was not a fluke," Brooks said.
