While all around Willie Taggart were swept up in jubilation, most willing to settle for PAT forcing another OT at Kentucky, the coach had slowed it all down. Mayhem was theirs, quietude amid the madness was his. This coach saw a Carpe Diem moment.

A sparkle danced in Taggart’s eyes. ESPN was here. An SEC opponent was here (on the ropes), WKU’s faithful was here (at threshold of a nervous breakdown). And, somewhere out there, I suggest, Doug Flutie was here in spirit and whispered into Taggart’s ear, “this is IT, man!”

Seize this day!

So, Western’s coach dialed up a play … straight out of a game at a family reunion picnic. Hail Mary with a twist, running back Antonio Andrews to quarterback Kawaun Jakes. 32-31.

The Hilltoppers had a football win over Kentucky to bookend with the Hilltoppers’ basketball stunner in 1971.

Kentucky? A fog rolled in. A mean one. The kind that has enveloped every UK football coach since the nice man (Blanton Collier) was run off half-century ago. Given new credence: The notion that, if the ball ain’t round, coaching at Kentucky is a dead-end.

Coach Joker Phillips, three games into a season, had to endure this reporter question: “Do you worry about keeping this team together?”

“No, I don’t. I don’t,” he replied.

The Wildcat faithful have rolled out of Commonwealth Stadium in alarming numbers and Phillips is the fall guy. But in truth he’s been …

• Let down by a boss who jacked up ticket prices in a rebuilding year.

• Let down by a defensive coach with no answers nor adjustments to Hilltopper thrusts into the Wildcats right side.

• Let down also by his own ill-timed and ill-chosen declaration: “You’re either with us or you’re against us.”

For 13,962 empty seats at Commonwealth Stadium last week, Phillips gets the blame. Truth is, his basketball-hypnotized boss Mitch Barnhart owes UK fans a declaration of responsibility, public explanation and apology to his coach.

Heartbreaker loss at home, Phillips is man to face the music, but his fault is having hired an old pal to coach the defense. Rick Minter should resign now and staff be shuffled.

GOVERNOR’S CUP GEM

This was an intra-state gem with electricity and panache. Made to glisten because its warriors had (2) game experience; weather was perfect instead of stifling on a Saturday, not Sunday; point spread, a touchdown. And, a Hilltopper-Wildcats marquee that rated well enough on its own to draw ESPNU for a “Satdee night of good ole give-no-quarter tough American football.”

Bang-for-your-buck? 53,980 paying customers got 60 minutes worth, an overtime and a Hail Mary finish.

• Entertaining? From Get-it-on to get-outta-here in OT, it was ESPN prime time-worthy.

• Underdog. Going in it was Western naturally. Coming out (for fourth quarter), reminded me of a Bob Dylan tune title, Things Have Changed.

• Throwin’ and runnin’, crunchin,’ shovin’ and barking too, gave it a Hatfield-McCoys wrinkle. Then handshakes all round.

• Between plays ESPN zoomed in on Taggart whose expression, if not his mouth, said, “if only we can keep the game officials out of deciding this, we have a chance.” On the other side Joker Phillips’s expression? “If only we can get back to even, we won’t lose.”

• Approach? The coaches used fourth down as if it were second-and-short and Touchdown Jesus was on his side. The word punt was a four-letter expletive.

“Damn the torpedoes, boys, we’re goin’ for it!”

• Going bonkers! That belonged to a knot of Western fans down in a Commonwealth corner as they blinked in disbelief at a scoreboard that reported 3-0 … 10-0 … 17-0. Kentucky fans were stunned, the blue team reeling as if hit by a sledge hammer.

• Suspense? All the way to 24-24 with big finish to come.

• Excitement? If last play of regulation was 9.2 on the Richter Scale then Western’s try-for-two success was off the chart.

• Bragging rights. Everything is good and sporting about western Kentucky celebrating Hilltopper success for a change. Healthy for football in our state.

Two after-thoughts.

FIRST. That some in the media herd and thus, fans, embrace the idea: SEC-Kentucky losing to a Sun Belt WKU is a sign of the apocalypse, is nonsense. A point-of-view as out-of-date as the Single Wing.

This Sun Belt is no longer homecoming fodder for the big boys. No. 1 Alabama had to beat Western, then Taggart rallied his team to up-and-ready for Game 3; Meanwhile, Louisiana-Monroe stung Arkansas then gave Auburn a battle, and Troy fought Mississippi State to a four-point decision.

SECOND. The Kentucky-Louisville football series should take a rest.

A new Governor’s Cup match has earned its way onto the billboard.

UK, UofL ALL-TIME

Bleacher Report.com recently headlined: Kentucky vs. Louisville: All-Time Starting Lineup.

Kentucky – Kyle Macy at point, Tony Delk at shooting guard, Jamal Mashburn at small forward and Dan Issel at power forward and Anthony Davis at center.

Louisville: DeJuan Wheat at point, Darrell Griffith at shooting guard, Derek Smith, small forward, Wes Unseld at power forward, Pervis Ellison at center.

COMMENT: Hard to argue with these picks, but Louie Dampier would replace Delk in my lineup; Charlie Tyra would replace Ellison for the Cardinals.

Who would be your all-time starters for the intrastate rivals?

Western Kentucky. Who would be all-time starters for the Hilltoppers?

And so it goes.