A Halloween Thriller In Starkville Results In Victory...

During halftime, Michael Jackson's Thriller boomed out of the stadium sound system and entertained the eleventh largest crowd on record at Davis Wade Saturday evening.  The song was a very fitting choice not only because it was Halloween weekend, but also because the game between the 'Cats and Dawgs was a real thriller too. 

I had an Auburn fan tell me the other day that they would give anything for our defense.  Last night's performance was just another reason why.  Kentucky is known for its explosive offense but the Bulldogs held them to only two touchdowns in route to a solid 24-17 victory.  This was the sixth victory in a row, the longest streak since the Bulldogs won eight in a row back in 1999. 

There was nothing spectacular about the offense.  Chris Relf was off target with several of his throws, but what he is lacking with his arm, he more than makes up for with his legs.  Once again, the Bulldogs carved up another opponent the old fashioned way.  They ground it out again with most of the production coming from Relf and a healthy Vick Ballard.

There were moments during the game that weren't pretty and there were several moments in the game where I considered getting a mob together to meet the referees outside the stadium when the game was over. 

One thing that was a very pleasant surprise was the responsible ringing of the cowbells.  Apparently all of the recent news about the fines and the possibility of another cowbell ban inspired the Bulldog faithful to ring responsibly.  There were small changes made to the prompts on the scoreboard that indicated when its okay to ring and when it is not.  If the fans keep up the good behavior for the Arkansas game, I really think the cowbells have a fighting chance to make a legal return next  year.  We shall see.

I'm not going to complain about our shortcomings the way I complained after the mediocre performance against UAB.  This was an SEC opponent, and a very good one.  Kentucky is the same team that brought South Carolina crashing back down to earth after their upheaval of #1 Alabama the week prior.  Auburn barely escaped with a victory when they faced Kentucky.  The important thing is that the Bulldogs put another 'W' on the board and now have a week off to prepare for what many believe will be the toughest game of the year. 

Alabama, here we come...