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How does the old saying go? When the going gets tough. . .the tough get going? Well. Kentucky's offense, which was held to 10 points for almost four quarters, struck for a quick, game-saving touchdown to beat the visiting Tulane Green Wave 16-11 at Commonwealth Stadium last Saturday.
Tulane looked like it was in control following a successful two-point conversion on a pass from Ken Karcher to a wide-open Mitch Doze with 3:43 remaining. The southern Independents pulled within one as Karcher ended a 12-play. 73-yard drive with a six yard strike to Troy Wright.
With the Green Wave ahead for the first time in the ball game (11-10). UK started the winning drive following a Mark Logan 19-yard kickoff return to the Wildcats' 29.
Kentucky needed only four plays to score. On second down from the UK 30 quarterback Bill Ransdell hooked up with tight end Mark Wheeler for a 15 yard gain. Ransdell then threw a screen pass to fullback Chris Derry. The senior from Villa Hills followed his trail of Wildcat blockers and rambled down the left sidelines for 35 yards, giving UK the ball on the Green Wave's 20.
' He's a horse," said defensive end Steve Mazza about the running ability of Derry. "He's John Riggins the II."
With a deafening roar from the 56,812. sophomore running back Mark Higgs dashed off right tackle and sprinted to the outside untouched for the winning TD. His path was made clear by some outstanding blocking from the right side of the line  Jim Reichwein. Tom Richey and tight end Mark Wheeler. Higgs picked the opening mainly because of one particular block.
" It was 46 right (off right tackle), but Tom Wheary made such a good block on the end." said a delighted Higgs. "So I bounced outside. I knew I had it then because there was nothing but green grass ahead."
"I thought Kentucky played very hard late in the game." said Tulane coach Mack Brown. "They have come a long way in three years.
"Actually, everything was good for us in the second half except for that last drive."
Kentucky now evens its record to 1-1, while Tulane falls to 0-3. ^^^^a
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Derry Helped Set Cats Up For The Kill.
And Higgs Puts Final Nail In Coffin
AS USUAL DEFENSE BENT BUT DID NOT BREAK
On this first day of fall UK's defense was given a second chance to redeem themselves. This time they didn't give Karcher and troops a chance.
Following Kentucky's go-ahead TD with only 2:17 remaining, Tulane had one more chance to pull out the win. Unlike on their previous drive, the Green Wave's offensive line couldn't contain the fierce rush of their opponents.
Starting from Tulane's 21 yard line Karcher never did have enough time to find an open receiver. On first down and with Jerry Reese in persuit he barely got the pass off. Chris Chenault then sprang through the line and nailed the QB for a four-yard loss. An illegal procedure call put the ball back on the 13. Now Karcher and Tulane was faced with a desperate situation.
Another strong rush forced the Green Wave's to throw over the head of Zeno. On fourth down Karcher again looked for his favorite receiver, but it was to no avail. Zeno was open, but Karcher threw the pass too low.
Kentucky took over on the TU 13 yard line with 1:20 remaining. Since Tulane had only one timeout left its chances slipped away on Karcher's incompletion to Zeno.
Chenault, a redshirt freshman, played like a true veteran. The defensive tackle had a game-leading 13 tackles, including seven first-hitters. Defensive ends Mazza and Brian Williams also had outstanding performances contributing nine and eight tackles, respectively.
After only recording two sacks in the opener, Kentucky's defense racked up five against Tulane: Williams (2), Mike Velotta (1), Dumbauld (1) and Mazza (1). Larry Smith is gradually returning back to his old self. Smith had seven tackles and broke up three aerials.
Punter Jay Tesar continues to be a big suprise. He kicked the ball four times averaging 44.8 yards per boot. Late in the first quarter the freshman kicked a booming spiral that covered a career-high 53 yards. Tesar's worst kick of.the day traveled 37 yards.
RANSDELL, HIGGS AND DERRY TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LINE'S BLOCKING
Kentucky came out of the gates looking like a different ball club, much better than it did the previous week against Bowling Green. The offensive line, led by center Ken Pietrowiak and guard Vernon Johnson, was opening holes for Logan and Higgs while allowing Ransdell plenty of time to pick out his receivers.
For the game Ransdell hit on 22 of 34 passes (including two interceptions) for 302 yards. It marked the second straight week that the Elizabethtown native threw for more than 300 yards.
The versatile Derry was again a hidden weapon. Time after time last season the tough, hard-nose back was left uncovered for a quick outlet pass. Against Tulane the screen to the brusing back was left unguarded. Derry picked up a team-high 108 yards on seven receptions.
Despite the loss Tulane's Karcher, a transfer from Notre Dame, had a fine afternoon. The 6-foot-l, 204-pound signal caller connected on 27 of 42 aerials netting 236 yards.
Karcher's favorite target on this day was Marc Zeno. Zeno caught eight passes for 119 yards. Tailback Rodney Hunter was on the receiving end of seven Karcher passes netting 52 yards. Logan and Higgs paced the ground attack rushing for 53 and 50 yards respectively. The speedster from Owensboro scored both TD's and caught three passes totalling 58 yards. For the afternoon Higgs compiled 108 yards on offense.
Still, there were numerous mistakes Kentucky could do without.