BY The Cincinnati Enquirer
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Kentucky's week began with a truck crash that killed one player, severely injured another and also killed the best friend of star quarterback Tim Couch. It ends with a game at No. 1 Tennessee, the Wildcats' traditional rival.
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UK at TENNESSEE
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Kickoff: 3:30 p.m., Neyland Stadium (102,854), Knoxville
TV: Ch. 12.
Radio: 1530 AM (WSAI).
Records: UK 7-3, 4-3 SEC; UT 9-0, 6-0.
Last Meeting: UT 59, UK 31 (Nov. 22, 1997). UT leads series 61-23-9.
What to watch: UK's Tim Couch gets the best possible venue - 103,000 fans and a national TV audience - to make a last-ditch bid for the Heisman Trophy. Many experts figure an upset here would win it for him. A bowl bid is safe, but a win here guarantees UK a New Year's Day bowl.
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Instead of the buildup to the contest between the bowl-bound Wildcats and the undefeated Volunteers, Kentucky's players and coaches became the focus of an extraordinary drama that unfolded daily.
There was Couch choking up, then breaking down in tears as he talked about the death of his friend Scott Brock.
There was the team's first meeting after Sunday's crash, when players sat in silence, then joined hands, prayed and wept.
"I've never been in there with 100 other guys, especially football players, and had it be that quiet," safety Jeff Zurcher said.
"It was a precious time for the team," said punter Jimmy Carter. After taking Monday off, the team practiced Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Coach Hal Mumme tried to keep the sessions as normal as possible.
"There's no way you can keep the rest of the week normal," he said. "The guys have spent all week at funerals and in the hospital." Mumme said he had no idea how the players would respond to the chance to ruin Tennessee's perfect season and improve their own bowl standing.
"I'm kind of in the dark," he said. "I don't know if we'll be emotionally charged over this, or emotionally drained. I won't be able to tell until Saturday."
Couch said he expects to be up for the game.
"To be honest with you, I always circle this game on the calendar. I love playing against Tennessee," he said. "It's a big rivalry, and I know, growing up in this state, how much it means to the state of Kentucky, so I'm looking forward to it."
The Kentucky-Tennessee game is played for possession of the "Beer Barrel," and officials from both schools agreed Friday to cancel this year's postgame display of the blue, white and orange-painted trophy.
"Out of respect for the families involved in the tragedy last Sunday in Kentucky, we have decided not to make the Beer Barrel part of the scene Saturday at Neyland Stadium," Tennessee associate athletic director Gary Wyant said.
The crash occurred just hours after Kentucky finished off a 55-17 win over Vanderbilt on Senior Day at Commonwealth Stadium. "It has been a really long week," Mumme said. "It seems like a month since we played."
