Pay Attention, There Will Be a Test

   Hope you remembered your mouthpiece, Brock. (CJ) As an educator of literature, I find symbolism in a vast array of milieus throughout my life.  I will briefly pontificate on one that occurred yesterday at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium.  You might remember the play. It was fourth and two in UK's territory, and the Cards had decided to go for it.  This play was symbolic on a couple of levels.  First, it represented what we have seen for years from our in-state rivals: a grossly overblown view of themselves.  Kick the field goal.  In a game where points were as precious as gold, a field goal with the wind at your back would have been just the thing for a delusional fanbase waiting to cheer and a shaky rookie kicker who needed a confidence boost.  But, no, Coach Krag / Brohm took their two biggest running backs, Joe Tronzo and Brock Bolen, and told us they were going to run it down our throat.  Which brings us to our second point of imagery.   That's not at all what happened.  As Bolen came around the left guard, he had a hole big enough to get through to get the first down, and in a meeting of destiny with all the force and spectacle as Beowulf sparring with Grendel, UK had a player waiting in the gap for him; this man was Micah Johnson.  In this setting, 9 out of 10 times, the running back uses his momentum to carry the defender over the line and get his team their desperately needed first down.  Alas, this was no ordinary man Bolen was pitted against.  As the 42,696 held their collective breath, the same prevailing theme carried the play.  UK simply wanted it more. So, our epic hero, Micah Johnson, clad in blue and white with the Commonwealth of Kentucky behind him, drove forward, step by step, and Brock Bolen, forever stained in the black and red, haplessly and innocuously, fell backward. And even the dimmest of wits can see the symbolism in that.