lence and prejudice and bury it once and for all.It has taken almost half a century for the USOC to welcome Smith and Carlos back into the fold after b

LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Nothing about Kentuckys quest toward respectability was easy, and the win that finally put the Wildcats back in the postseason for the first time in six years required overcoming initial adversity.They regrouped by halftime and now look forward to playing in December for a change.Stephen Johnson came off the bench to throw two second-quarter touchdown passes, Benny Snell and Jojo Kemp each ran for two scores and Kentucky rallied past Austin Peay 49-13 on Saturday to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2010.Its a happy locker room, said Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, who added, they stayed the course, never flinched and its never easy. Weve just got to continue to push forward.Drama preceded the Wildcats postseason-clinching victory with the pregame announcement that little-used sophomore Luke Wright would start at quarterback instead of Johnson because of a left knee injury that wasnt previously disclosed. In-game anxiety followed as Kentucky trailed the FCS Governors 13-0 early in the second quarter and led to the emergency use of Johnson -- who looked healthy enough to guide his team into a 21-13 lead by halftime.They just wanted me in emergency situations, and not to go out there and get hurt even more, Johnson said.Snells 30-yard TD run got Kentucky (6-5) going before Johnsons scoring passes of 14 yards to C.J. Conrad and 40 to Garrett Johnson. The Wildcats broke it open as Boom Williams ran for a 25-yard TD, Snell scored from 48 and Kemp from 40 and 7 yards.Reaching six wins was huge for Kentucky after falling just short with back-to-back 5-7 finishes. The achievement looked even more elusive after a 0-2 start and a back injury to Drew Barker in the third game that propelled Johnson into the starters role.Those struggles were forgotten on a cold, blustery evening before 48,948 that culminated in the goal that Stoops sought.I might have been in middle school, so that goes to show how long ago it was (for Kentucky), said sophomore cornerback Chris Westry, who had one of the Wildcats two interceptions.Snell carried 14 times for 152 yards to set a school single-season record for a freshman (1,006) and give Kentucky its first-ever 1,000-yard rushing duo with Williams (1,072).Kentel Williams 17-yard TD run and Gunnar Scholatos 25-yard interception return of Wright for a score got Austin Peay (0-11) ahead. The Governors couldnt stop Johnson or Kentucky after that and finished with their 27th straight loss dating back to 2014.THE TAKEAWAYAustin Peay: The Governors controlled the initial tempo and drove 69 yards for their first TD. But quarterback Javaughn Craig threw two interceptions and they didnt cross midfield until the fourth quarter and were outgained 410-284.The interception in the red zone, we cant have happen, coach Will Healy said. We still find ways to shoot ourselves in the foot with turnovers, but I though we went toe-to-toe.Kentucky: Interceptions by Westry and Mike Edwards -- the second of which led to the Wildcats first TD -- offset early holding penalties that erased touchdowns. But Johnsons entry made the biggest difference in settling down an offense that struggled without him. Johnson completed 5 of 9 passes for 101 yards.We just knew we had to settle down a little bit so we could do what we wanted to do as an offense, Johnson said. We just had to go out there and do it.HERE TO HELPKentuckys 1-2 punch of Snell and Williams were critical to its postseason push that pleased Snell more than breaking Moe Williams previous freshman rushing record of 928 yards in 1993.Im glad I got to 1,000 yards, Snell said, but Im happy won as a team, we got to six wins and get to go bowling. The seniors deserved that.UP NEXTAustin Peay: Season over.Kentucky: The Wildcats visit third-ranked (for now) Louisville (No. 5 CFP) , aiming to end a five-game losing streak against their in-state rival and hand the Cardinals their second consecutive loss.---More AP college football: collegefootball.ap.org Samuel Umtiti France Jersey . First off, the fans ripped the Cubbies introduction of a fuzzy new kid-friendly mascot named "Clark". Jeremy Mathieu France Jersey . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. http://www.nationalfrancesoccer.com/olivier-giroud-france-jersey/ . Spiller left Week 3s 27-20 loss to the New York Jets with a thigh injury, but fully practiced with the team all week and expects to be ready to go on Sunday. Laurent Koscielny Jersey . Denis Coderre, the former federal MP who was elected mayor on Nov. 3, has drawn the ire of some Montreal Canadiens. During last nights game he tweeted: "Hello? Can we get a one-way ticket to (minor-league) Hamilton for David Desharnais please. Zinedine Zidane Jersey . -- Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis was charged Thursday with driving while intoxicated, a day after he was suspended for an NFL substance-abuse policy violation. WASHINGTON -- Tommie Smith and John Carlos were proud to raise their gloved fists in a symbolic protest at the Olympics, and now theyre proud that Colin Kaepernick and other athletes are staging national anthem protests to raise awareness about racial inequality and police brutality.The American sprinters who were sent home from the 1968 Mexico City Olympics for what they called a human rights salute said the San Francisco 49ers quarterback and others are right to use their platform in an attempt to affect social change 48 years later.Dont hate the kid because he stood up for something to change, said Smith, who won the gold medal and set a world record in the 200 meters in 1968. He stood up for the right to exercise Amendment 1.Speaking Wednesday at the Team USA Awards, the first U.S. Olympic Committee event theyve been invited to since their protest, Smith said hes backing Kaepernick because the quarterbacks protest is proactive, and Carlos said theres no better platform than sports to stand up for something, even if it brings criticism.Protest is a good thing because youre trying to expose certain things through protest, said Carlos, who won the bronze in the 200 at the Mexico City Games. Then, when you sit back and say, Well, I dont know whether its the right place to make statement here or there. In any protest, I think you make a statement to try and reach the far ends of the earth. What better way to do it than if youre in a sport.Several athletes have followed Kaepernick, who first sat for the anthem then modified his protest to kneel during it. Some have raised their fists like Smith and Carlos.Most recently, Nebraska football players Michael Rose-Ivey, Mohamed Barry and DaiShon Neal kneeled during the anthem before a game at?Northwestern, drawing criticism from university officials.ddddddddddddIt is a sacrifice to deal with anything other than status quo, Smith said, as we know very well.While Smith said its important for athletes to study and understand why theyre protesting and what they want to come out of it, Carlos said backlash is part of the process.Any individual that makes a public statement or a public scene is saying we have issues that we need to deal with and we can no longer stick them under the rug or stick them behind the bus or what have you, Carlos said. By bringing attention to society, for them to be able to determine themselves why it was necessary that we take this thing called racism, violence and prejudice and bury it once and for all.It has taken almost half a century for the USOC to welcome Smith and Carlos back into the fold after being on the outside for breaking its rules. Carlos called their return a rebirth, and both men hope they can be ambassadors and a positive influence on young people who werent born when they protested at the 1968 Summer Games.We never denounced what we stood for, Carlos said. We stood for humanity. At the same time, they loved the fact that we had courage. Thats what you need in athletics. For them to come and lower the drawbridge, so to speak, and welcome us across with open arms, its a beautiful situation. I dont think it gets any better. ' ' '