Jan. 25, 2011
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky tailback Derrick Locke will be officially presented with the inaugural Howard Schnellenberger Award, signifying the Most Valuable Player of the Kentucky-Louisville game, Tuesday at the Louisville Sports Commission banquet at the Galt House West in Louisville.
Locke rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns in UK’s 23-16 win at Louisville on Sept. 4. Locke also caught three passes for 21 yards and had a 23-yard kickoff return, totaling 148 all-purpose yards. Locke opened the scoring with a 32-yard run on the first possession of the game and added a one-yard scoring run later in the first quarter.
Locke, who is in Mobile, Ala., in preparation for the Senior Bowl, will be unable to attend. UK assistant head coach David Turner will accept the award on Locke’s behalf. The honor is named for Schnellenberger, who earned first-team All-America honors as a Kentucky player and later became head coach at Louisville.
“I thank the committee for selecting me and wish I could be there to accept it,” Locke said. “Thanks to my teammates for making it possible and to the fans of the Big Blue Nation for their support.”
Locke, by the way, has asked us to invite fans to join his Facebook site. Media are welcome to pass along that invitation to the fans.
Masthay to the Super Bowl: Tim Masthay’s rookie season in Green Bay is ending on the game’s biggest stage as the former Kentucky Wildcat will play in the Super Bowl on February 6.
Masthay played a key role in the Packers’ 21-14 win over Chicago on Sunday, punting eight times for a 41.8-yard average. More important than his distance were his placement and hangtime, which kept the Bears bottled up for much of the game. The Bears’ starting point following six of Masthay’s punts were their own 16, 2, 11, 18, 20 and 10-yard line.
Packers general manager Ted Thompson was quoted as saying that Masthay “won the game for us.”
Masthay becomes the 26th Wildcat who has played for a team that advanced to the Super Bowl that season. It’s the second-consecutive year for a Cat in the Super Bowl as Jacob Tamme played for Indianapolis in last year’s championship game.
Locke and Lumpkin in All-Star Games: Kentucky football seniors Derrick Locke and Ricky Lumpkin will participate in upcoming all-star games.
Locke will play in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on the NFL Network. During his UK career, Locke rushed for 2,618 yards and 22 touchdowns and caught 95 passes for 883 yards and three TDs. He also holds the school career record for kickoff return average at 27.1 yards per return, including a pair of 100-yard touchdowns.
Lumpkin is set for the Texas vs. the Nation game in San Antonio on Saturday, Feb. 5 at 2 p.m. EST. Television will be handled by CBS College Sports. As a Wildcat, Lumpkin totaled 82 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and three quarterback sacks.
