Dec. 29, 1999
By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – James Mungro rushed 12 times for 162 yards and twotouchdowns as Syracuse rallied for a 20-13 victory over Kentucky on Wednesdayin the Music City Bowl.
The Orangemen (7-5), who ended the season by losing four of their final fivegames, trailed 10-0 in the first quarter as Kentucky (6-6) looked ready to handSyracuse a third straight bowl blowout.
But the Wildcats lost All-American tight end James Whalen to a dislocatedright elbow at the end of the first quarter, and their offense stalled.
Syracuse still had trouble, however. Kentucky stopped two drives by blockingfield goal attempts and was headed for its first bowl victory since the 1984Hall of Fame game when Marc Samuel’s 35-yard field goal made it 13-7 with 10:39remaining.
The Orangemen responded with their best drive of the game, going 77 yards infour plays capped by Mungro’s first TD, a 32-yarder up the middle and a 14-13lead.
The sophomore padded the lead when Kentucky, anxious to regain possessioninside the last two minutes, allowed him to score on a 20-yard run with 1:42 toplay. Syracuse tried to make that strategy backfire by going for a 2-pointconversion and a 9-point lead, but the attempt failed.
Kentucky tried to come back, but the Wildcats seemed out of synch withoutWhalen, the former walk-on who set a major-college record for receptions by atight end with 90 this season.
Will Allen intercepted Dusty Bonner’s pass with 6:38 left and a last-gasppass fell incomplete at the Syracuse 7.
Syracuse wound up with 404 yards to 365 for Kentucky.
Kentucky scored on its first two possessions and looked ready to routSyracuse, jumping to a 10-0 lead. Whalen caught four passes for 79 yards inmoving the Wildcats downfield.
He was hurt at the end of a 6-yard reception, however, knocking him out ofthe game.
The Wildcats never regained their rhythm and wound up settling for Samuel’s22-yard field goal.
Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni started Troy Nunes at quarterback butoccasionally went with tailback Dee Brown for running plays. The Orangemenstopped themselves with two fumbles, and Kentucky’s Dennis Johnson blocked a26-yard field goal attempt by Nate Trout late in the second quarter.
Defense finally got Syracuse going. End Donald Dinkins dropped Anthony Whitefor a 2-yard loss on second-and-goal and blocked a 20-yard field goal two playslater. Mungro took the handoff and ran up the right sideline 86 yards, and onlyWillie Gray saved a touchdown by tripping him up at the Kentucky 3. KyleJohnson scored on a 2-yard run at 1:56, making it 10-7 at halftime.
