Sept. 6, 1999
LEXINGTON, Kty. – Kentucky has an all-time record of 7-1-1 against the Atlantic 10Conference, all coming against Villanova. UK has not played an Atlantic 10team since defeating Villanova, 25-7, in 1972.
Connecticut (0-1) at Kentucky (0-1)
Sept. 11, 1999, 1:30 p.m. EDT
Commonwealth Stadium (cap. 67,530)
Wildcats Headlines
Kentucky and Connecticut looking for first win of the season afteropening-game losses
First meeting between the schools
UK QB Dusty Bonner throws for 446 yards and three touchdowns in his firstcollegiate start
On the Tube
Delay TV – The UKTV Network, which features 13 stations and cable systems,will televise the game on a delayed basis. The UKTV Network will pick upthe UK Radio Network announcers’ call of the game. Rob Bromley will handlethe pregame, halftime, and post-game show.
Check local listings for the UKTV Network station and telecast time inyour area.
On the Radio
The University of Kentucky Football Radio Network will carry the broadcaston approximately 80 stations. The network includes flagship station WVLK(590 AM) in Lexington and 50,000-watt stations WHAS (840 AM) and WSAI (1530AM).
Tom Leach calls the play-by-play for the Wildcats. Former Wildcats starJeff Van Note is the analyst and Dick Gabriel is the sideline reporter.
Tickets
Tickets are available for $22 each. Visit the Memorial Coliseum TicketOffice or call 800-928-CATS to order tickets.
Series History
This is the first meeting between the two schools in football.
How Experienced are the Tentative Starters?
Sr. Jr. So. RFr. Fr.UK 5 9 6 0 2UC 8 9 4 1 0
First Starts
Seven players – three on offense, three on defense, and one specialist -made their first collegiate start against Louisville.
The list includes QB Dusty Bonner, OG Kip Sixbery, OG Josh Parrish, DTGeorge Massey, LB Jamal White, CB Kenneth Grant, and K Marc Samuel.
Sixbery is a true freshman. This marks the fourth consecutive year that atrue freshman started for UK in the season opener. WR Quentin McCordstarted the first game in 1996, followed by FS Willie Gary and HB DerekHomer in 1997, and SS David Johnson in 1998.
Sixbery also holds the distinction of being the youngest starting playerin Division I-A football. Born on Nov. 27, 1981, he was 17 years, ninemonths, and eight days old on the season opener vs. Louisville.
Charting the Tendencies
Kentucky has a 12-12 overall record in two seasons under Coach Hal Mumme.Here are some tendencies that have emerged that generate success for theWildcats. Kentucky’s record when:
UK scores 40+ points: 6-0
UK scores 30+ points: 11-2
Opp. scores less than 30 points: 8-4
UK loses 0 or 1 turnover: 6-1
UK is plus or even in turnover margin: 6-1
UK rushes for more yards than opponent: 6-2
UK holds opponent to less than 100 rushing yards: 5-0
Facts and Figures on Commonwealth Stadium
Originally constructed in 1973, Commonwealth Stadium had its firstexpansion this year. Here is some information on the expanded stadium:
Seating Capacity: 67,530, including the Commonwealth Suites. The formercapacity was 57,800.
Video Boards: Mitsubishi Diamond Vision, 19 x 34 feet on the west endzone (University Drive) and 16 x 28.5 feet on the east end zone (NutterField House).
New Sound System: Coordinated by Mitsubishi as part of the video boardproject.
New Scoreboards: Two, one in each end zone, constructed by FairtronScoreboards.
New Restrooms: Eight, four on each end.
New Concession Stands: 10, five on each end.
New Concourse Televisions: 38, one at each concession stand in the stadium.
Commonwealth Suites: Total of 40, 10 in each corner of the stadium 36suites seat 18 people each and are leased for $39,600 per year Foursuites seat 24 people each and are leased for $52,800 per year.
Architect: HNTB of Kansas City, Mo.
Construction Manager: Turner Construction of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Cost: Projected at $24 million, with spending authority up to $27.6 million.
Wildcats in the SEC Stats
Team and individual stats in the top three in the SEC during the 1999 season:Team
Passing Offense: 1st, 446 yards per game
Kickoff Returns: 1st, 35.2 yards per return
Field Goal Percentage: T1st, 100 percent
PAT Percentage: T1st, 100 percent
Penalty Yardage: 1st, 25 yards per game
Fourth Down Conversions: T3rd, 50 percent
Time of Possession: 2nd, 33:34 of time per game
Individual
Passing Yardage: Dusty Bonner 1st, 446 yards per game
Total Offense: Dusty Bonner 1st, 409 yards per game
Receptions: James Whalen 2nd, 8 per game
TD Receptions: James Whalen T1st, 3
Kickoff Returns: Dougie Allen 1st, 49.5 yards per return
PAT Percentage: Marc Samuel T1st, 100 percent
Scoring: James Whalen 1st, 20 points per game
Kick Scoring: Marc Samuel 3rd, 8 points per game
Field Goals: Marc Samuel T1st, 2
Field Goal Percentage: Marc Samuel T1st, 100 percent
“Air Raid” Offense
UK’s “Air Raid” offense is being rebuilt following the departure of eightstarters, including the move of starting tight end Jimmy Haley to thedefensive line. … UK’s 1998 offense produced more points and more yardsthan any team in school history.
Offensive Line – All five seniors who handled the majority of playing timelast season have departed … The starting line includes one junior, threesophomores, and a true freshman … The 1999 line has a total of 11 careerstarts — five by LT Matt Brown, two by C Nolan DeVaughn and RT Omar Smith,and one by LG Kip Sixbery and RG Josh Parrish.
Tight Ends – James Whalen had a whale of a game against Louisville witheight catches for 115 yards and three touchdowns, career highs in allcategories, and his first 100-yard game Freshmen Chase Harp and DerekSmith made their first collegiate receptions against Louisville.
Running Backs – Senior HB Anthony White and junior FB Derek Homer combinedfor 4,019 rushing and receiving yards the last two seasons, more than anyother duo in the SEC. White is one of 19 players in NCAA Division I-Ahistory who have more than 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards ina career (see chart below) … Sophomore HB Kendrick Shanklin played wellin the season opener and could see more time. Wide Receivers – A lessexperienced group than a year ago following the departure of three seniors,including Craig Yeast, the leading pass receiver in SEC history … Theonly senior in the current group, Jimmy Robinson, sustained a broken armduring the summer and might be lost for the season … Five wide receiverscaught passes in the first game The leaders were freshman Brad Pyatt, whocaught five balls for 48 yards, and junior Garry Davis, who caught threefor 97.
Quarterbacks – Sophomore Dusty Bonner completed 34 of 62 passes for 446yards and three touchdowns in the season opener. He leads the SEC inpassing yardage and total offense … Redshirt freshman Mike Scipione isthe backup, followed closely by junior walk-on Mark Perry.
Anthony White Makes Elite NCAA List
UK halfback Anthony White is one of only 19 players in Division I-Ahistory who have reached the 1,000-yard mark in rushing and receiving in acareer, according to research by the NCAA.
White has 1,196 rushing yards and 1,085 receiving yards as a Wildcat. Arealistic goal would be the 1,500-yard mark in rushing and receiving. Onlytwo players in I-A history, Stanford’s Darrin Nelson and Brad Muster, havereached the 1,500-yard mark in each category.
Here is the list of 1,000-yard rushers and receivers, in order of yearachieved:
Player Team, Years Rush Rec.Donny Anderson Texas Tech, 1963-65 2,280 1,347Frank Quayle Virginia, 1966-68 2,695 1,145Darrin Nelson Stanford, 1981-84 4,033 1,368 Dalton Hilliard Louisiana State, 1982-85 4,050 1,133Steve Bartolo Colorado State, 1983-86 4,813 1,079George Swarn Miami (Ohio), 1983-86 4,172 1,057Brad Muster Stanford, 1984-87 2,940 1,669Eric Metcalf Texas, 1985-88 2,661 1,394Steve Broussard Washington St., 1986-89 2,915 1,168Chuck Weatherspoon Houston, 1987-90 3,247 1,375Glyn Milburn Okla. '88/Stanford 1990-92 2,302 1,495Terry Kirby Virginia, 1989-92 3,348 1,022Ryan Benjamin Pacific, 1990-92 3,119 1,063Mike Alstott Purdue, 1992-95 3,635 1,075Andre Davis Texas Christian, 1992-95 3,182 1,084Leon Johnson North Carolina, 1993-96 3,693 1,288Warrick Dunn Florida State, 1993-96 3,958 1,314Hines Ward Georgia, 1994-97 1,063 1,965Anthony White Kentucky, 1996-present 1,196 1,085
“Black Flag” Defense
Coordinator Mike Major calls his unit the “Black Flag” defense. The ideais to give his players the mindset of “never surrender.”
Defensive Line – Three seniors start in the defensive forward wall … DEAnwar Stewart had a sack in the season opener, but sprained an ankle and isexpected to be out for 2-3 weeks … Gordon Crowe, a starter at DE lastseason, plays DT this year. He had one tackle vs. Louisville Senior DTGeorge Massey is in his first season as a starter. He had six tackles vs.Louisville … Sophomore DE Dennis Johnson had five tackles vs. Louisville,including one for loss … Junior DE Matt Layow is the top reserve in theline, making four tackles vs. Louisville.
Linebackers – Senior MLB Jeff Snedegar played well against Louisvillewith seven tackles, including one for loss, plus two quarterback sacks anda caused fumble. Snedegar has sacked the quarterback in five consecutivegames. He is on the Butkus Award watch list for the nation’s toplinebacker OLB Marlon McCree and OLB Jamal White had six and fivetackles, respectively, against Louisville and each recovered a fumble.
Secondary – FS Willie Gary had 13 tackles vs. Louisville, the fourthdouble-digit tackle game of his career The secondary suffered a seriousblow when SS David Johnson suffered a broken orbital bone vs. Louisville.He is out indefinitely.
A Look at the Specialists
Kickers – Junior Seth Hanson, a two-year starter and preseason All-SECpick by some selectors, has been sidelined by a strained quadriceps muscle… Sophomore Marc Samuel is being called upon in Hanson’s place. He madeboth field goal attempts and both extra point attempts vs. Louisville.
Punters – Senior Andy Smith punted once for 42 yards vs. Louisville. Hewas the starting punter for Western Kentucky in 1995, then transferred toUK and was a reserve until this season.
Returners – The return game looked good vs. Louisville Sophomore DougieAllen returned two kickoffs for 99 yards, nearly breaking both returns fortouchdowns Freshman Brad Pyatt had a 32-yard kickoff return SophomoreKendrick Shanklin averaged 11 yards on two punt returns.
Block That Kick!
During the two seasons that Coach Mike Major has been in charge of theKentucky defense, the Wildcats have blocked seven opponent kicks, includingfive field goals, one extra point, and one punt. Here’s the list:
1997, Indiana punt (Bob Holmberg)
1997, Alabama field goal (David Ginn)
1997, Georgia field goal (Jeff Zurcher)
1997, Georgia extra point (Lamont Smith)
1997, Louisiana State field goal (David Ginn)
1998, Arkansas field goal (Dennis Johnson)
1998, Louisiana State field goal (Jermaine White)
Preseason Honors for the Wildcats
LB Jeff Snedegar first-team All-SEC by Athlon
HB Anthony White first-team All-SEC by Lindy’s
K Seth Hanson first-team All-SEC by The Sporting News and Preview Sports
DE Dennis Johnson first-team All-America by College Football News.com,first-team All-SEC by Street and Smith’s, and second-team All-SEC by TheSporting News
Post-Season National Award Watch
Jeff Snedegar is on the watch list for the Dick Butkus Award, which goesto the nation’s top linebacker.
Anthony White is on the watch list for the Doak Walker Award, which goesto the nation’s top running back.
Numbers Here, Numbers There
Here are some various career statistical superlatives among currentplayers, including regular-season games only.
Most Games Played: 34 by Gordon Crowe
Most Games Started: 23 by Jeff Snedegar
100-Yard Rushing Games: 4 by Derek Homer, 3 by Anthony White
100-Yard Receiving Games: 1 by Jimmy Robinson, 1 by James Whalen, 1 by Anthony White
Games With Double-Figure Tackles: 7 by Jeff Snedegar, 4 by Willie Gary
Consecutive Games With at Least One Pass Reception: 23 by Anthony White,White also has caught at least four passes in the last 13 games
Consecutive Games With a Quarterback Sack: 5 by Jeff Snedegar
Scoring in the Blue Zone (20-and-in)
Kentucky: Converted four of five opportunities for 21 points (twotouchdowns, two field goals, one held on downs).
Opponents: Converted five of six opportunities for 35 points (fivetouchdowns, one end of game).
Head Coach Hal Mumme
Hal Mumme (Tarleton State, 1975) has a 12-12 record in his third season ashead coach of the Wildcats. Mumme was the first UK coach to have a winningrecord in his first two seasons since Blanton Collier in 1954-55. He wasvoted 1997 GTE Region 2 Coach of the Year by his peers in the AmericanFootball Coaches Association. He is in his 11th season as a collegiatehead coach and has a career record of 77-39-1 (.662).
Mumme had a 40-17-1 mark from 1992-96 at Valdosta State, where he took theBlazers to the NCAA Division II national playoffs in 1994 and 1996. He wasnamed 1994 Georgia Coach of the Year by the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame,the 1996 GTE Region 2 Coach of the Year by the AFCA, and the 1996 GulfSouth Conference Coach of the Year.
Mumme had a 25-10 record from 1989-91 at Iowa Wesleyan College. He tookhis team to the Steamboat Classic bowl game in 1989 and ’90 and to the NAIAnational playoffs in 1991. He was named the NAIA District Coach of theYear in 1989 and 1991.
“Mummeball”
New UK coach Hal Mumme is known for his unconventional ways. Here aresome examples of his off-the-beaten-path approach:
Throwing the football: Mumme’s offensive goal is to throw the ball to setup the run. His run-pass ratio at UK in 1997 was 36 percent run and 64percent pass. In 1998, the ratio was 37 percent run and 63 percent pass.
Taking risks: See the note below for fourth-down analysis. Limited hitting in practice: The Wildcats had four scrimmages in thespring and none in August. Otherwise, hitting in practice is limited towork on technique, there is no full-scale hitting or tackling to the ground.
“We’re not going to get anybody hurt if we can help it,” Mumme says. “Why get hurt during the week when you’regoing to play on Saturday?”
“Mummeball is more classroom than battlefield,” wrote John Clay of theLexington Herald-Leader. “The head coach is not a Schwarzkopf but analchemist, busy turning ordinary metals into gold.”
The approach paid off with fewer injuries in 1997, when only four playersmissed games because of injury. Seven players missed at least one game viainjury in 1998. By comparison, a total of 18 players missed games becauseof injury in 1996 under a conventional practice system.
Open practices: All practices are open to fans and media. “I think theguys like crowds,” Mumme says. ” I know when I was playing I liked toperform in front of crowds. I think it makes them practice better.”
As for the fear of having his plays stolen, Mumme replies,”There aren’t many secrets anymore. Everybody pretty much knows whateverybody is doing.”
Punting the ball out of bounds: UK’s punts are designed to go near thesideline or out of bounds. The strategy improved Kentucky’s net puntingfrom 32.7 yards per punt in 1996 to 37 yards per punt in 1997. In 1998,Kentucky was fifth in the SEC in net punting with 37.4 net yards per punt.
Playing true freshmen: Mumme believes in playing true freshmen. Fifteenof Kentucky’s 25 players in the 1998 signing class saw action.
Junior varsity team: Mumme continues to field a junior varsity team againthis season. See below for a story on the JV squad.
Fourth-Down Analysis
In 1999, Kentucky has made four of eight on fourth-down conversions,including one of one on fake punts. The four successes eventually led totwo touchdowns and a field goal. The four missed conversions resulted inthree touchdowns on the ensuing opponent possessions.
In 1998 (including the Outback Bowl), Kentucky made 17 of 39 onfourth-down conversions, including three of four on fake punts. The 17successes eventually led to nine touchdowns and two field goals. The 22missed conversions resulted in five touchdowns and two field goals on theensuing opponent possessions.
In 1997, Kentucky made 21 of 38 on fourth down. The 21 successeseventually resulted in 15 touchdowns and no field goals for the Wildcats.The 17 missed conversions resulted in five touchdowns and no field goals onthe ensuing opponent possessions.
UK Football History
The Kentucky Wildcats are in their 109th season of intercollegiatefootball. The first Southeastern Conference school to introduce football(1881), Kentucky has an all-time record of 511-483-44 (.513).
Kentucky has two SEC championships, 1950 and 1976. The Wildcats have beento nine bowl games, most recently the 1999 Outback Bowl. Kentucky’shighest in-season national ranking is third, by The Associated Press, onNov. 20, 1950. UK’s highest final ranking is sixth in the AP poll in 1977.
Junior Varsity Team
One of Coach Hal Mumme’s innovations was the start of a junior varsityteam. The team is comprised primarily of walk-ons, in addition to a fewscholarship players who are not being redshirted.
The 1999 JV team will be coached by graduate assistant/tight ends coachSonny Dykes. Dykes will be assisted by graduate assistant Rob Manchesterand student coach Randy Garver.
Here is the 1999 JV schedule:
Mon. Sept. 13 Maryville 5:30Thu. Sept. 23 at Georgetown 7:00Thu. Oct. 7 Hargrave Military Acad. 7:00Mon. Oct. 18 Georgetown 5:00Mon. Oct. 25 at Campbellsville 3:00
Catscellaneous
Team captains for 1999 on offense are QB Dusty Bonner and HB AnthonyWhite. Defensive captains include DT George Massey, LB Marlon McCree, LBJeff Snedegar, and DE Anwar Stewart.
Kentucky is in its 26th season in Commonwealth Stadium. The Wildcatshave a record of 90-69-4 (.564) in Commonwealth since the stadium opened in1973. Kentucky is 8-5 at home under Coach Hal Mumme.
UK has led or tied for the league lead in most players on the SECAcademic Honor Roll in 10 of the last 15 years.
Six current players are walk-ons who were awarded full scholarships – TECheddi Acham, WR Garry Davis, FB A. J. Simon, P Andy Smith, DE GraysonSmith, and TE James Whalen.
The Kentucky cheerleaders won an unprecedented ninth nationalchampionship at the 1999 Universal Cheerleaders Association competition inJanuary. The Wildcats cheerleaders have won the last five national titles- 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, and 1999.
Wildcats on the Web
Visit the official University of Kentucky Athletics worldwide web site atwww.ukathletics.com.
