Wildcat offense struggles after losing TE James Whalen to dislocated elbow early.
By TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – James Mungro rushed 12 times for 162 yards and two touchdowns as Syracuse rallied for a 20-13 victory over Kentucky on Wednesday in the Music City Bowl.
The Orangemen (7-5), who ended the season by losing four of their final five games, trailed 10-0 in the first quarter as Kentucky (6-6) looked ready to hand Syracuse a third straight bowl blowout.
But the Wildcats lost All-American tight end James Whalen to a dislocated right elbow at the end of the first quarter, and their offense stalled.
Syracuse still had trouble, however. Kentucky stopped two drives by blocking field goal attempts and was headed for its first bowl victory since the 1984 Hall of Fame game when Marc Samuel’s 35-yard field goal made it 13-7 with 10:39 remaining.
The Orangemen responded with their best drive of the game, going 77 yards in four plays capped by Mungro’s first TD, a 32-yarder up the middle and a 14-13 lead.
The sophomore padded the lead when Kentucky, anxious to regain possession inside the last two minutes, allowed him to score on a 20-yard run with 1:42 to play. Syracuse tried to make that strategy backfire by going for a 2-point conversion and a 9-point lead, but the attempt failed.
Kentucky tried to come back, but the Wildcats seemed out of synch without Whalen, the former walk-on who set a major-college record for receptions by a tight end with 90 this season.
Will Allen intercepted Dusty Bonner’s pass with 6:38 left and a last-gasp pass 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 rout Syracuse, jumping to a 10-0 lead. Whalen caught four passes for 79 yards in moving the Wildcats downfield.
He was hurt at the end of a 6-yard reception, however, knocking him out of the game.
The Wildcats never regained their rhythm and wound up settling for Samuel’s 22-yard field goal.
Syracuse coach Paul Pasqualoni started Troy Nunes at quarterback but occasionally went with tailback Dee Brown for running plays. The Orangemen stopped themselves with two fumbles, and Kentucky’s Dennis Johnson blocked a 26-yard field goal attempt by Nate Trout late in the second quarter.
Defense finally got Syracuse going. End Donald Dinkins dropped Anthony White for a 2-yard loss on second-and-goal and blocked a 20-yard field goal two plays later. Mungro took the handoff and ran up the right sideline 86 yards, and only Willie Gray saved a touchdown by tripping him up at the Kentucky 3. Kyle Johnson scored on a 2-yard run at 1:56, making it 10-7 at halftime.
