Dec. 28, 2009

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Team Records and Series Notes

• Kentucky ends the season with a 7-6 record, the Wildcats’ fourth-consecutive winning season. Clemson, champion of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference, finishes the year at 9-5.
• Despite the loss, Kentucky continues to lead the series with Clemson, 8-5, but the Tigers now have a 2-1 bowl game edge over the Cats.
• Playing in a school-record fourth-consecutive bowl game, UK is now 8-6 all-time in bowl action. The Wildcats have a 2-2 record in the Music City Bowl.
• Kentucky went 4-2 this season away from home.
• The Wildcats are 44-40-6 all-time against teams from the current alignment in the ACC.

UK Team Notes

• The 17-yard touchdown toss from Morgan Newton to Chris Matthews was the first opening drive touchdown UK has scored since the first series of the UL-Monroe game on Oct. 24, 2009.
• Kentucky was 2-of-3 on fourth down conversions to increase its season total to 17-of-23 attempts (.739).
• Tonight’s loss was just the third of the season when UK scores first. Kentucky’s record is 6-3 when it strikes the scoreboard first this season. The other losses came against South Carolina and Tennessee.
• The Wildcats led the total time of possession by a 34:26 to 25:34 margin. Kentucky is now 4-3 this season when leading in the time of possession category.
• The loss snaps UK’s winning streak against non-conference opponents at 18. It was the longest such streak in school history and the second-longest current streak in the nation.

UK Individual Notes

• Rich Brooks is the only UK coach to lead the Wildcats to four consecutive bowl games.
• A total of 24 Wildcats, 20 seniors and four graduating juniors, played their final game in the Blue and White.
• Junior Jacob Dufrene made his first career start at strong side linebacker. He finished the game with two tackles including his second career tackle for a loss.
• Ryan Tydlacka converted a fake punt with his first-ever carry on a nine-yard pick-up on fourth down in the fourth quarter.
• Derrick Locke rushed for 64 yards on 18 carries. He now stands 10th on the UK career rushing list with 1,731 total yards. In tonight’s game he surpassed three other rushers including edging out Rodger Bird for the 10th spot on the list.
• Derrick Locke led Kentucky’s receiving corps with six catches for 30 yards. His six snags matches a season-high equaling the six receptions he hauled in against Alabama.
• Lones Seiber connected on a pair of field goals of 39 and 44 yards, respectively. Seiber, UK’s all-time leading scorer, finishes his career by connecting on 49-79 (.621) of his field goals. He caps his career with 305 career points after the two field goals and an extra point. UK’s all-time leading scorer is also the first Wildcat to cap the 300-point mark.
• Chris Matthews pulled in his third career touchdown catch on UK’s opening drive of the first quarter for the game’s first points.
• Morgan Newton’s 24-yard dash for a first down in the first quarter was a career-long rush. Newton rushed for 34 total yards, just five yards shy of his career high of 39 which he set against Mississippi State.
• Senior tight end Maurice Grinter caught a season-high two passes for 12 yards.
• Sophomore wide receiver Gene McCaskill equaled a career-high with four receptions for a total of 31 yards.
• Kick-off man Craig McIntosh pinned two kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks to increase his season total to 11.
• Danny Trevathan led the UK defense with eight stops. He also forced his second career fumble in the first half. Notably, Trevathan played the entire second half with a broken left hand.
• Defensive tackle Mark Crawford stopped CJ Spiller in the backfield for a five yard loss in the fourth quarter. It was his first career tackle behind the line of scrimmage.