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Kentucky upsets Clemson to capture Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl Presented by Bridgestone
2006-12-28
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Amidst a sea of blue at sold-out LP Field, Kentucky made its first bowl appearance in seven years a memorable one.
Quarterback Andre' Woodson threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns as the Wildcats defeated Clemson 28-20 before a record crowd of 68,024 at the ninth annual Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl.
Kentucky won its first bowl game in 22 years and finished its fourth season under head Rich Brooks with an 8-5 record. Clemson, which was ranked as high as 10th in the Associated Press rankings in November, also finished 8-5.
Woodson, a junior, earned MVP honors in a game that featured both teams gaining more than 400 yards. There were also six turnovers and four missed kicks.
Kentucky's defense ranked last in the Southeastern Conference in scoring defense, rushing defense and passing offense. But the 'Cats' D turned in a solid performance, holding the Tigers to three touchdowns and 130 rushing yards.
"We didn't get any respect coming into this game," Wildcats linebacker Wesley Woodyard said. "A lot of people expected our defense to come in and curl up, but that's not a defense. If the game was played on paper, we'd be blown out 50-0."
On paper Clemson entered the Music City Bowl ranked fifth in the nation in rushing yards -- averaging 225.2 yards per contest -- and ninth in the country in scoring (33.8 points per game). Quarterback Will Proctor threw for 270 yards and three scores, but the Tigers turned the ball over four times and missed three kicks en route to their fourth loss in their final five games.
The Wildcats dodged a bullet on their first drive. Clemson defensive end Gaines Adams sacked Woodson and forced a fumble. Fellow defensive end Phillip Merling recovered the ball at the UK 35. But the play was reviewed and officials determined that Woodson's knee was down.
Woodson responded on 3rd and 17 by hitting tight end Jacob Tamme for 20 yards to the Tigers 35. Five plays later, freshman linebacker Micah Johnson punched it in from a yard out to give Kentucky a 7-0 lead.
On his first drive, Proctor hit senior wide receiver Chasi Stuckey for 37 yards into UK territory. Two plays later, Davis rumbled for 31 yards to the 22-yard line. But the Wildcats held from there, forcing Clemson to settle for a 38-yard field goal attempt by Jad Dean. Dean pushed it right and Kentucky kept its seven-point lead.
But the Tigers marched right back down the field on their next possession. Proctor found wide receiver Aaron Kelly for 20 yards to the UK 25. Spiller gained 11 yards on the next snap before the Kentucky defense stiffened again. And Dean misfired again, this time from 28 yards out.
Clemson crossed midfield again on its next possession but Wildcats defensive end Jamil Paris stripped Spiller and recovered the fumble at the UK 45. Clemson held and wide receiver Tyler Grisham blocked the ensuing punt, giving the Tigers the ball back at the UK 47.
Three plays later, Proctor lofted a 32-yard touchdown toss to tight end Durrell Barry, pulling Clemson within a point. It was the first career touchdown for Barry but backup kicker John Early missed Clemson's third kick of the day and the score remained 7-6.
The two teams then exchanged four turnovers in a bizarre seven-play stretch. All four turnovers occurred inside the Kentuckys 30-yard line.
Kentucky finally got the ball back on its 15 after the fourth turnover. Clemson's defense appeared to force another three-and-out but Brooks gambled, calling a fake punt on 4th and 4 that punter Tim Masthay executed to perfection, hitting free safety Marcus McClinton for 10 yards.
On the next play, the Wildcats went for a home run and connected. Woodson hit wide receiver DeMoreo Ford in stride for a 70-yard touchdown, pushing Kentucky's lead to 14-6. It was the longest touchdown play of the season against the Tigers' defense.
The Wildcats got the ball right back and Woodson went back to work, hitting a streaking Steve Johnson down the right sideline for 51 yards to the Clemson 18. That set up a 35-yard field goal, which Lones Seiber pushed wide right to end the half.
Kentucky opened the second stanza with yet another takeaway as Woodyard sacked Proctor, forcing a fumble that Paris recovered at the UK 32. Woodson capped the drive with his second touchdown toss, a 24-yarder to Dicky Lyons, Jr.
Little put the Wildcats in scoring position again to start the fourth quarter, returning a Clemson punt 46 yards to the Tigers 28. Fellow running back Tony Dixon rushed for 15 yards on the next two snaps before Woodson found Tamme wide open in the left corner of the end zone, giving UK a 28-6 lead.
"If (Woodson) keeps doing this, he's going to play at the next level and play it very well," said Brooks, a former NFL head coach and defensive coordinator.
The Tigers finally got untracked on their next drive, marching inside the Kentucky 10 before Proctor hooked up with Grisham for an 18-yard touchdown on 4th and goal with 7:25 remaining. The two-point conversion failed. Proctor added a 17-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Aaron Kelly with 44 seconds left before completing a two-point conversion pass. But Tamme recovered the ensuing onside kick to seal the victory.
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