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Source:Associated Press
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LEXINGTON, Ky. — CoShik Williams ran for a touchdown and senior wide receiver Matt Roark filled in at quarterback with 124 yards on 24 carries as Kentucky snapped a 26-game losing streak to Tennessee with a 10-7 victory on Saturday.The win capped a disappointing season for the Wildcats (5-7, 2-6 Southeastern Conference) and kept Tennessee (5-7, 1-7) from reaching bowl eligibility with representatives from the Liberty Bowl on hand.Kentucky’s game plan was clear from the start to win for the first time in the series since 1984.The Wildcats weren’t going to be able to throw much with Roark, but instead tried to run misdirection plays and catch Tennessee off-guard while relying on their improving defense.It worked.Roark led two scoring drives and Kentucky forced three turnovers, including a key one in a goal-line stand in the third quarter.Roark had talked earlier in the week about needing to find a job after he graduated in May, but he left a strong impression in his final appearance at Commonwealth Stadium with injured quarterbacks Maxwell Smith (right shoulder) and Morgan Newton (right ankle, right shoulder) watching from the sideline.Kentucky wore its black jerseys for the second time this season at the request of its 21 seniors and, on the first possession, Roark led Kentucky on a 15-play drive that lasted nearly eight minutes before it stalled at the Tennessee 7 and forced Craig McIntosh’s 24-yard field goal. That would stay the only score until the fourth quarter, when Williams scored from the 6 to give Kentucky a 10-0 lead.Tennessee had plenty of chances late, but committed three turnovers in the second half.First, Ronnie Sneed intercepted Tyler Bray’s pass at the Tennessee 34. But, with Kentucky seemingly stalled, it appeared to be only a matter of time before Tennessee’s offense engaged. It happened when Bray found Rajion Neal behind cornerback Randall Burden for a 44-yard gain that set up first-and-goal on the 8.But Neal failed to handle the snap out of a wildcat formation two plays later, and Collins Ukwu recovered the fumble for Kentucky before Roark restarted the offense.First, he got linebacker A.J. Johnson to turn his back for a 24-yard gain into Tennessee territory. Roark made another key play a few minutes later, splitting the defense and breaking two tackles on a third-and-12 to gain 26 yards down to the Tennessee 7. Williams, who finished with 68 yards, scored two plays later on a 6-yard run that made it 10-0 with 14:12 left.Tennessee struck right back when Bray found Neal on the post again against Burden for a 53-yard score that cut it to 10-7 with 12:52 left. Tennessee had three chances late, but Bray failed to move the offense beyond one first down and on fourth-and-17. Taiedo Smith intercepted Bray’s pass to seal it.Roark finished 4 of 6 for 15 yards passing.Volunteers wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers caught two passes for 38 yards to boost his SEC-leading totals to 67 receptions for 1,040 yards, but Bray looked rusty in his second game back after missing five with a broken right thumb. He finished 15 of 38 for 215 yards.The Vols last lost on the road to Kentucky in 1981 and, coupled with their 6-7 finish last year, have ended seasons with consecutive losing records for the first time since 1910-11.They’ll have a long offseason to think about this one by failing to topple a Wildcats team that had been in turmoil all week with rumors that coach Joker Phillips might not return for a third season.Kentucky athletics director Mitch Barnhart said on the school’s pregame show that nothing changed from when he publicly supported Phillips in October.Phillips is 11-14 and 4-12 in SEC play over his first two seasons while the program won’t go to a bowl for the first time in five years. Instead, the coach got a victory bath from a sideline water cooler all the same and fans rushed the field.
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Source:Associated Press
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ATHENS, Ga. — Aaron Murray threw a touchdown pass to Marlon Brown on the first play of the fourth quarter, Blair Walsh kicked four field goals and Georgia (No. 14 BCS, No. 13 AP) beat Kentucky 19-10 on Saturday to clinch a spot in the SEC championship game.Georgia struggled on offense after losing top rusher Isaiah Crowell to a left ankle injury after only two carries. Crowell’s top backup, Carlton Thomas, was not at the game for personal reasons.
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Georgia was left with Ken Malcome and Brandon Harton, who rushed for 101 yards, at tailback.The Bulldogs (9-2 overall, 7-1 Southeastern Conference) leaned on Walsh’s four field goals, including three from 39 yards, and strong defense to clinch first place in the SEC’s Eastern Division.Georgia fans chanted “SEC! SEC” with less than 1 minute remaining as players emptied a cooler on coach Mark Richt.Georgia will play in the SEC championship game for the fourth time in 11 seasons under Richt. It won SEC titles under Richt in 2002 and in 2005, its last appearance in the game.Kentucky (4-7, 1-6) was held to 165 yards, including 2 yards the third quarter. The Wildcats led 10-6 in the second quarter after Maxwell Smith’s 2-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Robinson.The loss eliminated the Wildcats, who have appeared in a school-record five straight bowl games, from postseason consideration.Georgia went into the half ahead 12-10 on Walsh’s four field goals before finally reaching the end zone as the fourth quarter started. On third down from the Kentucky 7, Murray stepped up and passed to Brown in the back of the end zone.Murray completed 16 of 29 passes for 162 yards with one touchdown and one interception.Kentucky’s Smith completed 17 of 35 passes for 133 yards with one touchdown, two interceptions and a fumble.Crowell, a freshman who began the day with 821 yards rushing, ran straight ahead for 6 yards on his first carry and then limped off the field with the left ankle injury after running for 5 yards on his second carry. The freshman limped to the locker room later in the first quarter and returned but remained on the sideline, standing unsteadily on his sore ankle.He had only a sock on his left foot as he sat and watched in the second half.Crowell’s status for Georgia’s final regular-season game at Georgia Tech next week is uncertain.Harton and Malcome each lost fumbles. Harton had only 12 yards rushing in the first half before finishing with 101.Georgia announced before the game Thomas was not at the game and was not suspended. Crowell, Thomas and Malcome were suspended for one game earlier in the season.Kentucky moved 65 yards on its first possession and took a 3-0 lead on Craig McIntosh’s 32-yard field goal. It was a promising start to what proved to be a disappointing day for Kentucky’s offense against Georgia, which ranks fourth in the nation in total defense.The Wildcats were held without a first down in the second half until there were about 3 minutes remaining in the game.
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BATON ROUGE, La. — Les Miles predicted that Jordan Jefferson’s return would not be disruptive and, if anything, would give LSU more ways to move the ball.So far, so good.Jefferson scored on his first play back from suspension, cornerback Tyrann Mathieu scored after setting an LSU record for career forced fumbles, and the No. 1 Tigers methodically defeated Kentucky 35-7 on Saturday.Jefferson was reinstated this week after a grand jury reduced charges the quarterback faces in connection with a bar fight to a misdemeanor. Jarrett Lee remained the starter.LSU coach Les Miles inserted Jefferson on an early fourth-and-goal, and he dove over the goal line from the 1 to give the Tigers (5-0, 2-0 SEC) a 7-0 lead. Lee later hit Odell Beckham Jr. for a 51-yard score, their second TD connection of more than 50 yards in two games.Kentucky (2-3, 0-2) did not threaten to score until LSU led 35-0.Wildcats starter Morgan Newton missed on his first nine throws and completed only 2 of 11 passes in the first half, when he was sacked three times. Kentucky coach Joker Phillips gave freshman quarterback Maxwell Smith a chance in the second half, but Smith fared even worse, completing only one of five attempts and turning the ball over when he was flattened by a swarm of Tigers.Mathieu got there first and swatted the ball loose just as several LSU defenders arrived and steamrolled Smith, who lay face-down while Mathieu scooped up the ball and returned it 23 yards to give LSU a 28-0 lead.That was the third forced fumble this season for Mathieu, a true sophomore, and the second he had returned for a score. The player LSU fans call “honey badger,” after the popular YouTube clip featuring the small but ferocious animal, later forced another fumble, the ninth of his career, two more than the previous school mark.LSU’s defense registered five sacks, with defensive end Sam Montgomery in on two of them.Although LSU dominated, the Tigers’ offense sputtered intermittently. Lee completed 8 of 21 passes for 169 yards and one TD.Beckham, who scored on a 52-yard reception against West Virginia last week, was Lee’s top target against the Wildcats, catching three passes for 72 yards.LSU gained 179 yards on the ground, led by sophomore Alfred Blue’s 72 yards. Blue scored once on a 1-yard run that made it 21-0 in the third quarter, capping a drive sustained by Russell Shepard’s acrobatic third-down catch along the sideline.Later, freshman Terrence Magee scored his first career touchdown, also on a 1-yard run.Kentucky did not score until Newton hit Matt Roark with a 4-yard pass with 6:09 left to play.The Tigers struggled to move the ball for much of the first half, when leading running back Spencer Ware came out of the game after only five carries. He did not appear seriously hurt as trainers stretched his left leg, but he did not return.Running back Michael Ford, who leads the team in touchdowns, also saw only limited action as Miles decided to go more to Blue and Magee.LSU opened the scoring on its second drive, when Rueben Randle outleaped double coverage to grab 37-yard pass from Lee to the Kentucky 5, setting up the score by Jefferson, who heard a few boos when he first ran onto the field. Those boos were soon drowned out by cheers when Jefferson scored, and he was not booed again. Jefferson did not attempt a pass. He rushed four times for 29 yards.The Tigers extended their lead to 14-0 when Lee hit Beckham on a crossing route on third-and-10. Beckham, a true freshman, spun up field after the catch, then broke several tackles as he cut all the way back across the field for a stunning score.
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Source:Associated Press
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Pittsburgh scored touchdowns off two mistakes by Kentucky’s punting team and the Panthers, playing for their former coach, beat the Wildcats 27-10 in the BBVA Compass Bowl on Saturday.Andrew Taglianetti blocked a punt to set up Pittsburgh’s first touchdown late in the first half. An incomplete pass on Kentucky’s fake punt early in the second half set up Tino Sunseri’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Brock DeCicco. Sunseri also ran for a touchdown.The Panthers (8-5) protected the lead with their running game in a win players dedicated to former coach Dave Wannstedt, who was forced to resign after a disappointing regular season.Defensive coordinator Phil Bennett, Pittsburgh’s acting head coach for the bowl game, was hired Friday to be defensive coordinator at Baylor.Bennett was soaked with a cooler with a little more than 1 minute remaining.”We’ve got good kids,” Bennett said. “They’ve been through a lot. I’m just proud of them and I know Dave Wannstedt is.”Sunseri completed 9 of 19 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. Dion Lewis ran for 105 yards and a touchdown, and Ray Graham added 90 yards rushing as the Panthers outgained Kentucky 261-104 on the ground.Kentucky (6-7), playing without suspended quarterback Mike Hartline, fell far below its average of 33 points per game. Morgan Newton, making his first start of the season, was 21 of 36 passing for 211 yards.Pitt led 20-3 before the Wildcats’ only touchdown, a 1-yard run by Moncell Allen late in the third quarter. The Panthers answered with a long drive and 2-yard touchdown run by Lewis.Randall Cobb set the Southeastern Conference’s single-season record for all-purpose yards, but the versatile junior wasn’t enough for the Wildcats to overcome their special teams mistakes.Pittsburgh led 6-3 on two field goals by Dan Hutchins before Taglianetti blocked Ryan Tydlacka’s punt late in the first half. Tydlacka appeared to take an extra step before attempting a rugby style punt.Pitt’s Kolby Gray recovered at the Kentucky 10, setting up Sunseri’s 1-yard scoring run for a 13-3 lead with only 34 seconds remaining in the half.Kentucky’s first possession of the second half ended with another key mistake by its punting team. Matt Roark took the snap on the apparent punt but he didn’t have time to make his planned pass. He was ruled down on the Kentucky 35 before throwing an incomplete pass.Following a 21-yard run by Graham, Sunseri’s touchdown pass to DeCicco gave the Panthers a 20-3 lead.Craig McIntosh gave Kentucky a 3-0 lead with a 50-yard field goal, matching the longest of the sophomore’s career, in the first quarter. The kick was the longest in the five-year history of the bowl.McIntosh missed from 41 yards in the fourth quarter.There were offsetting personal fouls when players traded punches in the second quarter. Tempers flared when Pittsburgh was called for a false start and a Kentucky player hit Sunseri as officials attempted to stop the play. Pittsburgh’s Jason Pinkston responded with a shove to set off the brawl.Coaches were successful in keeping players on the sideline.Cobb passed former Arkansas running back Darren McFadden’s 2007 SEC record of 2,310 all-purpose yards. Cobb entered the game 119 yards behind McFadden’s mark.
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Hey everyone! The college basketball started yesterday! Gee, I don’t seem to hear a lot of enthusiasm out there. I think I just heard a pin drop. Does anybody care? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller? I don’t even know who plays for whom and if I do hear a name on ESPN or sports radio, it’s someone I’ve never heard of.
Seems the problem is the “one and out” rule the geniuses at the NCAA put in place a few years ago. To try to stem the tide of high school players jumping to the NBA, they passed a rule which makes all players play at least one year of college basketball. One whole year! Wow! Thanks, fellas!
By all accounts Kentucky should have been the odds on favorite in the polls this year but unfortunately most of the freshmen on last year’s team couldn’t wait to leave Kentucky (Who can blame them) and sit on the benches in the NBA. John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Eric Bledsoe and Patrick Patterson (Freshmen all) put in their one year and took a powder from Lexington. So now Kentucky has to start from scratch with a bunch of untested freshmen and sophomores, juniors and seniors who obviously aren’t good enough to play at the next level. Same problem for every other college team. In all, ten freshmen were drafted last year and countless others applied for the draft, forfeiting their college eligibility.
Other than the few weeks in March when we care more about our betting pools than actual teams, who is going to give a hoot about the college basketball regular season? I guess the students at the schools will fill most of the arenas because the dorms are right nearby. But how can you root for a team knowing that anyone who shows the slightest bit of talent will be gone at the end of the season?
And if that wasn’t bad enough, some players have found a way to skip the one year of college altogether. Brandon Jennings of the Milwaukee Bucks found the thought of college life so distasteful that he spent his one year abroad in Italy playing in a professional league. After the year was up, he was old enough to be drafted into the pros.
So college basketball is now just a sport of recruiting. It’s like drafting a fantasy football team and the real players are the coaches. If they catch lightning in a bottle their team might go far during March Madness. But don’t expect to do it again the following year because all of your prized recruits will bolt faster than a speeding Internet.
Maybe they should just forget about a regular season, allow every school into the tournament and declare the national champion to the survivor. Sounds more interesting than a January game between Butler and Drexel. Who’s really going to miss the regular season other than a Las Vegas line makers and Dick Vitale?
The big winners in all this are the old college basketball stars whose records will never be broken. The losers of course are the fans but they’ve never really been that high on the NCAA’s pecking order.
Goodbye college basketball! It was fun while it lasted but unfortunately, the shot clock on the sport just ran out.

Source:www.huffingtonpost.com