Final
Clemson wins Music City Bowl, beats Kentucky 21-13
Dec 28, 2009 - 5:59 AM By TERESA M. WALKER AP Sports WriterNASHVILLE, Tenn.(AP) -- C.J. Spiller went out a winner in the final game of his record-setting career at Clemson.
Kentucky coach Rich Brooks? Well, the 68-year-old coach apparently is ready to call it a career.
Spiller scored a touchdown and had 172 all-purpose yards in his final college game, leading Clemson to a 21-13 victory over Kentucky on Sunday night in the Music City Bowl. The Tigers (9-5) hadn't won a bowl since the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl.
"I'm kind of speechless right now," Spiller said after his first bowl victory as well. "I'm very happy we've won the bowl game. ... I just wanted to see what it was like to be in a locker room after winning a championship game, and that's what this was - a championship game."
The Tigers (9-5) hadn't won a bowl since the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl.
"It's a great win," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said about getting a bowl victory in his first full season. "This is a great way to finish a very good year. I couldn't be more proud of these guys, especially the way we won the game. We felt we could rush the ball more than those guys."
Kentucky (7-6) was trying to make program history by winning a fourth straight bowl game. The Wildcats certainly had the home-field advantage with blue filling nearly two-thirds of the lower bowl at LP Field.
After the game, Brooks said he told the team he's probably not returning next season. Brooks said he's "80 percent" sure he's not coming back. Last January, Kentucky announced that offensive coordinator Joker Phillips will take over as head coach when Brooks steps down.
"I think it may be time for a change and time for Joker to take over," Brooks said.
Spiller, the Atlantic Coast Conference player of the year, scored his 51st career touchdown - a Clemson record - on an 8-yard run with 10:14 left in the fourth quarter to make it 21-13.
Spiller scored three plays after Clemson linebacker Kavell Conner stripped Gene McCaskill after a short catch and Jarvis Jenkins recovered the ball at the Kentucky 19 for the game's only turnover.
"That really was the difference in the game," Brooks said.
Kentucky tried to answer.
Punter Ryan Tydlacka ran for 9 yards on fourth-and-3, then Brooks used his last timeout with 5:38 left before going for it again on fourth-and-8 at the Clemson 32. The Cats couldn't convert. Freshman quarterback Morgan Newton scrambled only to be tackled by Ricky Sapp a yard short.
Spiller helped the Tigers run out the clock and start the celebration. He finished with 68 yards on 15 carries and 57 yards on three catches to earn game MVP honors.
But the Wildcats did a decent job of slowing down one of the country's most dynamic players. He became the first ACC player to rush for at least 1,000 yards and have at least 500 yards receiving in the same history at the end of the third quarter when he took a shovel pass 3 yards.
"He got it done," Swinney said of Spiller needing 55 yards receiving to notch that accomplishment.
He didn't return a kick longer than 30 yards. Kentucky kicker Lones Seiber perfectly placed one kickoff into the right edge of the end zone near the pylon for a touchback, and Spiller caught another near the same spot for another touchback.
Kentucky held onto the ball for more than 34 minutes and ran 22 more plays. Brooks credited Clemson with using the time before the bowl to prepare well to defend Kentucky's version of the wildcat offense because the Tigers still outgained the Wildcats 321-277. The Tigers also held on to the ball for the final 5:27.
"That was huge for us," Spiller said. "We knew they didn't have any timeouts left. We could run the ball. The offensive line wanted to run it, and we could milk the clock all the way down."
Winds gusting to 22 mph affected both teams on a cold night.
Richard Jackson's 44-yard field goal for Clemson into the wind came up just short with 4:32 left in the third. Kentucky called a timeout with 2 seconds left in the third, and Dawson Zimmerman's punt went just 24 yards before bouncing back for the Wildcats.
The Tigers forced Kentucky three-and-out, and Tydlacka had to deal with that wind himself. His punt went only 14 yards.
Clemson led 14-10 at halftime as Kyle Parker found Jacoby Ford all alone in the end zone for a 32-yard TD pass to cap a four-play, 90-yard drive Spiller jumpstarted with a 42-yard catch-and-run.
Seiber put Kentucky up 10-7 in the second with a 39-yard field goal, then Spiller had a 30-yard kickoff return. Tailback Jamie Harper handled all the work on a five-play drive as he picked up 60 yards and capped it with a 1-yard plunge to put the Tigers ahead 14-10 in the second quarter.
The Wildcats' only TD came on their opening drive when Newton found Chris Matthews in the end zone for a 17-yard TD pass and a 7-0 lead.
- NCAAF FINAL
1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
KENTUCKY 7 3 3 0 13
CLEMSON 7 7 0 7 21 FINAL
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: KENTUCKY - TD, CHRIS MATTHEWS 17 YD PASS
FROM MORGAN NEWTON (LONES
SEIBER KICK), 4:52. KENTUCKY
7-0
CLEMSON - TD, JACOBY FORD 32 YD PASS FROM
KYLE PARKER (RICHARD JACKSON
KICK), 14:44.
Dec 27 11:42 PM - NCAAF
KENTUCKY 13
CLEMSON 21 0:00 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Dec 27 11:42 PM - NCAAF FINAL
1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
KENTUCKY 7 3 3 0 13
CLEMSON 7 7 0 7 21 FINAL
SCORING SUMMARY
1ST QUARTER: KENTUCKY - TD, CHRIS MATTHEWS 17 YD PASS
FROM MORGAN NEWTON (LONES
SEIBER KICK), 4:52. KENTUCKY
7-0
CLEMSON - TD, JACOBY FORD 32 YD PASS FROM
KYLE PARKER (RICHARD JACKSON
KICK), 14:44.
Dec 27 11:42 PM - NCAAF
KENTUCKY 13
CLEMSON 21 0:00 LEFT, 4TH QTR
Dec 27 11:42 PM
TD CLEMSON C.J. SPILLER 8 YD RUN (RICHARD JACKSON KICK)
Kentucky 13, Clemson 21 4th - 10:14Dec 27 11:17 PM
TD CLEMSON C.J. SPILLER 8 YD RUN (RICHARD JACKSON KICK)
Kentucky 13, Clemson 21 4th - 10:14Dec 27 11:17 PM
TD CLEMSON C.J. SPILLER 8 YD RUN (RICHARD JACKSON KICK)
Kentucky 13, Clemson 21 4th - 10:14Dec 27 11:17 PM
TD CLEMSON C.J. SPILLER 8 YD RUN (RICHARD JACKSON KICK)
Kentucky 13, Clemson 21 4th - 10:14Dec 27 11:17 PM- NCAAF
KENTUCKY 13
CLEMSON 14 0:00 LEFT, 3RD QTR
Dec 27 11:00 PM - NCAAF
KENTUCKY 10
CLEMSON 14 0:00 LEFT, 2ND QTR
Dec 27 9:58 PM
TD CLEMSON JAMIE HARPER 1 YD RUN (RICHARD JACKSON KICK)
Kentucky 10, Clemson 14 2nd - 5:19Dec 27 9:39 PM
TD CLEMSON JAMIE HARPER 1 YD RUN (RICHARD JACKSON KICK)
Kentucky 10, Clemson 14 2nd - 5:19Dec 27 9:39 PM
TD CLEMSON JAMIE HARPER 1 YD RUN (RICHARD JACKSON KICK)
Kentucky 10, Clemson 14 2nd - 5:19Dec 27 9:39 PM
TD CLEMSON JAMIE HARPER 1 YD RUN (RICHARD JACKSON KICK)
Kentucky 10, Clemson 14 2nd - 5:19Dec 27 9:39 PM- NCAAF
KENTUCKY 7
CLEMSON 7 0:00 LEFT, 1ST QTR
Dec 27 9:13 PM
TD CLEMSON JACOBY FORD 32 YD PASS FROM KYLE PARKER (RICHARD JACKSON KICK)
Kentucky 7, Clemson 7 1st - 0:16Dec 27 9:09 PM
TD CLEMSON JACOBY FORD 32 YD PASS FROM KYLE PARKER (RICHARD JACKSON KICK)
Kentucky 7, Clemson 7 1st - 0:16Dec 27 9:09 PM
TD CLEMSON JACOBY FORD 32 YD PASS FROM KYLE PARKER (RICHARD JACKSON KICK)
Kentucky 7, Clemson 7 1st - 0:16Dec 27 9:09 PM
TD CLEMSON JACOBY FORD 32 YD PASS FROM KYLE PARKER (RICHARD JACKSON KICK)
Kentucky 7, Clemson 7 1st - 0:16Dec 27 9:09 PM
TD CLEMSON JACOBY FORD 32 YD PASS FROM KYLE PARKER (RICHARD JACKSON KICK)
Kentucky 7, Clemson 7 1st - 0:16Dec 27 9:09 PM
TD CLEMSON JACOBY FORD 32 YD PASS FROM KYLE PARKER (RICHARD JACKSON KICK)
Kentucky 7, Clemson 7 1st - 0:16Dec 27 9:09 PM
TD KENTUCKY CHRIS MATTHEWS 17 YD PASS FROM MORGAN NEWTON (LONES SEIBER KICK)
Kentucky 7, Clemson 0 1st - 10:08Dec 27 8:43 PM
TD KENTUCKY CHRIS MATTHEWS 17 YD PASS FROM MORGAN NEWTON (LONES SEIBER KICK)
Kentucky 7, Clemson 0 1st - 10:08Dec 27 8:43 PM
TD KENTUCKY CHRIS MATTHEWS 17 YD PASS FROM MORGAN NEWTON (LONES SEIBER KICK)
Kentucky 7, Clemson 0 1st - 10:08Dec 27 8:43 PM
TD KENTUCKY CHRIS MATTHEWS 17 YD PASS FROM MORGAN NEWTON (LONES SEIBER KICK)
Kentucky 7, Clemson 0 1st - 10:08Dec 27 8:43 PM
TD KENTUCKY CHRIS MATTHEWS 17 YD PASS FROM MORGAN NEWTON (LONES SEIBER KICK)
Kentucky 7, Clemson 0 1st - 10:08Dec 27 8:43 PM
TD KENTUCKY CHRIS MATTHEWS 17 YD PASS FROM MORGAN NEWTON (LONES SEIBER KICK)
Kentucky 7, Clemson 0 1st - 10:08Dec 27 8:43 PM
Related News
- NFL Tigers - Week 15 Results Dec 24
- Kentucky RB signee Jason Patterson on his goals with the Wildcats Dec 23
- John Calipari and Wildcats recap Louisville Dec 22
- Antonio Reeves, Reed Sheppard, and Kentucky set records in beatdown of Cards Dec 21
- Mark Stoops and John Calipari complete latest sweep of Louisville Dec 21
- Vince Marrow calls out Scott Satterfield while praising Jeff Brohm Dec 21
- JJ Weaver returning to Kentucky for final season Dec 21
- Bleav in Kentucky talks UNC win, National Signing Day, Louisville, and more Dec 21
- Clemson Signing Day Breakdown: Defense Dec 21
- DeCarlos Nicholson commits to USC Dec 20
- Mark Stoops and Vince Marrow recap Kentucky’s 2024 signing class Dec 20
- Jalen Farmer commits to Kentucky Dec 20