UK Falls to Clemson in Music City Bowl, 21-13

Louisville Courier-Journal

No matter what happens during the regular season, the way that a team is remembered depends largely on what happens in the bowl game, if that team is lucky enough to make it to a bowl. The last three years, the ‘Cats have made bowl games, and have won each.

When you win your bowl game, it makes it much easier to remember the successes from that particular season. I think that’s a major reason why we can look back so fondly on each of the past three seasons, even though each has had its share of disappointment and heartbreak.

Think back to 2007. UK was ranked in the top ten in the nation and riding high after a win over then number one LSU. After that point, UK missed opportunity after opportunity to make the season a very special one, in particular, laying a big, fat egg against Mississippi State and losing an overtime heartbreaker to Tennessee.

However, UK bested Florida State in the Music City Bowl, putting a final, happy spin on the season. I know I remember 2007 fondly.

Unfortunately, UK couldn’t close this year out with a big win in the Music City Bowl over Clemson. I know we’re fresh off the loss and don’t really have that much perspective on the season, but I think that it’s going to be tough to look back on the year and remember the successes more than the failures with the way things ended.

Things certainly didn’t start out too badly. Clemson opened with the ball and the defense came out and shut down the Tigers on three consecutive plays. The UK offense came out with a purpose, showing some Wildcat with Randall Cobb, throwing the ball effectively, and getting some help from a Clemson personal foul. Morgan Newton and Chris Matthews closed the drive with one of the better simple throw and catch plays of the season, a 17 yard touchdown connection.

From that point forward, there really wasn’t much to write home about. UK, with consistent Clemson help via penalty, moved the ball throughout the first half, but it was never pretty, and it just never felt sustainable. It wasn’t.

Morgan Newton was composed in the pocket, making the appropriate decision most of the game. He brought the ball down to scramble when he needed to and threw the ball to the right guys. Unfortunately, his struggles with downfield throws continued, and his receivers dropped intermediate throws way too often.

The running game was sporadic at best. After the opening drive, the Wildcat was all but shut down, and Randall Cobb had his worst game of the year. Derrick Locke had a few nice bursts, but there were just way too many one yard runs.

I would call overall play on offense uninspired at best, starting with the play calling. It’s been an all too familiar chorus of post game laments about the choice of plays, but I think the opinions are founded. I know that this offensive unit has some holes and some deficiencies, but it’s the job of a play caller to identify what his team does well, and to position his team to do it consistently. I just don’t think that happened tonight, or in many of UK’s losses this year.

On defense, you have to be happy with the way the Whomp! Squad played against an offense with some serious explosive potential. CJ Spiller, Jacoby Ford, and Jamie Harper had their moments, but the defense did its job and put UK in a position to win. The defensive line got consistent push, pursuit was good, and the Tigers were held to just 324 yards. I would have liked to see a big turnover or two, but it felt tonight like the ‘Cats were one Sam Maxwell away from that kind of big defensive play.

Also, on the third to last play of the game, Maxwell’s fellow linebacker, Micah Johnson, went down with a knee injury, which would be a huge blow to a senior who is looking to make a career for himself.

At this point, with UK basketball going ahead at full steam, UK football would now be relegated to the back burner on the consciousness of most UK fans. That doesn’t figure to be the case with Rich Brooks telling his team that he is 80% sure that he will not return to coach next year.

Brooks said that he will take four or five days to mull over his final decision, but at this point it looks like Rich Brooks will retire and allow Joker Phillips to take the helm of the UK program.

Clearly, this loss is not the way that Brooks had envisioned closing his career, but I think it shows wisdom by Brooks to not base his decision on this single game. Brooks has accomplished so much at UK, and he will go down as one of the best coaches in the history of the program, but I think the timing is right in this case.

Phillips has earned his chance, and with Charlie Strong breathing some life into the Louisville program and a late solid recruiting class coming together for UK, it makes good sense for Phillips to step in.

UK loses quite a bit on defense next year, as well as most of the offensive line, but UK returns its nucleus at the skill positions on offense, particularly with Derrick Locke announcing after the game that he will likely return for his senior season after considering jumping to the NFL.

With all this going on, this will obviously be an eventful few days in UK football.