An SEC/ACC battle is on the cards tonight in Nashville, Tennessee, when the Kentucky Wildcats take on the Clemson Tigers in the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl. Both teams have lost five but have played well down the stretch, particularly Clemson, who had a shot at the Orange Bowl before falling in the conference championship game. Each team started slow, Kentucky starting 2-3 before winning all but two of the last seven starts, while Clemson lost two of its first four before heating up down the stretch. Competitiveness hasn’t been an issue for either team, as the Wildcats have been toughened by the rigors of the SEC, and all five of the Tigers’ losses have come by fewer than ten points. The last time these two met was in 2006, when the Wildcats posted a spirited 28-20 victory. This may not be the desired destination for these two teams, but look for some spirited competition as they look to represent their conference style.
As we said earlier, the Kentucky Wildcats really started to find their niche towards the end of the season, winning five of their last seven games. A 30-24 overtime loss to Tennessee ended their season, but the Wildcats have proven to be a team not to be taken lightly. Good things have come out of this season for Rich Brooks and company, though, as they’ve had the longest winning streak in the school against non-conference opponents of 18 games, which is also the second-longest in the country. Brooks hopes to have starting quarterback Michael Hartline for tonight, as the young quarterback has been out since early October with a knee injury. Hartline has been up and down this year, completing 59.4% of his passes for 802 yards but throwing seven interceptions instead of just six touchdowns. If he can’t play, it will be Morgan Newton under center, who has completed 55.4% of his attempts for 608 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Whether it’s Hartline or Newton throwing passes, expect the focal point of the offense to be Randall Cobb, who has been the team’s most dangerous weapon this year. Cobb has caught 37 receptions for 427 yards and four touchdowns, while amassing an additional 537 yards and ten rushing touchdowns. Accompanying him in the backfield is Derrick Locke, who leads the team in rushing with 843 yards and six touchdowns. These two have made it possible for the team to average 27.2 points and 336.1 yards despite inconsistencies at quarterback. Defense has been the Wildcats’ strong point in 2009 as they have limited opponents to 22.8 points on 362.9 yards per game. Cornerback Trevard Lindley has been a great playmaker for Brooks’ defense, which will be without starting linebacker Sam Maxwell.
After a slow start, the Clemson Tigers took the crown in the ACC’s intricate Atlantic Division, going 6-2, before falling short to Georgia Tech in the conference title game. Dabo Sweeney’s side have been very competitive in 2009, with three of their five losses coming by five points or less against teams that were ranked in the top ten at the time. Much of the credit must go to senior running back CJ Spiller, who literally walked away with the conference Offensive Player of the Year award. The insanely fast Spiller needs just 349 total yards tonight to become the country’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards. Whether running back, receiver or returner, Spiller has been dynamic and single-handedly won at least three games for the Tigers. However, Clemson is far from a one-man band, as quarterback Kyle Parker has made a good amount of dirt for this offense. All-ACC wide receivers Jacoby Ford and Michael Palmer are dangerous when they have the ball in their hands, especially Ford, who has the speed of a sprinter. With all this talent on offense, it’s no surprise the Tigers are averaging 31.9 points on 366.5 total yards, but it’s been his defense that has held this team together. This unit is allowing just 21.0 points per game, on 317.2 yards, with linebacker Brandon Maye and defensive end Ricky Sapp leading the way. The duo have posted 22 tackles for loss, while the defense as a whole has put up 21 takeoffs. They’ve also been strong against the run, allowing just 3.5 yards per carry.