Kentucky will play in its 19th bowl game. Here’s how the first 18 went for the Cats.
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UK in the 2019 Belk Bowl
The University of Kentucky will play Virginia Tech in the 2019 Belk Bowl on Dec. 31. Read more about the Wildcats’ opponent and destination.
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The University of Kentucky football team after finishing 7-5 in the regular season will play in its 19th postseason bowl game.
The Wildcats are 9-9 all-time in bowl games, reaching the .500 mark with its 27-24 win over Penn State in last season’s Citrus Bowl. Vanderbilt is the only SEC team with fewer bowl appearances than UK; the Commodores have played in eight.
Here’s a look at each of UK’s previous bowl-game appearances.
Pre-1990
Great Lakes Bowl (Dec. 6, 1947; Cleveland, Ohio): Kentucky defeated Villanova, 24-14, in its bowl debut to finish 8-3. Paul “Bear” Bryant was in his second year as head coach. Bill Boller scored two touchdowns — a 15-yard run and a 49-yard interception return.
Orange Bowl (Jan. 2, 1950; Miami, Fla.): Santa Clara defeated UK, 21-13, thanks to two third-quarter touchdowns and the Wildcats finished 9-3. The Broncos, now an NCAA Division II program, won the 1937 and 1938 Sugar Bowls as well.
Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1, 1951; New Orleans, La.): UK snapped Oklahoma’s 31-game winning streak with a 13-7 victory and ended its season at 11-1. Wilbur Jamerson scored both touchdowns, a 14-yard pass from Babe Parilli and a 1-yard run, in the Wildcats’ sole appearance in the SEC’s premier bowl game.
Cotton Bowl (Jan. 1, 1952; Dallas, Texas): Ed Hamilton scored on a 3-yard run to put the cherry on a 20-7 UK win over Texas Christian University. Babe Parilli threw two first-half touchdown passes in his final game with the Wildcats, who finished 8-4.
Peach Bowl: (Dec. 31, 1976; Atlanta, Ga.): Kentucky beat North Carolina, 21-0, in its first bowl trip in 24 years to finish 9-3. UK held UNC to 108 yards of total offense and Rod Stewart scored all three touchdowns for the Cats in the second half.
Hall of Fame Bowl (Dec. 22, 1983; Birmingham, Ala.): West Virginia scored 17 second-half points to hand a 20-16 defeat to UK, ending its season at 6-5-1.
Hall of Fame Bowl (Dec. 29, 1984; Birmingham, Ala.): UK’s return trip to Birmingham went much better thanks to the leg of true freshman Joey Worley, whose 52-yard field goal with 8:55 left made the difference in a 20-19 win over Wisconsin. UK finished 9-3.
1990s
Peach Bowl (Dec. 31, 1993; Atlanta, Ga.): Marty Moore’s interception in the waning minutes might have won it for UK had it not been knocked loose and recovered by Clemson, which subsequently scored and came out ahead in a 14-13 decision. UK’s year ended at 6-6.
Outback Bowl (Jan. 1, 1999; Tampa, Fla.): The Wildcats’ most-recent New Year’s Day Bowl didn’t go as well as their first two in the ‘50s; UK led 14-3 after one quarter of play but ultimately fell 26-14 to Penn State, and finished 7-5.
Music City Bowl (Dec. 29, 1999; Nashville, Tenn.): UK lost All-America tight end James Whalen to a dislocated elbow in the first quarter and eventually the game, 20-13, to Syracuse. UK was 6-6 overall.
2000s
Music City Bowl (Dec. 29, 2006; Nashville, Tenn.): The Music City Bowl had its first sellout in history as 68,024 fans packed LP Field. They saw UK win a 28-20 battle against Clemson and finish its season 8-5.
Music City Bowl (Dec. 31, 2007; Nashville, Tenn.): Thirty-six Florida State players were suspended before the game due to an academic scandal, helping UK come out ahead 35-28 and lifting it to another 8-5 season.
Liberty Bowl (Jan. 2, 2009; Memphis, Tenn.): UK came out ahead, 25-19, over East Carolina despite missing Randall Cobb, its all-around star who injured his knee in the regular-season finale. The Wildcats recovered from a 16-3 halftime deficit to finish their year 7-6.
Music City Bowl (Dec. 27, 2009; Nashville, Tenn.): Clemson defeated UK, 21-13, in Rich Brooks’ final game as head coach of the Wildcats. They finished 7-6.
BBVA Compass Bowl (Jan. 8, 2011; Birmingham, Ala.): Pittsburgh defeated UK, 27-10, in the only bowl game that UK reached under head coach Joker Phillips. The Wildcats ended the year 6-7, their only bowl season that has ended with a sub-.500 record.
TaxSlayer Bowl (Dec. 31, 2016; Jacksonville, Fla.): Georgia Tech jumped out to a 10-0 first-quarter lead and won 33-18 to spoil UK’s first bowl trip under Mark Stoops.
Music City Bowl (Dec. 29, 2017; Nashville, Tenn.): Star UK running back Benny Snell was ejected early in the second quarter of what finished as a 24-23 decision in favor of Northwestern.
Citrus Bowl (Jan. 1, 2019; Orlando, Fla.): Kentucky defeated Penn State, 27-24, to complete a 10-3 campaign, its best season since 1977. Defensive standout Josh Allen three months later was selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the NFL Draft.
This story was originally published December 8, 2019 at 2:40 PM.
