C.J. Spiller went out in style, Dabo Swinney won his first bowl game and the Clemson Tigers earned a measure of revenge over the Kentucky Wildcats – the team that defeated them by eight points in the 2006 Music City Bowl.
This time it was Clemson notching an eight-point postseason victory in Nashville, the school’s first bowl victory in four years and the first ever for this year’s graduating class, which had lost in its three previous postseason attempts.
In holding off Kentucky 21-13 in the 2009 Music City Bowl, Clemson (9-5) showed a toughness on defense that had been lacking in losses to South Carolina and Georgia Tech. After giving up a combined 556 yards on the ground in those two defeats, Clemson held Kentucky to just 169 yards rushing.
The Tigers also showcased the inimitable Spiller – for one last time.
The 2009 Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year finished the game with 172 all purpose yards and one touchdown – the 51st score of his career. The eight-yard fourth quarter score broke a Clemson record and tied an ACC mark. It also made Spiller the only player in NCAA Division I-A football to score a touchdown in every game this season.
Kentucky led early in the game and dominated from a time of possession standpoint – but the Wildcats reputation as a fourth quarter team (they had more than doubled their opponents’ point total in the final frame this season) collapsed on a bitterly cold night at LP Field, home of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans.
After Kentucky’s freshman quarterback Morgan Newton failed to pick up a drive-sustaining first down on a quarterback scramble with five-and-a-half minutes left, Clemson took possession and never gave Kentucky the ball back.
It was the first bowl loss for Kentucky in four years, as the Wildcats (7-6) had won three straight postseason games. Kentucky is now 8-6 all-time in bowl games, while Clemson moved its all-time post-season mark to 17-16.
The Tigers also won nine games for the fourth time this decade.
Pic: AP
By Liberty For Me December 28, 2009 at 8:15 am
Awesome…They beat Kentucky!!! Yeah!!!!Next on the list East Tennessee State.Kickin ass and takin names.
By Not Sayin', Just Sayin' December 28, 2009 at 11:58 am
The Tigers have made great strides under Spiller. They went from losing to UK in the Elvis Bowl in ’06 to beating Kentucky in the Elvis Bowl in ’09, and managed to nab a division title along the way. Too bad (for them) that he’s graduating. Hope they enjoyed their victory in Dat Bowl, because it will be the last win in any bowl for some time. Sorry FITS!
By fitsnews December 28, 2009 at 12:01 pm
NSJS-
Dude, we can’t stand the Clempsun Farmers. Especially jackass No. 40.
-FITS
By flipnut December 28, 2009 at 12:06 pm
That’s right baby, 2009 Gay Focker Bowl Champions!!!
By Neocon December 28, 2009 at 1:28 pm
“Clemson (9-5) showed a toughness on defense that had been lacking in blowout losses to South Carolina and Georgia Tech.” We werent blown out by Gt, just thought you should know…
By fitsnews December 28, 2009 at 1:30 pm
NC-
Good point …
-FITS
By Football Fan December 28, 2009 at 2:45 pm
I’d say 9 wins for a 1st year coach isn’t too shabby. We lost some real talent when we got rid of Bowden. Dabo will continue to build. So USC needs to enjoy their 1 win they get against us every 5 years.
By jeffy December 28, 2009 at 3:58 pm
football fan is a funny guy. He must be getting juiced up for next years Wake game!! Duke…they may wear all blue, watch out! Or maybe Maryland might be an ABC primetime game? big time football baby!
By CNSYD December 28, 2009 at 8:20 pm
Oh it is always so funny reading the comments from the limp cocks. They have such an inglorious football history but to hear them tell it they are world champions. You guys will never learn. Let me know something when you actually achieve something in the SEC and I don’t mean the way you live vicariously through the accomplishments of top tier SEC teams which you are not.
BTW FITS, judging from your jowls and girth I would guess that farmers are your best friends.
By Toyota Kawaski December 29, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Congrtas CSTD you finally beat a bottom feeding SEC team great we have done that 6 straight.
By CNSYD December 29, 2009 at 3:01 pm
Toyota the yellow Jap, By bottom feeder I assume you mean a team ranked in the SEC East below you. That would be Vandy. Nope you haven’t beaten them 6 straight. So you must mean Kentucky whose record in the SEC east is identical to yours. So that means you have admitted that SCar is a SEC bottom feeder. My point exactly.
By Sir Big Spur December 29, 2009 at 4:26 pm
CNSYD,
Clemson is nothing more than a regional university. Clemson has more in common with Winthrop, College of Charleston, and Coastal Carolina than USC.
The reason Clemson fans care so much about football is because its all you got – which explain why it is so painful when you lose to USC.
Clemson cannot compete with USC. Clemson doesn’t have the top ranked international business program, a Med School, Law School, College of Pharmacy, or an Honors College.
But most years, at least, Clemson has a better football team, but not this year, so ….. you got nothing ….
More importantly, how many governors have graduated from CU? 2? Compare that to USC. 13?
Again, Clemson is a regional university nothing more, nothing less.
By CNSYD December 29, 2009 at 5:02 pm
Sir Big Spur, still sucking that crack pipe I see. MUSC has THE med school in SC. USuk’s med school is just an adjunct of the VA hospital. Law school. Now that is really something to be proud of. Just today FITS is pointing out a typical scum move by the bottom feeders of all bottom feeders. More Governors came from Edgefield than any other SC town. So does that make Edgefield the top town in SC? And when has Clemson NOT had an honors college? Try to get your facts straight. Now lets try comparing engineering and architecture. First off you lose as USuk does not have an architecture school. Enrollment, graduates, research, you name it Clemson is far superior to USuk in engineering. So what will I concede to USuk? Well I guess I will give you Holderman.
By Neocon December 30, 2009 at 8:30 am
I went to both schools so quit trashing on either of them.
By Toyota Kawaski December 30, 2009 at 8:40 am
cnSTD I’m sorry SOS has won 10 straight over Kentucky with 5 of those at Carolina.Yes congrats you beat a bottom feeding Kentucky team that like y’all is more of basketball school than football with the one difference being the national title in football that was purchased by Clempson
By CNSYD December 30, 2009 at 9:52 am
Toyota the Pearl Harbor attacking Jap, and what did USuk purchase with its more recent NCAA probation? What’s that? Nothing? What is Kentucky’s SEC east record? Same as USuk. So both must be bottom feeders. What the hell does it matter if SOS beat UK a million times at some school other than USuk? I gues now USuk will claim national championships in football because Deitzel, Holtz and Spurrier won them at schools other than USuk. That right? USuk’s “best” SEC record is 4-4. So now you are a “football school”? Do you realize how much the people in Alabama think USuk football is a joke? These are your SEC brothers. Read Finebaum or listen to his show. If they ever talk about USuk, which is virtually never, they say USuk does not belong in the SEC and is irrelevant. That isn’t Clemson fans talking, that is your brothers.
By CNSYD December 31, 2009 at 10:08 am
While watching BC beat the coots in basketball last night, I looked up some info. USuk is a member of the SEC east. They won 2 games against SEC east teams out of the 5 they played. That is a 40% win percentage. Clemson played 2 SEC east teams and beat 1. That is a 50% win percentage. So using chicken logic Clemson’s SEC east record is better than USuk’s.