Music City Bowl

STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) - The Kentucky Wildcats had multiple opportunities to lose SaturdayÃ??s 14-13 victory over Mississippi State. The Bulldogs (3-6, 1-4 Southeastern Conference) missed an extra point that would have tied the game, a 27-yard field goal, failed to convert a fourth down, and threw an interception -- all in the fourth quarter. But the Wildcats (6-3, 2-3), who are 11-5 over the last three seasons in games decided by 10 points or less, never lost their focus and left Starkville with their sixth win of the season.

LEXINGTON ? Ricky Lumpkin remembers the feeling he experienced following last week's 63-5 loss at Florida. "We don't like that feeling," Lumpkin said. "No one likes that feeling. " Lumpkin said the lopsided loss isn't "the kind of things that's expected with this program. " "We can't do that against a team we've lost to for 22 years," he said. "It just hurts ? 58 points ? that's a lot of scoring. That's even more embarrassing when you think about it," he said. "That's hard to deal with.

HOOVER, Ala. -- For the last two years, Kentucky has had an offer to play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn., but each time has opted to play in the Music City Bowl in Nashville. Harold Graeter, associate executive director of the Liberty Bowl, recruited the Wildcats both years and was back here at the Southeastern Conference Football Media Days to make sure UK knew he had the Wildcats on the bowl's watch list again this year. Question: So it doesn't hurt UK with your bowl that things didn't work out the last two years for UK to come to your bowl?

HOOVER, Ala. -- For the last two years, Kentucky has had an offer to play in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tenn., but each time has opted to play in the Music City Bowl in Nashville. Harold Graeter, associate executive director of the Liberty Bowl, recruited the Wildcats both years and was back here at the Southeastern Conference Football Media Days to make sure UK knew he had the Wildcats on the bowl's watch list again this year. Question: Are you ready to court Kentucky again after pursuing them for two years and not getting Kentucky to your game?

LEXINGTON - Stuart Hines knows it is difficult for a redshirt freshman to start on the offensive line. Yet he also realizes a strong spring practice performance has put him in position to be Kentucky's starting right guard next season. "Spring practice has been pretty good for the most part," said the former Bowling Green all-state lineman. "It was a little bit of a surprise to me when I started getting time with the first team, but I wanted to compete and do all I could to get to play.

LEXINGTON - Stuart Hines knows it is difficult for a redshirt freshman to start on the offensive line. Yet he also realizes a strong spring practice performance has put him in position to be Kentucky's starting right guard next season. "Spring practice has been pretty good for the most part," said the former Bowling Green all-state lineman. "It was a little bit of a surprise to me when I started getting time with the first team, but I wanted to compete and do all I could to get to play.

LEXINGTON - Kentucky lost most of its best offensive skill players and its leading tackler for the last three seasons to graduation. Yet Kentucky coach Rich Brooks said that he sees no reason the Wildcats cannot go back to a third straight bowl game. "It is a long, hard road to get to where we came from to where we got to and where we got to is not where we want to end because we want to be better, " Brooks said after spring practice opened Wednesday. "If we fall short, it will be very disappointing.

LEXINGTON - Jacob Tamme's playing career at Kentucky is over, but he's still not through earning awards. The senior tight end from Boyle County is a finalist for the fifth-annual Bobby Bowden Award given by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The winner will be announced Friday in New Orleans at the FCA banquet held in conjunction with the national championship game. The additional finalists are Dionte Johnson of Ohio State, who is playing in the title game, and Jeremy Leman of Illinois.

NASHVILLE - Rafael Little left it all on the field. The Kentucky senior went out in style in Kentucky's 35-28 win over Florida State in the Music City Bowl on Monday at LP Field here as he rushed for 152 yards on 28 carries and one touchdown and also made nine catches for 58 yards Little, who has been hampered by injuries throughout his four-year career at Kentucky, went full speed with everything he had. Even though Little fumbled the...