ECU looks to deny Kentucky a third straight bowl victory

By Jeffrey McMurray

Memphis, Tenn.

Bear Bryant's brief and successful tenure as Kentucky football coach hasn't been matched since his departure 55 years ago.

The Wildcats have occasionally reached a bowl or two in the decades that followed, but never three straight. That was territory only Bear's boys reached.

Wildcats coach Rich Brooks has already matched Bryant by leading Kentucky (6-6) to three straight postseason games. With a victory against East Carolina (9-4) in the Liberty Bowl today, Kentucky will have three consecutive bowl victories for the first time.

Fittingly, the Wildcats will take a stab at program history in the Liberty Bowl, where Bryant coached Alabama four times - including the bowl's inaugural game 50 years ago and the final game of his great career in 1982.

"There are not a lot of bowl games that have been around 50 years," Brooks said. "It has great history. It has great teams that have played, great coaches that have been in it, great players that have been in it."

For the past two years, a Southeastern Conference also-ran has defeated the Conference USA champion in Memphis, but Brooks is the first to acknowledge his Wildcats are the underdogs in this one. East Carolina, appearing in its third consecutive bowl and its fifth since 2000, is hardly intimidated by major conference foes, having knocked off Virginia Tech and West Virginia and lost narrowly to North Carolina State.

"We just want to prove we're the same team at the end of the year that started the season," Pirates coach Skip Holtz said.

Both programs thrive on defense, relying on turnovers to get the ball in prime field position and star-studded defensive lines to pressure the opposing quarterback.

Junior C.J. Wilson, East Carolina's all-Conference USA defensive end, ranks 12th in the country in sacks per game and has racked up nearly half of his 21-1/2 career sacks this season. On the other side, senior Zack Slate has played a key complimentary role, getting to the quarterback five times this season.

That pressure has led to hasty passes, and the Pirates have capitalized on those with 21 interceptions - including five against Tulsa in the Conference USA championship game.

East Carolina quarterback Patrick Pinkney bounced back from a midseason benching, but has impressed since, throwing for 2,379 yards and 11 TDs and running for another.

"It's human nature to feel kind of down," Pinkney said. "But you can't be selfish if you weren't getting the job done. I knew if I got my chance, my teammates were counting on me."