2009 Liberty - Profiles, History & More

Player profiles, team history, the breakout players, the best bowl moments and more for the 2009 Liberty Bowl.

2009 AutoZone Liberty Bowl

Kentucky (6-6) vs. East Carolina (9-4)

Jan. 2nd, 5:00 p.m. ET, ESPN

- 2009 CFN Liberty Bowl Preview

Scroll Down For Each Team's Bowl History

By Richard Cirminiello

Liberty Bowl History
2007	Mississippi State 10, UCF 3
2006	South Carolina 44, Houston 36
2005	Tulsa 31, Fresno State 24
2004	Louisville 44, Boise State 40
2003	Utah 17, Southern Miss 0
2002	TCU 17, Colorado State 3
2001	Louisville 28, BYU 10
2000	Colorado State 22, Louisville 17
1999	Southern Miss 23, Colorado State 17
1998	Tulane 41, BYU 27
1997	Southern Miss 41, Pitt 7
1996	Syracuse 30, Houston 17
1995	East Carolina 19, Stanford 13
1994	Illinois 30, East Carolina 0
1993	Louisville 18, Michigan State 7
1992	Mississippi 13, Air Force 0
1991	Air Force 38, Mississippi State 15
1990	Air Force 23, Ohio State 11
1989	Mississippi 42, Air Force 29
1988	Indiana 34, South Carolina 10
1987	Georgia 20, Arkansas 17
1986	Tennessee 21, Minnesota 14
1985	Baylor 21, LSU 7
1984	Auburn 21, Arkansas 15
1983	Notre Dame 19, Boston Coll 18
1982	Alabama 21, Illinois 15
1981	Ohio State 21, Navy 28
1980	Purdue 28, Missouri 25
1979	Penn State 9, Tulane 6
1978	Missouri 20, LSU 15
1977	Nebraska 21, North Carolina 17
1976	Alabama 36, UCLA 6
1975	USC 20, Texas A&M 0
1974	Tennessee 7, Maryland 3
1973	NC State 31, Kansas 18
1972	Georgia Tech 31, Iowa State 30
1971	Tennessee 14, Arkansas 13
1970	Tulane 17, Colorado 3
1969	Colorado 47, Alabama 33
1968	Mississippi 34, Virginia Tech 17
1967	NC State 14, Georgia 7
1966	Miami 14, Virginia Tech 7
1965	Mississippi 13, Auburn 7
1964	Utah 32, West Virginia 6
1963	Miss State 16, NC State 12
1962	Oregon State 6, Villanova 0
1961	Syracuse 15, Miami 14
1960	Penn State 41, Oregon 12
1959	Penn State 7, Alabama 0

Best Wildcat Bowl Moment: Considering that Kentucky has won just four bowl games over the last 54 years, there aren’t many options. If you dig deep enough, however, you’ll find a hidden gem in the 1951 Sugar Bowl. Under the guidance of Bear Bryant, the Wildcats shocked national champion Oklahoma 13-7 behind a stingy defense and a pair of Wilbur Jamerson touchdowns to finish with 11 wins for the first time in school history.
 
Best Pirate Bowl Moment: In one of the most memorable wins in school history, East Carolina rallied from a 17-point fourth quarter deficit to beat long-time rival North Carolina State in the 1992 Peach Bowl. In front of the largest crowd to ever watch two North Carolina teams play, Pirate QB Jeff Blake ran for a score and threw a pair of touchdown passes in the final eight minutes for a pulsating 37-34 victory. The win gave the Pirates state bragging rights and a No. 9 ranking in the final AP poll. 

The Last Time You'll See ...

Kentucky: CB Trevard Lindley. Cornerbacks with Lindley’s speed, hips, and cover skills usually don’t last four years as amateurs. He doesn’t figure to be an exception. As one of the SEC’s best cover men over the last two years, his skill set and overall athleticism is coveted by NFL teams, which won’t let him drift beyond the first day of the draft. Lindley will need to add some bulk, but that’ll come with a dedicated offseason regimen.  
 
East Carolina: QB Patrick Pinkney. While he’s had ups and downs in Greenville, Pinkney has also been the steady force in the Pirates’ league championship season. He throws a soft ball, can escape pressure when the pocket collapses, and has saved his best efforts for ECU’s biggest games. In upsets of Boise State, Virginia Tech, West Virginia, and Tulsa in the past 12 months, Pinkney did not throw a single interception.
 
Breakout Player ...

Kentucky: QB Mike Hartline. With Randall Cobb likely sidelined following knee surgery, Hartline gets 15 practices and the Liberty Bowl to get a jump on a quarterback race that’ll continue again in the spring. Hartline had his struggles in the first half of the year, but is clearly the better passer of the two, which will be needed to make a dent in a pretty good East Carolina pass defense.
 
East Carolina: NG Linval Joseph. The average fan will never appreciate a player like Joseph. Pirate coaches feel he’s indispensable. A 6-6, 300-pound brick wall in the middle of the defensive line, he’s one of the unheralded reasons why East Carolina was so stingy in the second half of the year. Plenty tough at the point of contact, the sophomore has trimmed away excess baby fat to dramatically improve his quickness and endurance.

Best Non-Game Event
For the fans, it has to be the Beale Street Parade. For the players, the nod goes to that same parade plus the visit to St. Jude Children's Hospital. Also, no trip to Memphis would be complete without a visit to Graceland to see the "King" and also any of the countless great barbeque restaurants Memphis has to offer.

Player Gift Package
Players from both schools will receive a Fossil watch, a commemorative game ball, a camcorder/media player, Nike running shoes, Nike sports sandals, a Nike sports band, and Nike sunglasses.

Charitable Component
The Liberty Bowl has long been affiliated with St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, founded by entertainer Danny Thomas in Memphis. The St. Jude message is in all that the game does. It costs $1 million a day to run St. Jude, so the national exposure provide to the hospital greatly benefits its national fundraising efforts.

How Success is Measured
Three ways: 1. Positive responses from players and coaches. In other words, did they enjoy the trip, the gifts, and the overall Memphis bowl experience. 2. Attendance and whether those fans enjoyed the Memphis bowl experience. 3. TV ratings.

MVP of the Bowl
The Liberty Bowl has chosen not to single out one person, opting instead to point to its army of volunteers. It also recognizes tremendous corporate support from its title sponsor, AutoZone, a Memphis-based company, and FedEx, another outstanding Memphis-based company.

Impact to the Community
The Greater Memphis community expects to feel a $20 million economic impact annually from hosting the Liberty Bowl.

Role of Volunteers
The Liberty Bowl could not provide such a high-quality bowl experience for the players, coaches and fans without its volunteers. Our game is a community-based organization and the community involvement by volunteers is critical. This is its 50th anniversary game. The tremendous success the AutoZone Liberty Bowl has experienced over the past five decades is attributable to its community support and outstanding base of volunteers.

---

East Carolina Bowl History (5-4)

2007	Hawaii	ECU 41, Boise State 38
2006	PapaJohns.com	South Florida 24, ECU 7
2001	GMAC	Marshall 64, ECU 61 2OT
2000	gallery furniture.com	ECU 40, Texas Tech 27
1999	Mobile Alabama	TCU 28, ECU 14
1995	Liberty	ECU 19, Stanford 13
1994	Liberty	Illinois 30, ECU 0
1991	Peach	ECU 37, NC State 34
1978	Independence	ECU 35, La Tech 13

Kentucky Bowl History (6-5)

2007	Music City	Kentucky 35, Florida State 28
2006	Music City	Kentucky 28, Clemson 20
1999	Music City	Syracuse 20, Kentucky 13
1998	Outback	Penn State 26, Kentucky 14
1993	Peach	Clemson 14, Kentucky 13
1984	Hall of Fame	Kentucky 20, Wisconsin 19
1983	Hall of Fame	West Virginia 20, Kentucky 16
1976	Peach	Kentucky 21, North Carolina 0
1951	Cotton	Kentucky 20, TCU 7
1950	Sugar	Kentucky 13, Oklahoma 7
1949	Orange	Santa Clara 21, Kentucky 13
1947	Great Lakes	Kentucky 24, Villanova 14