Kentucky falls to Pittsburgh 27-10 in BBVA Compass Bowl

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — As it turned out, Pittsburgh didn't need a full-time coach to handle Kentucky in the BBVA Compass Bowl.

The Wildcats' ineptitude on offense and special teams turned out to be all the Panthers really needed. UK, which was without suspended quarterback Mike Hartline, struggled to score early, and a pair of special teams gaffes set up the Panthers' first two touchdowns as Pitt cruised to a 27-10 win at Legion Field.

It was the worst bowl loss in 15 post-season appearances for Kentucky (6-7) and sealed the Cats' first losing season since 2005.

Kentucky Coach Joker Phillips said the team that showed up Saturday was different than the one he saw in practices leading up to the bowl.

"We didn't play with a lot of confidence or poise," he said. "We weren't the most physical team out there. The reason it hurts is because of what I thought we did during the monthlong preparations. I never had a sense that we would play the way we did. We even had a good week of preparation this week."

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