Kentucky's bowl streak extended by Wildcobb TDs

NASHVILLE - The Kentucky Wildcats went into the locker room trailing at halftime and got mad.

Then they started running.

Randall Cobb ran for two touchdowns, Derrick Locke rushed for a career-high 144 yards and a touchdown, and Kentucky beat Vanderbilt 24-13 on Saturday to become bowl eligible for a school-record fourth consecutive year.

"We were trying to get to a fourth-straight bowl game and they were trying to ruin our season, but they came out ready to play," Kentucky defensive tackle Ricky Lumpkin said. "Luckily, we responded after halftime, and we stepped our game to get an important win."

Kentucky (6-4, 2-4 SEC) has won seven of the past nine in this series.

The Wildcats visit Georgia, then close the regular season at home against Tennessee.

"Our work is not done by a long shot," Kentucky coach Rich Brooks said. "We have two difficult games left, and we want to ensure ourselves of a little better pecking order."

Vanderbilt (2-9, 0-7) had its best scoring game this season against an SEC opponent. But the Commodores blew a 13-10 halftime lead and lost their seventh in a row after being shut out the second half. They managed a mere 31 yards offense after halftime.

The Wildcats struggled to pass even with Mike Hartline playing his first game since injuring his left knee Oct. 10 against South Carolina.

Morgan Newton started, and both had passes intercepted. But Locke and Cobb helped Kentucky win its second straight and for the fourth time in five games.

This game featured the SEC's two worst defenses against the run, and Kentucky did a better job rushing with Cobb and Locke than Vanderbilt managed as a team. Cobb finished with 99 yards on 14 carries, while Locke ran 25 times as Kentucky outgained Vandy 399-209 in total offense - 308 of that coming on the ground. Kentucky ran on 39 of its 42 second-half plays.

Vanderbilt coach Bobby Johnson said Kentucky just wore his Commodores down.

"Give Kentucky credit for using a simple game plan to take it to us. They did a good job controlling the game," he said.

Cobb, a former Alcoa High School star, put Kentucky up 7-0 after taking the snap in the Wildcats' Wildcobb formation. He ran right before tiptoeing along the sideline for a 21-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Officials reviewed the play to make sure he stayed inbounds, and he did.

"We had people in position to make tackles, but he broke away from them," Johnson said.

Cobb put Kentucky ahead to stay 17-13 by capping the opening drive of the third quarter by running in 3 yards for his second TD. Then Locke capped a 72-yard drive with a 14-yard TD in the fourth quarter to seal the victory, finishing with his third 100-yard rushing game this season.

"Thank goodness Randall Cobb and Derrick Locke felt pretty refreshed at the start of the game and the end of the second half. Before everybody asks, we can't have Randall take every snap in the wildcat. It is impossible to take that kind of body blows," Brooks said.

As it was, Brooks said Cobb was cramping in the second half and bruised his shoulder late, which is why Cobb missed the last few plays.

Locke also started cramping, and the coach said he got "dinged" but not a concussion.

The Commodores turned two interceptions into 10 points in the second quarter but lost linebacker Patrick Benoist, their leading tackler, to a concussion in the first half.