The 2009 AutoZone

AutoZone

AutoZone is a retailer and distributor of aftermarket automotive parts and accessories. based in Memphis, Tennessee.-History:Originally a division of Memphis-based wholesale grocer Malone & Hyde, the company went under the name Auto Shack...

 Liberty Bowl

Liberty Bowl

The Liberty Bowl is an annual U.S. American college football bowl game played in December of each year from 1959 to 2007 and in January in 2009 and 2010. The Liberty Bowl was sponsored by AXA Financial and was known as the AXA Liberty Bowl from 1997 to 2003...

is the fiftieth annual college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 bowl game

Bowl game

In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...

, and was played at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium

Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is a football stadium, located at the Mid-South Fairgrounds, in Midtown Memphis, Tennessee, United States. The stadium is the site of the annual AutoZone Liberty Bowl, and is the home field of the University of Memphis Tigers football team...

 in Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

 on January 2, 2009

2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 28, 2008, progressing through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 8, 2009, where the #2...

 as part of the 2008-09 bowl season

NCAA football bowl games, 2008-09

The 2008–09 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision College Football Post-Season, which followed the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season contained a record number of bowl games scheduled in history, as a total of 37 bowl games were played starting on December 20, 2008 with four contests,...

. The East Carolina Pirates

2008 East Carolina Pirates football team

The 2008 East Carolina Pirates football team represented East Carolina University in the college football season of 2008-09. and plays their home games in Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium...

 accepted their invitation after their victory over the Tulsa Golden Hurricane

2008 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team

The 2008 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team represented the University of Tulsa in the college football season of 2008–2009. The team's head coach was Todd Graham, in his second year at Tulsa. They played home games at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium in Tulsa, Oklahoma and competed in the...

 in the 2008 Conference USA Championship Game. The Kentucky Wildcats

2008 Kentucky Wildcats football team

The 2008 Kentucky Wildcats football team represented the University of Kentucky in the college football season of 2008-2009. The team's head coach was Rich Brooks, who served his sixth year in the position...

 of the Southeastern Conference

Southeastern Conference

The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...

 also accepted their invitation.

East Carolina entered the game with a record of 9-4 and had been ranked as high as #15 in the AP poll during the season; Kentucky was 6-6 and unranked.

The Kentucky Wildcats defeated the East Carolina Pirates by a score of 25-19.

East Carolina led through much of the game; late in the fourth quarter Kentucky defensive tackle Ventrell Jenkins

Ventrell Jenkins

Ventrall Jenkins is a professional American Football player. In college he played on the defensive line for the University of Kentucky for four years playing in 46 games and making 102 tackles and 9.5 sacks. During his time in Kentucky, he played both defensive tackle and defensive end...

 picked up a fumble and returned it 56 yards for the game winning touchdown. Jenkins was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2009 Liberty Bowl. The fumble recovery and return, marked by a vicious stiff arm Jenkins put on the opposing quarterback, received generous replay during bowl game broadcasts.

Scoring summary

Scoring Play	Score
1st Quarter
ECU - Ben Hartman 22 yard FG, 5:25	ECU 3-0
2nd Quarter
ECU - Brandon Simmons 28 yard TD run (Hartman kick), 14:14	ECU 10-0
UK - Lones Seiber 21 yard FG, 8:59	ECU 10-3
ECU - Darryl Freeney 80 yard TD pass from Patrick Pinkney (kick blocked), 8:47	ECU 16-3
3rd Quarter
UK - David Jones 99 yard kickoff return (kick blocked), 14:48	ECU 16-9
UK - Kyrus Lanxster 19 yard TD pass from Mike Hartline Mike Hartline Mike Hartline is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent Quarterback and most recently was a member of the Indianapolis Colts practice squad. He was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He played college football at Kentucky.-Early... (Seiber kick), 8:13	Tie 16-16
ECU - Hartman 43 yard FG, :06	ECU 19-16
4th Quarter
UK - Seiber 34 yard FG, 14:07	Tie 19-19
UK - Ventrell Jenkins 56 yard fumble return (kick blocked), 3:02	UK 25-19