Dec. 29, 1999 SportsLine wire reports

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- For the first time in almost two months, Kentucky's "Air Raid" offense looked ready for takeoff.

	Related Links: Game summary Syracuse gets by Kentucky after Wildcats lose Whalen to injury The writers' bowl picks Complete bowl headlines Forum: Does Kentucky win if Whalen doesn't get hurt?
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With an injury-plagued receiving corps healthy again, the Wildcats were off to a flying start against Syracuse in Wednesday's Music City Bowl. Ahead 7-0 midway through the first quarter, Kentucky was threatening again, first-and-10 at the Orangemen 13.

Then, disaster: All-American tight end James Whalen made a catch at the 6 and landed on his right arm, dislocating his elbow.

Taken off the field on a cart, Whalen's screams echoed in the stadium tunnel as doctors popped the joint back into place. Back on the field, the Kentucky offense was about to experience some pain of its own.

"When we lose a Whalen, that's a big thing," running back Anthony White said. "We didn't have go-to guy after that."

The Wildcats settled for a field goal, and would score only three points the rest of the way.

Quarterback Dusty Bonner insisted the Wildcats didn't experience a letdown without Whalen, the former walk-on whose rags-to-riches story was one of the highlights of Kentucky's season.

"We felt bad for him, but you can't get down in the dumps," Bonner said. "It hurts when you lose that, but at the same time we had young guys ready to step in."

Kentucky coach Hal Mumme praised the play of Whalen's replacement, freshman Derek Smith, who made five catches for 56 yards. However, the coach also pointed to Smith's misplay of a potential second-quarter touchdown pass as a turning point.

"If we make the plays we should have made on offense in the first half, we win," Mumme said. "We just didn't make enough plays."

On third-and-goal at the Syracuse 2 with Kentucky up 10-0, Smith got open in the end zone. He got his feet tangled, though, and fell, batting helplessly at Bonner's pass.

"I kind of went off balance and by going off balance I wasn't ready for the ball and I could only put one hand up on it," he said.

On fourth down, kicker Marc Samuels' 20-yard field goal try was low and blocked by Syracuse, which took over at the 11. Immediately, James Mungro burst through the line for an 86-yard gain and two plays later the Orangemen had closed the gap to 10-7.

"It's tough for a young team like us to put a drive together like that and then not finish," Mumme said of the momentum shift.

In the second half, the Wildcats' put together only one sustained drive, resulting in field goal.

Meanwhile, the Orangemen were rallying to a 20-13 lead. When Kentucky got the ball back with 1:42 left and no timeouts, Bonner had to throw the ball underneath Syracuse's coverage and watch time run out.

"We were trying to get more vertical routes, but we couldn't get them open downfield," Mumme said.

It was the second consecutive bowl game and the fourth time in the last two seasons that Kentucky has taken a double-digit first-half lead, then watched an opponent rally to win. In last season's Outback Bowl, Kentucky led Penn State 14-3 before losing 26-14.