CINCINNATI, OH - In the 2009 season opening game for both, the University of Kentucky Wildcats (1-0, 0-0 SEC) beat the Miami University RedHawks (0-1, 0-0 MAC) 42-0 at Cincinnati's Paul Brown Staduim.

On this beautiful Saturday afternoon, where the gametime temperature, under a partly cloudy sky, was a nice, yet cool, 77 degrees, 41,037 football fans saw the Wildcats beat the  RedHawks for the first time since their last meeting in 1991. It was also the first time the Wildcats held the RedHawks scoreless since 1917 and the fourth time overall, to give, first year head coach, Michael Haywood his first loss as a head coach.

It was also the first time that Kentucky has shutout an opponent since November 16, 1996, when they beat their SEC foe, Vanderbilt, 25-0 before 33,000 football fans in Lexington.

"To sum it up, I think we didn't overcome adversity well," said Haywood. "There are some technique and fundamental issuses that we have to correct and get better at before we go on to Bosie and play Idaho State."

The Wildcats scored first, at 11:28 of the second quarter, on a 27-yard touchdown pass from their junior quarterback, Mike Hartline, to sophomore wide receiver Randall Cobb. The Wildcats went on to score another touchdown when junior running back Derrick Locke rushed for 16 yards at 6:50 of the quarter, followed by Hartline's second, and final, touchdown pass that went 21 yards to junior wide receiver Chris Matthews.

Including the three extra points by senior placekicker Lones Seiber IV, that closed the first half scoring with Kentucky on top, 21-0.

"I was very pleased, overall, with our performance. We were slow to get going, I have to give Miami credit for that. They gave us a lot of different looks. We were in a little bit of a mystery as to what they were going to do on both sides of the ball," said the Wildcats seventh year head coach, Rich Brooks. "It took us a while to figure it out. Once we were able to get a few passes down field and get the ball on the perimiter every thing else started to lossen up for us, on offence."

In the second half of this game, billed as the Rumble At The River, the RedHawks faired no better, as their defense lossen up a little more for the Wildcats.

The RedHawks defense allowed Cobb to score again, as his only rush of the game yielded him an 11-yard touchdown at 11:30 of the third quarter.

"He's a play maker," said Kentucky's head coach of the offense/wide receivers coach (and head coach in waiting), Joker Phillips, when asked about Cobb also finishing the game with two touchdowns, along with seven catches for 96 yards. "We feel like, out in space, he's as good as anybody in the country. We've been saying all along that Cobb's the type of guy who's a dynamic player and that we've got to get the ball in his hands."

Cobb's second touchdown was followed by up senior cornerback Trevard Lindley's 25-yard pick-six at 7:28 of the third quarter. For the score Lindley read the play and stepped into the Miami passing lane, after getting a read on RedHawks senior quarterback Daniel Raudabaugh's pass attempt.

"Well, I'm glad he got it. He dropped one earlier, so I'm happy he was able to get one. It just so happens, he was in the right place to get it, because of the [cover two package] we were in." said Kentucky's defensive coordinator, Steve Brown, when asked about Lindley's interception for a touchdown."

Prior to Seiber's final extra point kick, the Wildcats posted their final score of the game with junior running back Moncell Allen's nine-yard touchdown run at 13:58 of the fourth quarter.

Kentucky's next game is in Lexington, 12:00 noon ET, Saturday, September 19th, at Commonwealth Stadium, versus their cross-state rival, the Louisville Cardinals . 

The RedHawks will play again this Saturday, September 12th, at 12:00 noon ET, against the Boise State Broncos, in Boise, Idaho.