Game grades for each Kentucky position group based on their play in Saturday's Gator Bowl against NC State.

Quarterback

It was a very characteristic game for Terry Wilson. He avoided the worst mistakes, throwing zero interceptions and not fumbling, but he was 12/20 for only 90 yards and no touchdowns. He did have a touchdown throw that was called off because of an illegal formation. He also put a ball in one receiver's hands on a long ball but a Wolfpack defender made a great play to break it up. Wilson missed a touchdown pass on the first drive of the game in underthrowing the receiver in the back corner of the endzone. His running was not really a factor in the game.

Grade: C-

Running Back

While the offense didn't put up a lot of points the running backs were very productive. AJ Rose was the game's MVP and had a career day with 148 yards on 12 rushing attempts. Chris Rodriguez (17 carries, 84 yards, 2 TD) and Kavosiey Smoke (9 carries, 45 yards) were both strong in their own right. There was some great blocking but Rose hit holes with a full head of steam and Rodriguez moved some piles to pick up some key tough yards and conversions.

Grade: A+

Wide Receiver/Tight End

As it was for Wilson, it was a fairly normal day for Kentucky's receivers. There were not glaring mistakes and they were mostly sure-handed. Josh Ali had four catches but for only 18 yards. Isaiah Epps averaged only 7.7 yards on his three catches. Keaton Upshaw and Allen Dailey had receptions of 23 and 17 yards respectively.

Grade: C

Offensive Line

Kentucky struggled in some short yardage rushing situations early in the game but that was because they were running against very stacked boxes. But Kentucky's offensive line wore down the Wolfpack defense by the second quarter. The Big Blue Wall beat down NC State's short-handed defense over the course of the game. The 'Cats had 281 yards on the ground and NC State had no sacks. There were definitely penalty issues which is why they don't get highest marks.

Grade: B+

Defensive Line

The whole defensive line deserves credit for making NC State one-dimensional. The Wolfpack had only 50 yards on 26 attempts. Phil Hoskins had a sack and Josh Paschal chipped in on another. This seemed to be a very solid performance for Anwar Stewart's unit.

Grade: B+

Linebacker

Jamin Davis was easily one of the best players on the field for either team. He finished with 13 tackles, half a sack, and an interception late in the game. He was all over the field. DeAndre Square tipped the ball on Davis' pick. Jordan Wright added a sack and five tackles. There were times when there could have been more pressure and the tackling could have been a little better at times but they played solid.

Grade: B

Defensive Back

Brandin Echols intercepted Bailey Hockman on NC State's first drive of the game. Yusuf Corker had the secondary's other interception. Ty Ajian and Echols each had seven tackles. Vito Tisdale (6 tackles) had possibly his signature performance in terms of the amount of playing time he got. The same was true for Carrington Valentine. This was a secondary that was down Kelvin Joseph, MJ Devonshire, and Cedrick Dort, but they stood tall. NC State's quarterback was 27/40 for 268 yards, just one touchdown, and three picks.

Grade: B+

Coaching

Brad White called an outstanding game and his maneuvers helped get the defense off the field a number of times. Vince Marrow's game plan was to wear down an already undermanned defense and try to hit them over the top when the box got too packed. The team did seem to lose its focus in the second half and there were some calls that were contested in real time by fans and media but in the big picture this was a staff minus three of the assistants it started the year with and they won a third straight bowl.

Grade: B