Kentucky Football Mid-Season Awards
The Kentucky Wildcats are one of the major surprises in college football thus far in 2018. Currently sitting at 5-1 heading into their bye week, the Cats are ranked in the Top 25 for the first time in 11 years. There have been many great performances so far this season and we are going to recognize a few. First, with team awards, then individual here are the Kentucky Football Mid-Season Awards.
Team Achievements
Biggest Win
September 8th over Florida. With a 27-16 win over the Gators, the Cats broke a 31-year losing streak to their SEC East rival. In addition, it was Kentucky’s first win in Gainesville since 1979. In the process, Mark Stoops‘ club defeated a Dan Mullen coached squad for only the second time in 10 tries.
The win over Florida looks better each week as they have not lost since the Kentucky game. In fact, last week’s 27-19 win over LSU cemented their place in the Top 25 as well. This looks like a squad which can give Georgia a tough battle in a couple of weeks.
Runner-up. September 22nd over Mississippi State. Not only did the Cats beat the Bulldogs, but they also dominated the game. After trailing 7-0 early, Kentucky ran off 28 unanswered points for an impressive 28-7 victory.
With Joe Moorhead’s club knocking off Auburn last week 23-9, again it makes the Kentucky victory look even better. If college football had an RPI rating like basketball the Wildcats would be near the top. Those two wins plus South Carolina are as good as anyone’s in the SEC.
As we continue with the Kentucky Football Mid-Season Awards it is time for some individual trophies and we start with the offense.
The Team MVP
Offensive MVP. Benny Snell. The junior running back has cemented himself over the first half of the season as a Heisman contender. Despite an off game against Texas A&M, Snell ranks second in the SEC with 724 yards. Also, he leads with eight rushing touchdowns. He even threw for a score in the win over Murray State.
His best game came against Mississippi State when he ran for 165 yards and set the record for touchdowns in a game with four. In addition, he now holds the career touchdown mark with 40 breaking Randall Cobb‘s mark of 37. Before the season is over Snell has a chance to head a very impressive list.
Most Rushing TDs in SEC history before Senior Season:
Herschel Walker – 49
Tim Tebow – 43
Derrick Henry – 42
Mark Ingram – 42
Darren McFadden – 41
Leonard Fournette – 40
Benny Snell Jr. – 40 @benny_snell has 40 rush TDs in 31 games — 2nd fastest in conference history. pic.twitter.com/ojKorSBcrc— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) October 1, 2018
He currently needs 685 yards in the second half of the season to break Sonny Collins‘ school record of 3,835 yards.
Runner’s up. Lynn Bowden and Terry Wilson. It was a difficult call deciding between the two so why not both? The sophomore wide receiver is showing what “True Blue” fans hoped when he was the highest rated recruit in the 2017 class.
Currently, Bowden leads the Cats with 27 receptions for 273 yards and two touchdowns. During the win over Florida, he tallied four catches for 79 yards and a score. In addition, his touchdown after a flip from Wilson was the Cats lone bright spot against the Aggies.
Through six games as a college quarterback, Wilson has put up some good numbers. Not only has he completed 66 percent of his passes for 703 yards and three touchdowns but has an additional 304 yards on the ground.
In the win over Florida Wilson threw for 163 yards and two touchdowns and added 103 more on the ground. However, he does have five interceptions and needs to work more on ball control for the Cats to continue their success.
Also nominated: David Bouvier and C.J. Conrad.
Continuing on with the Kentucky Wildcats mid-season awards, let’s flip to the other side of the ball.
Outstanding Achievement On Defense
Defensive MVP. Josh Allen. The outside linebacker made the decision to forego the NFL and come back for his senior season. Kentucky fans couldn’t be any happier with his choice. For the season, Allen has 37 tackles with 10.5 for a loss. That ranks him number one in the SEC. Furthermore, he also leads the league with six sacks. All this while being the focus of the offensive line on every play.
What can’t Josh Allen do for Kentucky? Rushers the passer, covers, tackles, runs things down from the backside. Crazy good player!
— David Pollack (@davidpollack47) October 7, 2018
ESPN’s Todd McShay lists Allen as the top-ranked outside linebacker in the 2019 NFL Draft. He looks to improve his resume during the second half of the year.
Runner-up. Darius West. Often injured throughout his career, the senior safety is healthy and having a big year. In addition to leading the SEC in interceptions with three, he also has 47 tackles and a fumble return for a touchdown. In the loss to Texas A&M, he had his best game of the season.
Darius West is the 2nd player since 2000 to have at least 10 tackles, an interception, and a fumble return for a touchdown in an SEC game (Ko Simpson, South Carolina vs. Kentucky, October 8th, 2005)
— Corey Price (@coreyp08) October 7, 2018
Also nominated: Kash Daniel, Mike Edwards and Jordan Jones.
Thanks for checking out the Kentucky Football Mid-Season Awards here at Last Word On College Football. Following the bye week, the Cats host Vanderbilt. We will get you ready for that game and take a look at just how far can this Wildcat team go in 2018. Is a New Years’ Bowl a real possibility?
