Cats Are Bowl Eligible For A Fourth Straight Year
It was an historic day for both the Kentucky football team and Mark Stoops on Saturday. The Cats set a rushing record and the UK head man moved up on the all-time wins list. As expected in stepping out of conference Kentucky blasts Tennessee-Martin 50-7.
A Record Setting Day
One week after rushing for 401 yards in a win over Vanderbilt the Cats played “can you top this” against Tennessee-Martin. The result was a resounding “yes” as Kentucky rolled up a school record 462 yards on the ground. The previous record of 442 was set way back in 1951. Both Lynn Bowden and A.J. Rose cracked the century mark as five different players scored rushing touchdowns. In the past two games the Cats’ running attack has amassed 863 yards.
For Bowden it was another huge game in what has been a remarkable season. As a result of his 129 yards on Saturday he now has 951 in only six games. In addition he has rushed for more than 100 yards in five of the six games. The only one he didn’t was against Georgia when he ran for 99. In the process today he broke another school record.
Wildcat QB @LynnBowden_1 just broke Mike Fannuzi's 45-year-old single-season school record for 100-yard rushing games by a QB.
He's got five such performances, and rushed for 99 yards in the one game when he didn't break the threshold. pic.twitter.com/ZuSoCrg4gP
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) November 23, 2019
With two games to play, Bowden has a real chance to be Kentucky’s leading rusher, passer and receiver. He needs to throw for 113 yards in the last two games to be tops in all three. As one of the four finalists for the Paul Hornung Award the numbers prove he should be voted college football’s most versatile player.
Big Day For The Defense
Not only was it a strong day for Kentucky’s offense but the Cats defense stepped up big as well. On the Skyhawks’ first play from scrimmage the ball sailed over quarterback John Bachus III’s head leading to a safety. Their next possession fared no better as Yusuf Corker recovered another bad snap in the end zone for a touchdown. That gave the Cats a 9-0 lead only two minutes into the game.
For the game Kentucky held Tennessee-Martin to 204 yards. That’s the sixth straight game the Cats have held an opponent to under 305 yards. In addition they forced five fumbles, recovering two. Brad White’s defense also recorded five sacks and 11 tackles for loss.
As mentioned earlier not only was it a big day for the team as Kentucky blasts Tennesse-Martin 50-7 but for Stoops as well.
Moving Up The Record Books
Saturday’s win was number 42 for Stoops at Kentucky and that is significant. He passes Jerry Claiborne and Blanton Collier for third on the all-time wins list. With four more victories he will tie Fran Curci for second. Of course Bear Bryant leads with 60. It’s not out of the realm of possibility Stoops is Kentucky’s all-time wins leader by 2022.
The way things stand now it appears Stoops definitely has a chance to break the record. A report earlier on Saturday said the UK head man met with Florida State about their head coaching job. However he took his name out of consideration and plans on remaining at Kentucky for a long time. Stoops was the defensive coordinator for the Seminoles from 2010-2012 before becoming the UK head coach.
Looking Ahead
The Cats wrap up the regular season next week when they host Louisville. Kentucky is looking for their first win at home in the “Battle For The Governor’s Cup” since 2009. After that they wait to find out their bowl destination. Right now Last Word has them playing in the final Belk Bowl. Under first year coach Scott Satterfield the Cards are one of the bigger surprises in college football with a 7-4 record.
As for Tennessee-Martin they finish their regular season at 7-5 which is five wins better than 2018. They fall to 1-27 all-time against FBS schools with the only win coming in 2012 when they beat Memphis 20-17.
Again Kentucky blasts Tennessee-Martin 50-7 to secure a fourth straight bowl bid. We will have a preview of the Louisville game coming up later this week along with the latest bowl projections here at Last Word On College Football.
