{"id":20173,"date":"2019-01-02T13:00:14","date_gmt":"2019-01-02T18:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosoncfb.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=20173"},"modified":"2020-12-21T13:49:26","modified_gmt":"2020-12-21T18:49:26","slug":"kentucky-caps-a-historic-season-with-citrus-bowl-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/2019\/01\/02\/kentucky-caps-a-historic-season-with-citrus-bowl-victory\/","title":{"rendered":"Kentucky Caps A Historic Season With Citrus Bowl Victory"},"content":{"rendered":"<h4>Kentucky Caps A Historic Season With Citrus Bowl Victory<\/h4>\n<p>Throughout the 2018 season, the Kentucky Football team has been rewriting history. With a 27-24 win over Penn State in Camping World Stadium in Orlando, the Cats added a few more to their list. With both individual and team honors, let\u2019s take a look at how Kentucky caps a historic season with a <strong>Citrus Bowl<\/strong> victory.<\/p>\n<h4>Only One Of Three Teams<\/h4>\n<p>With the win over the Nittany Lions,\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/coaches\/mark-stoops-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mark Stoops&#8217;<\/a><\/strong> squad finishes the season 10-3. That\u2019s only the third time Kentucky has won 10 games in a season. The other two were 1950 and 1977. In addition, the Citrus Bowl victory is the school\u2019s third ever on New Year\u2019s Day. Wins in the <strong>1951 Sugar Bowl<\/strong> and <strong>1952 Cotton Bowl<\/strong> are the others.<\/p>\n<p>In the process, the Wildcats avenged a 26-14 loss to Penn State in the 1999 <strong>Outback Bowl.<\/strong>\u00a0They also broke a four game bowl losing streak dating back to a 2009 <strong>Liberty<\/strong> <strong>Bowl<\/strong> win over East Carolina.<\/p>\n<h4>Dancing With What Brought You<\/h4>\n<p>Throughout the 2018 season, Kentucky has won with a strong rushing game and defense. The Citrus Bowl was no exception as\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/benjamin-snell-jr-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Benny Snell<\/a><\/strong> ran for 144 yards and two touchdowns. A 12-yard run in the third quarter gave the junior the all-time Kentucky rushing record. In being named the game&#8217;s MVP, Snell ran for the second most yards in UK bowl history behind\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/rafael-little-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rafael Little&#8217;s<\/a><\/strong> 152 in the 2007 <strong>Music City Bowl.<\/strong><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">A moment we will remember forever. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/benny_snell?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@benny_snell<\/a>\u2019s TD that gave him the all-time rushing record at UK. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/SnellYeah?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#SnellYeah<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/GetUp?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#GetUp<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/0qUOtaVC0A\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/0qUOtaVC0A<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/UKFootball\/status\/1080205910151217152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 1, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Snell, who was playing his last game in the blue and white, finished with 3,873 yards in only three years. In addition, his 48 touchdowns rank him third all-time in SEC history behind\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/herschel-walker-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Herschel Walker&#8217;s<\/a><\/strong> 49 and\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/tim-tebow-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tim Tebow<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0with 57.<\/p>\n<p>On the other side of the ball,\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/josh-allen-6.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Josh Allen<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0added to his historic season as well. The senior recorded three of Kentucky\u2019s six sacks of\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/trace-mcsorley-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trace McSorley<\/a><\/strong> and also blocked a Penn State field goal attempt. Following the game, Allen left no doubt where he thinks he should go in April\u2019s NFL Draft.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">If I\u2019m not #1 than I don\u2019t know who is\ud83e\udd37\ud83c\udffe\u200d\u2642\ufe0f <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/GoCats?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#GoCats<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Joshua Hines-Allen (@JoshHinesAllen) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JoshHinesAllen\/status\/1080241048226590727?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 1, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Remember neither Allen or Snell had to play in the Citrus however both chose too. That&#8217;s how much winning a bowl and getting 10 victories meant to them.<\/p>\n<p>Another area where Kentucky excelled was on special teams. In addition to the blocked field goal,\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/lynn-bowden-jr-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lynn Bowden<\/a><\/strong> ran a punt back 58 yards for the Cats first points.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Kentucky WR Lynn Bowden Jr.\u2019s 58-yard punt return touchdown is the first punt return TD Penn State has allowed since Oct. 6, 2012 against Northwestern.<\/p>\n<p>Bowden Jr. is also the 5th Kentucky player with 2 Punt Ret TDs in a season.  <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/VRBOCitrusBowl?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#VRBOCitrusBowl<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/3BZyJqTxzr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/3BZyJqTxzr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; ESPN Stats &amp; Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ESPNStatsInfo\/status\/1080178186628055042?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 1, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Bowden\u2019s score was the first punt return for a touchdown in the Citrus Bowl since 1992. California\u2019s\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/brian-treggs-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brian Treggs<\/a><\/strong> ran one back in the Golden Bears 37-13 win over Clemson. Special teams proved to be anything but for Penn State with two missed field goals and the Bowden punt return for a touchdown. As we continue with how Kentucky caps a historic season with a Citrus Bowl victory, it almost didn&#8217;t happen.<\/p>\n<h4>Withstanding A Furious Rally<\/h4>\n<p>After Snell&#8217;s second touchdown put the Cats up 27-7 late in the third quarter, they took their foot off the gas. This allowed McSorley and Penn State to make things very interesting.<\/p>\n<p>In the span of five minutes, a one-yard touchdown run by the senior and an 18 yard pass to\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/pat-freiermuth-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pat Freiermuth<\/a><\/strong> cut the Wildcat lead to 27-21. Meanwhile, Kentucky took Snell out of the game and the rushing game wasn&#8217;t nearly as effective. After a Wildcat punt, McSorley led Penn State down the field once again. A 32-yard field goal by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/players\/jake-pinegar-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>Jake Pinegar<\/strong><\/a> made it a three point game with 4:12 to play. For the &#8220;long suffering Kentucky fan&#8221; thoughts of &#8220;please not another late game collapse&#8221; crept into everyone&#8217;s mind.<\/p>\n<p>However, this is a different Kentucky team and after returning to the game Snell ran for a couple of first downs. This allowed the Cats to virtually run out the clock. Penn State eventually got the ball back with one second remaining. However, a miracle on the final play was not in the works and the celebration was on for the Big Blue Nation.<\/p>\n<h4>Putting It In Perspective<\/h4>\n<p>Stoops now joins\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/coaches\/bear-bryant-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bear Bryant<\/a><\/strong> and\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cfb\/coaches\/fran-curci-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fran Curci<\/a><\/strong> as the only coaches in Kentucky history to win 10 games in a season. In addition, here are some more numbers for the Wildcats during this history making campaign.<\/p>\n<p>The Cats beat five teams who won eight or more games. Those are Florida, Middle Tennessee, Mississippi State, Missouri and Penn State<strong>.<\/strong> Furthermore, they defeated two other teams, South Carolina and Vanderbilt, who played in bowls. Kentucky had a winning record in the SEC for the first time since 1977 and won eight games in the regular season for the first time since 1984. One last thing, how impressive was Kentucky&#8217;s defense in 2018?<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Kentucky was the only Power 5 school this season to allow more than 24 points in a game just once<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Corey Price (@coreyp08) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/coreyp08\/status\/1080300848125640704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 2, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Kentucky caps a historic season with a Citrus Bowl victory 27-24 over Penn State. Thank you for following this campaign with us here at <strong>Last Word On College Football.<\/strong> Next time, we hand out some post-season awards.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"eD1XcOStT-VmrjHs4vLxKw\" class=\"gie-single\" style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/1076407672\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><script>window.gie=window.gie||function(c){(gie.q=gie.q||[]).push(c)};gie(function(){gie.widgets.load({id:'eD1XcOStT-VmrjHs4vLxKw',sig:'Gls0KjaDfxjAj5KC0s-aA88cw3LXCcgY6BIra-2Mqlo=',w:'594px',h:'396px',items:'1076407672',caption: true ,tld:'com',is360: false })});<\/script><script src='\/\/embed-cdn.gettyimages.com\/widgets.js' charset='utf-8' async><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Kentucky Caps A Historic Season With Citrus Bowl Victory Throughout the 2018 season, the Kentucky Football team has been rewriting history. With a 27-24 win over Penn State in Camping World Stadium in Orlando, the Cats added a few more to their list. With both individual and team honors, let\u2019s take a look at how [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":877,"featured_media":20188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,7361,3,1],"tags":[3177,2970,1145,184,1322,1766,3121,285,309,225,4396],"class_list":["post-20173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-bowl-games","category-sec","category-uncategorized","tag-2019-nfl-draft","tag-benny-snell","tag-bowl-games","tag-cfb","tag-citrus-bowl","tag-josh-allen","tag-kentucky-wildcats-football","tag-mark-stoops","tag-penn-state-nittany-lions","tag-trace-mcsorley","tag-vrbo"],"modified_by":"Jason Rhea","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/877"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20173"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20173\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/20188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/collegefootball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}