‘We’re definitely handling it a lot better.’ As UK has improved, so has its bowl prep.
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UK in the 2019 Belk Bowl
The University of Kentucky will play Virginia Tech in the 2019 Belk Bowl on Dec. 31. Read more about the Wildcats’ opponent and destination.
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Preparing for a football game in Lexington is challenging enough over the course of a week. Doing it hours away from home — and right after the holidays — is even tougher, but it’s something at which the University of Kentucky is eager to continue getting better.
The Wildcats arrived in North Carolina on Thursday and held their first practice Friday following a few days off. Nose guard Quinton Bohanna and wide receiver Ahmad Wagner joked that they were sluggish because of holiday feasts, but it didn’t take long for them to round into form.
“I felt like I hadn’t seen these guys in a while, so it just felt good to get out here, run around, throw the ball and get another practice under our belts,” Wagner said. “We ran a lot today, so I think Coach wanted to get that food off of us. But it felt good.”
It was Friday to the rest of the country but for Kentucky it was their normal “Tuesday,” as far as game prep goes. Saturday will be their Wednesday, and so on leading up to their tilt with Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl on Tuesday (“Saturday”).
Kentucky is making its fourth straight bowl appearance, the second-longest streak in program history (it made five straight from 2006-2010). Head coach Mark Stoops is tied with Rich Brooks for the most bowl appearances by a UK head coach (four).
With bowl trips happening with more regularity, UK’s approach to preparation for them has improved, center Drake Jackson said. And that’s good, “because it is totally different than preparing for any other game.”
“The older guys have been there and done that, and the younger guys kind of look up to them,” said Jackson, a junior. “I remember going my freshman year, nobody really knew how to handle a bowl game, and it was Coach Stoops’ first bowl game as a head coach. We’re definitely handling it a lot better now.”
Positive distractions are forthcoming, of course. Some were waiting for them after practice: the Belk Bowl dropped off gym bags for every player with two gifts inside — a Wenger watch valued at $110 and a Belk gift card loaded with $440 (the combined amount of the two gifts, $550, is the maximum allowed). Saturday’s practice will be sandwiched between a visit to Charlotte Motor Speedway, where the players will get an opportunity to ride around the track, and a shopping trip to Belk’s flagship store.
They’ll help out at Second Harvest Food Bank on Sunday morning before practice, then have dinner at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. A media day is scheduled for Monday, the “Friday” parallel to Kentucky’s routine, and on which they typically have a walk through.
It’s a lot more to navigate than a normal game week, but it’s getting easier each year.
“We have a great team, we really do, and I think that’s what it comes down to,” Stoops said of getting UK to and around Charlotte. “ ... Believe me, I don’t want to get down to micro-managing, getting where the Lyfts are coming from and all those things. We have good people, Frank Buffano, our operations guy, he does a great job and he gets a lot of help from Josh Pruitt. We’ve just got good people in all areas and they do a really good job. It’s important to them, and I think that’s what it gets down to. It’s not a job for them.”
Notes
▪ Bohanna — who’s listed at 6-foot-4 and 361 pounds — was excited to visit Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, but nervous that he might not fit into a stock car. Frank Kay, director of communications and marketing for the Charlotte Sports Foundation, said the tallest player who’s participated was 6-9.
“I ain’t never been inside a race car, never even inside a racetrack, so if they can let me in a car that can go that fast, I’m gonna try to get in it,” Bohanna said with a grin. “They said the getting out is the hard part.”
The players will be driven around the track — not driving themselves — but Bohanna insists he’s the team’s best man behind a wheel.
“I’m the best everything,” Bohanna said.
▪ Kentucky this week is practicing at Charlotte Latin School, which regularly hosts Southeastern Conference teams that play in the Belk Bowl. It is the alma mater of Daniel Jones, a quarterback who played at Duke and is in his rookie season with the New York Giants. He was selected one spot ahead of former UK star Josh Allen in the 2019 NFL Draft.
▪ It was 66 degrees and there were no rain drops of which to speak on Friday. Temperatures are supposed to stay within the 60-degree range into the weekend.
▪ Virginia Tech also conducted its first practice in Charlotte on Friday. The Hokies, who are a 2 1/2-point favorites in Tuesday’s game, were scheduled to take in an NBA game between the Charlotte Hornets and Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. Kentucky’s players were also planning to take in the game.
Belk Bowl
Kentucky vs. Virginia Tech
When: Noon Tuesday, Dec. 31
Where: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.
Records: UK 7-5; Virginia Tech 8-4
TV: ESPN
This story was originally published December 27, 2019 at 5:39 PM.
