Belk Bowl notes: Lynn Bowden apologizes for behavior, Landon Young faces NFL decision
Bad blood that developed between Kentucky and Virginia Tech players leading up to the Belk Bowl gave way to multiple pregame brush-ups before Tuesday’s game was played.
Groups of players had to be separated multiple times on the field: once near the Kentucky end zone, again near midfield and at least one more time near the tunnel in which the teams enter and exit.
The UK radio network reported that a Virginia Tech player threw a punch at Kentucky quarterback Lynn Bowden and an unnamed UK assistant during the events. The school could not confirm that any punches were thrown by Tech, but a video aired during the ESPN broadcast showed Bowden throwing a punch, and giving a shove to UK’s director of player personnel, Josh Pruitt.
Bowden apologized for his actions during a postgame interview session.
“It’s a lot of emotion,” Bowden said. “I could have hurt my team and not been out there tonight with them, so I just apologized to my program, my teammates. I did it before the game, I apologized to them guys. We respect Virginia Tech, and if I could go back, I wouldn’t do it.”
A social media video surfaced over the weekend from the teams’ visit to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday. In the video, it appeared that Virginia Tech players directed explicit language toward a group of UK players — Bowden among them — as they entered the racetrack. He and other Kentucky players on Twitter the last couple of days have alluded to the incident.
“When you’re down here for a week and there’s some things, there’s some crossover and things happen,” UK head coach Mark Stoops said. “ ... There’s not a bowl game, you know, that I’ve been to that that doesn’t happen every now and then.”
Stoops said the coaches and officials discussed getting a handle on things from the onset and to not let players’ pregame emotions carry over into the game. Kentucky picked up two 15-yard penalties — roughing the passer (Jordan Wright) and illegal use of hands (Calvin Taylor) — on its first defensive series, and Logan Stenberg was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on its first offensive drive. From then on, though, UK’s only two remaining flags were for early movement.
“We were amped up a little bit early and shot ourselves in the foot with some penalties and we can’t do that,” Stoops said. “We were lucky to overcome that.”
Kash Daniel apologizes, too
Kash Daniel’s final game in a Kentucky uniform couldn’t have played out much better: the senior from Paintsville led the Wildcats with eight tackles, six unassisted.
The 2015 Kentucky Mr. Football winner also got some air time during the SEC Network’s postgame broadcast. Daniel took a moment to apologize publicly for an early-season incident involving Florida quarterback Kyle Trask; Daniel in that Wildcats’ 29-21 loss to the Gators appeared to try and injure Trask.
“I apologize to Kyle Trask. That’s for real. I apologize to Kyle Trask. I apologize to the University of Florida. I apologize to the University of Florida fan base. That was out of my league. I’m not about that. I’m not that guy. So, I”m sorry from the bottom of my heart. I allowed the outside noise to affect my play for a couple of games, and I can’t be allowed to do that.”
Defense seals the deal
Kentucky’s defense gave up 30 points for the first time since Nov. 3, 2018 — a 34-17 loss to Georgia at Kroger Field.
It did, however, score the Cats’ final touchdown of the season: sophomore linebacker Jordan Wright scooped up a fumble by Virginia Tech quarterback Hendon Hooker and took it back 28 yards for a score as time expired.
“Earlier everybody was telling me, in the first quarter when I deflected the ball, I could’ve had a pick,” said Wright. “So I told ’em, ‘I’m gonna make it up.’ And that was my opportunity to make it up to them.”
That was UK’s second defensive touchdown this season; Yusuf Corker recovered a fumbled snap in the end zone early in UK’s 50-7 win over Tennessee Martin that made it bowl-eligible.
The Hokies hit their season average, scoring-wise, but were held about 60 yards shy of their regular mark in terms of total offense.
Landon Young
Landon Young, a former standout at Lafayette High School in Lexington, is a redshirt junior but is one of a few UK players who could join Bowden in declaring early for the NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-7 offensive tackle is considering his options.
“It’s something that I’m looking at right now and here in the next couple of days I’ll make a decision,” Young said. “I’ll make sure everyone knows.”
If Young returns, UK will bring back four of its five starting linemen. The Wildcats will lose two seniors in Stenberg, the starter at left guard, and reserve Mason Wolfe, listed as the backup to junior Luke Fortner at right guard.
This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 7:30 PM.
