Kentucky star Brandin Echols honors fallen marine during Gator Bowl
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Gator Bowl wrap-up: Kentucky 23, North Carolina State 21
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-North Carolina State Gator Bowl football game at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Fla.
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University of Kentucky senior Brandin Echols was playing with a little more motivation during the Wildcats’ bowl game Saturday.
Echols, a starting cornerback, wore a bracelet honoring Thomas Paine Echols, a marine who was killed in action in Iraq in December 2006.
Brandin has no relation to Thomas or his family. Thomas’ wife, Ally, reached out to UK’s athletics department ahead of its appearance in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl and offered to send a bracelet because of their shared last name with Brandin. He chose to wear it against N.C. State.
“It is common in the military to wear memorial bracelets for those who gave the ultimate sacrifice,” Ally wrote in an email sent to UK, which shared it with the Herald-Leader. “Since Brandin Echols started playing for UK it has been a joy to hear our last name announced every Saturday during football season. I have an extra memorial bracelet with my husband’s name I would like to give to Brandin Echols to thank him for the joy he’s brought my family.”
Early in the game, Echols intercepted Wolfpack quarterback Bailey Hockman. It was his first interception of the season and UK’s 13th of the year.
In the third quarter, Echols appeared to take a shot to the heat from teammate Vito Tisdale as both tried to bring down an N.C. State wide receiver. Echols left the game, leaving Kentucky without three of its top four cornerbacks.
This story was originally published January 2, 2021 at 1:14 PM.
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