Forget Florida, the Belk Bowl is just the right fit for this Kentucky football team
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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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It’s nice to go to new places and see new faces.
Sure, the warm Florida weather and Jacksonville beaches for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl on Jan. 2 would have been nice. But Kentucky played there just three years ago. And, had Sunday’s scuttlebutt been correct, UK would have played IU, as in Indiana, as in the neighbors up north. Not so long ago, the Cats played the Hoosiers annually.
Kentucky hasn’t played Virginia Tech since 1987. It has never played in the Belk Bowl. So on Dec. 31, 2019, we’ll see something a bit different when the Wildcats and Hokies square off at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., for a noon kickoff on ESPN.
“We’ve never played in Charlotte,” Mitch Barnhart, UK’s athletics director said Sunday night. “New experiences are good.”
Is UK-Virginia Tech a better matchup than UK-IU? I would argue yes, for a couple of reasons.
First, Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops has built his program in part by recruiting up north. He’s hit his home state of Ohio hard, of course. Benny Snell, Mike Edwards, CJ Conrad, Lonnie Johnson, those were just a few of the stars on last year’s team who hailed from Ohio. This year, UK’s best player, wide receiver-turned-quarterback Lynn Bowden, is from Ohio. That’s Big Ten country.
Indiana is a Big Ten school. The Hoosiers produced an excellent 8-4 season under Coach Tom Allen this year. But they are not a top-tier Big Ten program. A bowl loss to the Hoosiers and Indiana could rightfully use that against Kentucky in any future recruiting battles. And that’s not to mention the trash talk that would happen just across the Ohio River in Southern Indiana.
Second, Virginia Tech boasts a much better football history. And this year’s team played its best football down the stretch. A 39-30 loss at Virginia on the final weekend was all that kept the Hokies out of the ACC’s championship game. After getting drubbed 45-10 by Duke way back on Sept. 27, they won six of their last eight games. Their losses came by one point at Notre Dame, 21-20, and at Virginia.
The Hokies’ season turned when head coach Justin Fuente switched to sophomore Hendon Hooker at quarterback after the Duke debacle. The Greensboro, N.C., native ended up completing 62.1 percent of his passes. He threw for 11 touchdowns compared to two interceptions and posted an above-average 10.3 yards per pass attempt.
As for Fuente, he replaced the legendary Frank Beamer when the former Murray State coach finally retired after the 2015 season. A former quarterback for Oklahoma and then Murray State (long after Beamer left in 1987), Fuente had gone 26-23 in four seasons at Memphis, including 10-3 and 9-3 his last two seasons. He’s 33-19 at Virginia Tech. His star dimmed a bit last year when the Hokies slipped to 6-7, but Tech recovered nicely the second half of this year.
One more thing: The Belk Bowl will be the final game for legendary Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster, who is retiring. A Kentuckian by birth in Somerset, Foster has been in Blacksburg since 1987 and the team’s DC since 1996. He’s known for his stout defenses and excellent special teams. Never a head coach, Foster is one of the greatest assistant coaches in college football history. You know the Hokies want to send him out a winner.
All that means that a Kentucky bowl win over Virginia Tech would mean something. The Hokies have the look of an ACC contender in 2020. Given UK’s youth this season, and the quality of the returning players, especially on defense, the Cats should be on the rise, as well.
Yes, Charlotte is a bit cooler in December then Jacksonville. There’s not a beach right next door. Still, all in all, for football purposes, I like the Belk Bowl matchup. Virginia Tech is a good team with plenty of football tradition. Kentucky is a program on the rise. That’s what counts.
Belk Bowl
When: Noon Tuesday, Dec. 31
Where: Charlotte, N.C.
Records: UK 7-5; Virginia Tech 8-4
TV: ESPN
This story was originally published December 8, 2019 at 8:43 PM.
