Kentucky wanted it and got it — a happy ending to a challenging football season
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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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Kentucky was fired up to be in Saturday’s TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. A little too fired up at times, perhaps. Playing through the whistle spilled over to after the whistle. A shove here. A push there. Yellow flags everywhere. Sometimes you can love physical football too much.
But let the record show that the Wildcats’ 23-21 victory over the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Jacksonville’s TIAA Bank Field had to do with motivation. Mark Stoops’ troops wanted to be there. They voted almost unanimously to be there, forgoing the COVID challenges and the disappointing record and the heartbreak of being without a key defensive teammate and the death of a beloved assistant coach to not just accept a bowl invitation, but pounce on it.
“Our guys wanted to be here,” said Stoops.
The Cats played that way, and the result was UK’s third consecutive bowl win in the program’s fifth consecutive bowl appearance. Senior running back A.J. Rose rushed for a career-high 148 yards on just 12 carries to earn Most Valuable Player honors. Chris Rodriguez scored two rushing touchdowns. And Brandin Echols, Yusuf Corker and Jamin Davis all intercepted passes by N.C. State quarterback Bailey Hockman as the Cats ended a 5-6 season on a high note.
A tough 5-6 season, we might add, starting with the offseason medical issue that cost starting linebacker Chris Oats the entire season, through the COVID-19 protocols and restrictions that came with playing football during a global pandemic, on through the heartbreaking in-season loss of offensive line coach John Schlarman after a two-year battle with cancer.
“Going into the locker room after the game, guys were saying that one was for 22 (Oats), that was for Coach Schlarman,” said linebacker Davis, the game’s defensive star with 13 tackles and an interception.
“John was definitely looking down on us,” Rose said. “Coach Schlarman inspired us all.”
Inspiration means little without preparation. With new offensive coordinator Liam Coen not scheduled to be on board to the end of the Los Angeles Rams’ NFL season, Stoops had to promote a group of analysts and graduate assistants to fill the gap left by the firing of offensive coordinator/running backs coach Eddie Gran and quarterbacks coach Darin Hinshaw. With tight ends coach Vince Marrow calling the plays, aided by wide receivers coach Jovon Bouknight, Kentucky ended up outgaining the Wolfpack 380-318.
The defense had a few missing as well, especially in the secondary where cornerback Kelvin Joseph, he of the four interceptions, opted out before the season finale. Then Friday night, defensive back Cedric Dort announced on Twitter he had not been cleared to play because of injury.
No matter. Coordinator Brad White’s unit held tough when it needed to against an N.C. State offense that was averaging 418.2 yards per game. Echols set the tone by intercepting Hockman on the Wolfpack’s first possession. Then when State had cut the Kentucky lead to 13-7, Corker picked off Hockman with 8:54 left. And when the Wolfpack got the ball back trailing 16-14, Davis plucked a tipped ball out of the air with 3:02 remaining that set up a 26-yard TD run by Rodriguez that all but sealed the deal with 2:55 left.
“Just very proud of our team,” Stoops said.
The coach admitted he was not as proud of the 10 penalties for 103 yards, many of them dead ball unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. “I’m disappointed about some of the things that went on in the game,” said the coach. “I’ve got to get that cleaned up and I will.”
Asked about the flurry of yellow flags, N.C. State Coach Dave Doeren said, “Maybe you should ask them. There was a lot of stuff underneath, on the ground and in the piles. It’s hard to say.”
“Both teams were fighting for that trophy,” Davis said.
“It was an emotional football game,” said Rose. “Both teams wanted to be here. Both teams wanted to win.”
But it was Kentucky that got the win, to put a happy ending on a trying year.
“For our guys to still lay it on the line, all the way through the fourth quarter,” said Stoops, “that means a lot.”
This story was originally published January 2, 2021 at 5:29 PM.
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