Tennessee did UK football a favor by pushing Cats into a more meaningful bowl matchup
Quick hitters from Santa’s workshop:
21. Tennessee. If the Volunteers knocked Kentucky out of a game with Indiana in the Gator Bowl by backing out of an agreement to play in the Music City Bowl, UT Athletics Director Phillip Fulmer and crew did UK a favor.
20. Belk Bowl. As a football matter, Kentucky facing Virginia Tech in Charlotte is a much better opportunity for the UK program to advance its brand than playing IU in Jacksonville would have been.
19. Virginia Tech. Having played in a bowl game every season since 1993, the Hokies have a respected football name. UK will gain respect if it beats Virginia Tech and will not lose face if it doesn’t.
18. Indiana. Of all Power Five conference programs, the Hoosiers have gone the longest (since 1967) without producing a nine-win season. A win over IU would not have gained UK respect, while a loss would have cost the Cats in the perception game.
17. Bud Foster. The longtime Virginia Tech defensive coordinator, 60, will retire after the Belk Bowl. A Somerset native and Murray State alumnus, Foster is one of the more revered assistants in NCAA football history. The Hokies will be extra motivated in Charlotte to send Foster out a winner.
16. Cats-Hokies history. Kentucky and Virginia Tech played often in the 1960s, ‘70s and ‘80s, but have not faced each other since 1987. UK leads the all-time series, 11-6-2, but Tech has won three of the final four meetings. There have been some memorable games.
15. 1973. Virginia Tech was Kentucky’s opponent in the first game ever played in Commonwealth Stadium. Wildcats quarterback Ernie Lewis ran for two touchdowns and threw for one as UK opened a 31-6 halftime lead — then held on to win 31-26.
14. 1981. A 29-3 Virginia Tech pasting of Kentucky was the outcome that led to the firing of then-UK coach Fran Curci.
13. 1986. Virginia Tech kicker Chris Kinzer booted a 49-yard field goal with one second left in the game to give the Hokies a 17-15 win over UK. It was one of the most gut-wrenching defeats of the Jerry Claiborne coaching era at Kentucky.
12. 1987. In Frank Beamer’s first season as Hokies coach, Wildcats running back Mark Higgs ran for 168 yards and a touchdown in a 14-7 UK win. Beamer would go on to transform Virginia Tech into a formidable football power.
11. Kentucky in NFL stadiums. When the Cats kick off at noon on New Year’s Eve at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, it will make the fifth current NFL venue in which Kentucky has played football.
10. Nashville. In the Music City Bowl, UK is 2-3 at what is now known as Nissan Stadium. The Wildcats are also 1-1 in regular-season games against Western Kentucky there.
9. Tampa Bay. UK is 0-1 in Raymond James Stadium, having lost 26-14 to Penn State in the Outback Bowl following the 1998 season.
8. Cincinnati. Kentucky blanked Miami (Ohio) 42-0 in the 2009 regular-season opener at Paul Brown Stadium.
7. Jacksonville. Following the 2016 season, the Cats fell to Georgia Tech 33-18 in the TaxSlayer Bowl at what is now known as the TIAA Bank Field.
6. Cats under the bright lights. Kentucky goes into the Belk Bowl with a 4-6 record in games played in current NFL stadiums.
5. Josh Allen. A season ago, the Kentucky pass-rushing star won three major awards — the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Bronko Nagurski Award and the Lott Impact Trophy — signifying the nation’s best defensive player.
4. More national honors to come for UK? This season, two more Kentucky football players are finalists for significant national honors.
3. The Ray Guy Award. Kentucky’s Max Duffy — leading the nation in punting (48.6 yards a kick) — is one of three finalists for the award signifying the best punter in college football. Houston’s Dane Roy and Sterling Hofrichter of Syracuse are Duffy’s competition. The winner will be named Thursday night on ESPN’s College Football Awards Show.
2. The Paul Hornung Award. UK wide receiver-turned-quarterback Lynn Bowden is one of four finalists for the award that signifies the nation’s most versatile player. LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire; Virginia’s Joe Reed; and former Western Hills High School star Wan’Dale Robinson of Nebraska are Bowden’s competition. The winner will be announced Wednesday.
1. A big deal for UK. Should Duffy and Bowden follow in Allen’s footsteps, “that would be back-to-back years we have done some really remarkable things in terms of (winning national player awards),” Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart said Sunday.
If Bowden and Duffy win, it will be a substantial boon to all whose job it is to raise the profile of the Kentucky Wildcats football program.
This story was originally published December 9, 2019 at 2:36 PM.
