Kentucky football has proved the doubters right so far at this point in the season. Their record and strength of schedule do not add up, which gives us no option but to ask, what happened? Let’s take a look at the Kentucky quarterback controversy.
On New Years Day this year, the University of Kentucky Wildcats stood tall over the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Citrus Bowl. This capped off the greatest season Kentucky football has experienced since 1977. Kentucky went 10-3 to finish the season, pulsing excitement for the program throughout the bluegrass.
10 months later, the Wildcats are 3-3 and second to last in the SEC East. The Wildcats lost many stars to the NFL this past season. Stars like Benny Snell Jr. and Josh Allen are irreplaceable, and it’s showing. Kentucky Head Football Coach, Mark Stoops is pulling out all the stops already because he has no other choice.
The Kentucky quarterbacks
Terry Wilson, Kentucky’s star quarterback and a former 5-star recruit, who led that 10 win Wildcats team to a New Year’s Day Bowl, went down with a knee injury on a horse-collar tackle playing against Eastern Michigan. That injury will keep him out the rest of the 2019 campaign.
Sawyer Smith, a grad transfer from Troy, who came in and immediately made an impact. He has since been dealing with a shoulder injury. That injury has kept him from starting the past couple of weeks for the Wildcats.
The third quarterback on the depth chart is Lexington’s own hometown hero, Walker Wood. Wood hasn’t seen the field at all in a regular-season game since his days running the show at Lafayette high school in Lexington. He was almost subbed in against Mississippi State but was pulled off by Coach Stoops last second.
After Wood, there’s a true freshman and 3-star recruit Amani Gilmore. Gilmore is currently red-shirting this season was rumored to be planning on suiting up this season out of sheer necessity. Kentucky has to fill out the depth chart, which might have to involve suiting up a promising true freshman in the backfield.
With the lack of talent and maturity left at the quarterback position, Stoops turned to star Junior wide receiver, Lynn Bowden. Bowden was a quarterback in high school but hasn’t played that position at all on the college level.
He was able to lead the Wildcats to a victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks 24-20 this past weekend. Bowden rushed for 196 of their 330 rushing yards and threw 7/11 for 78 yards and a touchdown pass.
Bowden’s first start may come with much to be excited for, but the Wildcats have a date with Georgia this weekend. Bowden has to continue to work to become more of a complete quarterback. Right now, he’s relying on his athletic ability to make a play. If Kentucky wants a real shot of knocking off the Bulldogs at home, the Wildcats need to keep Georgia honest through the air. That was the Kentucky quarterback controversy.
