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A Letter to Lynn Bowden Jr., Thank You!

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Lynn Bowden Jr. has come a long way in his three years at Kentucky and has sacrificed himself for this program and for his “forever home” in Lexington.

On behalf of the BBN, I want to respond to Lynn with this.

Lynn “Come See About It” Bowden,

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After a 10-win season, this season had unmatched anticipation from the Big Blue Nation. After Terry Wilson and Sawyer Smith were both sidelined with injuries, that excitement turned into doubt and a 2-3 record before you took over, in what we all thought would be a waste of a season.

Yeah, we seen you return kicks, punts, and make some insane catches and plays as the best playmaker on the team, but it would be a lie to say that we didn’t have a little doubt when a wide receiver was named as the quarterback prior to the Arkansas game.

Those doubts were gone in 60 minutes when you literally carried Kentucky to a win on Jared Lorenzen Night with 176 rushing yards, 78 passing yards, ending a three-game skid with a 24-yard run to win the game.

The next eight games to close out the season were some of the most exciting games and impressive performances Kentucky football has ever seen. We seen moves quarterbacks don’t make and things quarterbacks aren’t supposed to do, but you did, and you led this team to a 6-2 record with you under center including a bowl winning pass.

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Lynn, you manufactured a season to remember, when we did not think there was a chance of that, and you did so in only EIGHT games as quarterback, when EVERYONE knew you were going to run. I mean just look at this year’s accomplishments.

    • Paul Hornung Award (Nation’s Most Versatile Player)
    • SEC Leading Rusher (1,468 yards)
    • NCAA Leading Rushing Average Per Attempt (7.9 yards)
    • Consensus First Team All-American
    • First Team All-SEC
    • Belk Bowl MVP

As a quarterback who ran the ball 20+ times a game, you sacrificed yourself and took some hard hits, but you showed heart and grittiness and always found a way to stay in the game. We can play the what if game and wander what would have been if you had played 12 games at quarterback, but one thing is for sure, you will live in Kentucky football folklore for a loooonnnnngggg time.

Let’s come see about it in the NFL!

Thank you,

The “Best Fans in the Damn Land” aka Big Blue Nation

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Louisville Football Player Charged With First-Degree Strangulation, Days After Committing Game Losing Personal Foul

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Louisville Cardinals defensive back Tayon Holloway (20) reacts to his defensive play.
Eric Canha | Imagn

On Monday, Louisville football defensive back Tayon Holloway was detained and charged with first-degree strangulation and fourth-degree assault.

This comes just days after the former four-star prospect committed a costly personal foul to put a 2-7 Stanford team in field goal range and upset Louosillve 38-35 with a walk-off field goal.

As expected, Holloway has been indefinitely suspended from the team.

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“The University of Louisville is aware of the arrest of football student-athlete Tayon Holloway,” the university said in a statement. “As we gather more information, Tayon has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.”

Things Cardinals seem to be in a downward trend as the Commonwealth Cup nears, November 30th.

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Kentucky snaps four game losing streak defeats Murray State 48-6

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops talking to Murray State football coach Jody Wright.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

Kentucky gets a much-needed victory over Murray St 48-6 to snap its four-game losing Streak. Brock Vandagriff led the way for the Cats, going 12-19 for 183 passing yards and two touchdown passes to Hardley Gilmore IV and Ja’Mori Maclin. 48 Points is the most points Kentucky has scored in a game since 2021 when the Cats scored 51 points against Louisville.

The defense held Murray St. without a touchdown. For the second time this season, Kentucky’s defense has held an opponent without a touchdown.

Freshman Standout today:

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For the second time this season, Kentucky breaks the 40-point mark as three freshmen make impacts for Kentucky. Jamarion Wilcox had 13 carries and 124 yards with a touchdown in the 3rd quarter.

Receiver Hardley Gilmore IV had two receptions for 72 yards and caught the 52-yard touchdown pass from Brock Vandagriff on the game-opening drive.

Four-star quarterback Cutter Boley started the second half for the Cats, going 10-14 and passing for 130 yards with two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, both touchdown passes to sophomore receiver Anthony Brown-Stephens.

Defense Bounces Back:

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After giving up over 475 yards of total offense each of the last three games, Kentucky’s defense holds Murray State to 256 total yards of offense while also having three takeaways from the Murray State offense

Defensive Lineman Tre’vonn Rybka led the way for the defense with five tackles and the only sack of the game for Kentucky’s defense. Jordan Lovett had two takeaways in the first half for Kentucky and one in the red zone in the second quarter. Jackson Schultz had the final takeaway, picking off Jim Ogle’s pass late in the fourth quarter.

Box Score

With the win today over Murray St., Kentucky moves to 4-6 (1-6 SEC) with two games remaining. They look to keep their bowl eligibility alive as they travel to Austin, Texas, and face the No. 3 ranked Texas Longhorns at 3:30 pm on ABC. 

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Mark Stoops Responds to Retirement Rumors, “Zero Percent Chance I Do That”

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops responds to retirement rumors amidst disappointing season. "Zero percent chance I do that."
Jordan Prather | Imagn

To say there is unrest in the Kentucky Football fanbase would be an understatement. With a 3-6 record overall, and 1-6 in the SEC (15th out of 16) things look bleak, and there is still a quarter of the season to go. Considering the regression from the previous two seasons as well, it’s difficult to be optimistic about the future.

Over the last few weeks, rumors have circled that head coach Mark Stoops has considered retiring at the end of the season. Optics wise it makes sense, his older brother Bob Stoops surprisingly retired from Oklahoma at just 56, and Mark, now 57, has expressed a desire to spend more time with his children.

At his weekly press conference, Stoops was asked directly if there is any chance that he would walk away from Kentucky and retire at the season. To which he responded, bluntly:

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“Zero percent chance I do that. Next question.”

Mark Stoops is still owed more than $44 million on his contract. That’s A LOT of money to leave on the table and is the reason that the decision will be Stoops’ to make, as Kentucky cannot afford the buyout.

If Stoops holds true to his word and returns next season, NIL fundraising efforts may be the most difficult it has been for him. However, he hopes it sparks motivation to donate.

“I’ve seen it at other SEC schools,” Stoops said. “I want to stay away from that. I really get tired of — I don’t want to be like I am whining, I am crying. It is reality. You have to have dollars.”

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