Devin Leary, Barion Brown connect on 60-yard TD to retake Gator Bowl lead
Kentucky WR Barion Brown just earned himself a hat trick in the Gator Bowl with his third touchdown of the day – all three of which have come in different ways.
Devin Leary loaded up and connected with Brown for the sophomore’s first receiving score of the day and the quarterback’s second touchdown pass. Now, after his own third trip to the endzone, the Wildcats have regained the lead in the fourth quarter against Clemson in Jacksonville.
This was a crucial score as Brown himself coughed up a fumble on the previous possession, the third straight turnover for Kentucky. That one allowed Clemson to retake the lead around the halfway mark of the fourth.
Brown scored the game’s first touchdown off of a toss as he rushed it in from 22 yards out. Then, coming out of halftime, he broke Gator Bowl and program records with a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown. That was all before this third score on the reception from Leary to regain a lead of one point.
Brown now has seven touches against Clemson. Those have gone for 224 yards and three touchdowns overall. That includes four catches for 98 yards and a score, two rushes for 26 yards plus another touchdown, and then the 100-yard return to the endzone on special teams.
Brown is well on his way to winning some individual, in-game honors after this explosion of a performance inside EverBank Stadium. It’ll take a Wildcat win, though, as Kentucky continues to go back and forth with the Tigers in the fourth quarter.
Barion Brown scores record-breaking, 100-yard kick return vs. Clemson
Barion Brown has made several opponents pay in the return game over his two seasons at Kentucky. Now, in the Gator Bowl against Clemson, the sophomore receiver has done so once again to the Tigers.
Brown had already scored a touchdown in the first half against Clemson off of a toss. Then, coming out of the half, he broke off another kick return score to add to his career’s total and give his team a double-digit lead.
This return was the longest in the 79-game history of the Gator Bowl. It also gave him the new school records at Kentucky for kickoff return touchdowns, both in a single season (three) and in a career (four).
As a freshman last year, Brown scored a 100-yard kickoff return in his collegiate debut. With this one against the Tigers, Brown has his third of the season and second in as many games after doing so in his last outing at Louisville in the season-finale.