How the 2019 Eastern Michigan game changed the course of Kentucky history

When Kentucky hosts Eastern Michigan on Saturday, it won’t be the first time the Eagles have visited Kroger Field for an out-of-conference game in early September. The last matchup came in 2019, and while the Wildcats won, the night is remembered far less for the final score and far more for the moment that changed the entire course of Kentucky’s season, one etched in Kentucky history.

Terry Wilson’s final game at Kentucky

That September 8, 2019, night, Kentucky starting quarterback Terry Wilson was carted off the field with a knee injury that would cost him the rest of his year. The season-ending knee injury occurred on a horse-collar tackle late in the third quarter, with unbeaten Kentucky leading 24-10.

Wilson, who led Kentucky to a 10-3 record and Citrus Bowl trophy the previous year, had thrown for 246 yards and two touchdowns in the 2019 season opener against Toledo. He had one rushing touchdown against Eastern Michigan before EMU defensive lineman Turan Rush, who was flagged for a penalty on the play, pulled him down from behind.

Wilson waved his arms to the Kroger Field crowd as the medical team wheeled him off the field.

Sawyer Smith’s brief backup duty

With Wilson out, backup Sawyer Smith stepped in for four straight hand-offs against Eastern Michigan before hitting a 54-yard completion to Ahmad Wagner for a touchdown. Smith added one more passing TD to put Kentucky up 38-17, the final score against the Eagles.

However, Smith’s time as Wilson’s replacement was short-lived. The Troy transfer started three games before he was sidelined at South Carolina with multiple injuries in Week 5.

Down two quarterbacks in a season with high expectations, Kentucky turned to the unconventional option.

Enter Lynn Bowden

Lynn Bowden is a Kentucky legend because of what happened after he stepped in at quarterback in 2019. At the time, Kentucky was 2-3, down two quarterbacks, and staring at a season on the brink. The solution? Move the team’s best playmaker, a wide receiver, under center and let him run.

It sounded crazy, but Kentucky was desperate. And it worked.

Bowden lined up in the backfield with the entire stadium knowing he was going to run the football, and he ran it anyway. Defenses sold out to stop him, stacking the box with eight or nine men. Behind the Big Blue Wall, it didn’t matter. Bowden’s vision, patience, and burst turned obvious running plays into big gains, week after week.

The experiment proved to be one of the most memorable stretches in Kentucky football history. Bowden led the Wildcats to six wins in eight games, including road victories in the SEC, a rivalry win over Louisville where Bowden rushed for 284 yards, and the unforgettable Belk Bowl finish, when he threw a game-winning touchdown pass with 15 seconds left.

Bowden finished the season with 1,468 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns, plus 35-of-74 passing for 430 yards and three passing touchdowns. His toughness, creativity, and swagger (Come see about it!) turned what looked like a lost year into one fans still talk about as one of the program’s most incredible rides, all made possible because of an illegal horse-collar tackle that injured Terry Wilson in the Eastern Michigan game.

Let’s keep everyone healthy this Saturday.