Lynn Bowden's Citrus Bowl performance foreshadows a bright future

The Citrus Bowl victory hinged on big performances from Benny Snell and Josh Allen, who both suited up for Kentucky for the final time today. And while their contributions were huge, the Cats could not have won without Lynn Bowden. The sophomore's big afternoon really got going with his memorable punt return that resulted in a touchdown. Following a big third-down stop by Kash Daniel, the Nittany Lions were forced to punt. And when they did, Lynn Bowden was ready. His 58-yard return put the Cats up 10-0 over Penn State. With the touchdown, Bowden became the fifth player in UK history to record two punt return touchdowns in a single season. Penn State had not given up a punt return TD since 2012.

HE. COULD. GO. ALL. THE. WAY.@UKFootball's Lynn Bowden goes 58 yards on the punt return TD! pic.twitter.com/ANzsiAsA5M

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) January 1, 2019

After the game, Coach Stoops had nothing but praise for Bowden. "Lynn's a game changer. He does a great job," Stoops said. "He made some very creative plays today. He's good with the ball in his hands. Very proud of him. The punt return was huge.... Very good individual play by him." The best part? He's not done yet. While some of Kentucky's biggest play makers have competed in their last game, Bowden has positioned himself perfectly to break onto the national scene next season. "We need to do a better job of making sure we find ways to get him the ball," Stoops said. "He's definitely got some big-play ability." Today, Bowden showcased that ability. In addition to his punt return, the wide receiver had a big moment in the third quarter. His play put the Wildcats on the 12 yard-line, setting up Benny Snell for his record-setting touchdown. Bowden also finished as the day's leading receiver: five catches for 84 yards. His bowl game performance was the cherry on top of an already-impressive season. He may have crashed into a few patrons in the process, but Lynn Bowden got it done for Kentucky over Penn State. He'll have plenty of time to celebrate, but today's victory isn't the end for Bowden - it's just the beginning.

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@MaggieDavisKSR