Saturday, October 12, 2019 07:30 PM (ET)

Kentucky rallies to defeat Arkansas behind third-string QB

Field Level Media
Oct 12, 2019

Third-string quarterback Lynn Bowden, a converted wide receiver, rushed for 196 yards and two touchdowns to lead Kentucky to a 24-20 come-from-behind victory over Arkansas on Saturday night in Lexington.

Kentucky (3-3, 1-3 SEC) snapped a three-game losing streak while Arkansas (2-4, 0-3) has now lost three in a row.

A season-ending knee injury to starting quarterback Terry Wilson in Week 2 and shoulder and wrist injuries to backup Sawyer Smith forced Kentucky to go with Bowden against Arkansas.

With a bye week to adjust the offense, Bowden added 7 of 11 passing for 78 yards and another touchdown. The former high school quarterback accounted for 274 yards total offense and all three touchdowns in his first collegiate start at the position.

All told, Kentucky amassed 418 yards compared to 305 for Arkansas.

AJ Rose added 90 rushing yards on 16 carries and Kavosiey Smoke had 45 yards on 11 attempts. Three receivers had two catches each, including Clevan Thomas, who hauled in a 10-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter to give UK its first lead.

Arkansas retook the lead at 20-17 with 10:35 left on Rakeem Boyd's two-yard run. But that's when Bowden led the game-winning drive, covering 75 yards in six plays and using 3:42. Bowden capped the drive with his own 24-yard touchdown run.

Of Arkansas' 305 yards, 74 of those came on the second play of the game when Boyd ripped off a long touchdown run to put the Razorbacks on the board. Field goals of 28 and 44 yards by Connor Limpert gave the Razorbacks a 13-0 lead before UK began to mount its comeback.

After a sluggish start, Bowden broke through with 10-play, 75-yard drive, capped by his own three-yard run, to pull Kentucky within 13-7 with less than one minute before halftime.

Saturday's game was only the eighth between the SEC foes and the first since 2012. Coach Mark Stoops, now in his seventh season at UK, was meeting the Razorbacks for the first time.

--Field Level Media

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