2020 Tournament of Roses Parade

Tennessee: 2020 Gator Bowl Champions

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Tennessee football season filled with drama ended with plenty of it.

The Vols erased a two-score fourth-quarter deficit and rallied to a 23-22 victory over Indiana in the Gator Bowl on Thursday night in front of a crowd of 61,789 at TIAA Bank Field.

Tennessee (8-5) will take a six-game winning streak into the offseason, while Indiana (8-5) came heartbreakingly close to its first nine-win season since 1967.

Trailing 22-9, the Vols used an 82-yard touchdown drive to move within one possession.

Then Paxton Brooks dribbled an onside kick that Eric Gray recovered. Three plays later, Gray was in the end zone with a 16-yard scoring run to give the Vols the lead with 3:51 left in the game.

Indiana had a chance to go ahead, but Logan Justus missed a 52-yard field goal to the right. Justus missed an extra point earlier in the game.

The Hoosiers regained possession with less than a minute remaining and crossed midfield, but Peyton Ramsey's fourth-down pass sailed incomplete.

Tennessee led 6-3 at halftime, riding the coattails of its defense that powered its winning streak. But Indiana opened the third quarter with a 12-play, 69-yard scoring drive.

Ramsey’s running ability gave the Vols fits all night, and his 9-yard scramble on second down set up his touchdown on a sneak.

Two plays later, Tennessee quarterback Jarrett Guarantano threw an interception that was returned for a score, and the Vols suddenly trailed 16-6 with 8:26 remaining in the third quarter.

The Vols will have five scholarship quarterbacks in spring practice if each of the quarterbacks on this year’s team returns. Having more competition in the form of incoming freshmen Harrison Bailey and Jimmy Holiday is a welcome addition after the quarterback woes that hamstrung this season.

Guarantano finished 18-of-31 for 221 yards with two interceptions. Brian Maurer appeared in one drive and threw back-to-back passes into traffic that were nearly intercepted. That ended his night.

Guarantano, a junior, enters the offseason with a flimsy handle on the starting spot after a season in which he lost and regained the job.

Don’t bury Guarantano, though. He’s the quarterback with nine lives, and he was at his best during the fourth-quarter rally.

The Vols had 202 yards of offense in the first half, but scored just six points.

How can that be? Well, it’s Tennessee.

The Vols’ red-zone woes continued. Three first-half trips inside the 10-yard line resulted in a pair of field goals. The first trip ended in a failed fourth down before Tennessee wisely just sent out Brent
Cimaglia for the easy three points the next two times.

To Tennessee’s credit, it scored touchdowns on both second-half trips into the red zone. The Vols finished the season with a 48.9% touchdown rate on red-zone trips. That ranks 13th in the SEC.

Guarantano desperately wanted to get Jauan Jennings the ball on his first pass attempt of the second half. The Hoosiers seemed to sense that.

Jamar Johnson undercut Jennings to intercept the pass and returned it for a 63-yard touchdown.

Jennings finished with two catches in his one half of play after serving a first-half suspension.

Freshman Ramel Keyton was one of the wide receivers who saw an uptick in playing time in place of Jennings. He made an impressive catch on a downfield 50/50 ball before making a catch over the middle to move the chains on a third down. His two catches doubled his season total.

Josh Palmer was Tennessee’s leading receiver with six catches for 68 yards.

Cincinnati: 2020 Birmingham Bowl Champions

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Cincinnati football knocked off an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent in postseason play to clinch 11 wins for the second consecutive season.

The No. 21 Bearcats defeated Boston College 38-6 Thursday, thriving despite dreadful weather conditions to begin the 14th annual Birmingham Bowl at Legion Field.

Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder rushed for a school bowl record three touchdowns, passed for a touchdown (the four total scores were also a UC bowl record) and totaled 200 yards to earn MVP honors.

UC (11-3) senior linebackers Bryan Wright and Perry Young, a Birmingham native, concluded their collegiate careers tied for team-best with four tackles. Wright had a fumble recovery, defensive lineman Elijah Ponder blocked a first-half field goal attempt and junior running back Michael Warren II recorded his seventh 100-yard rushing performance of the season (105 yards on 21 carries).

There were moments when it appeared the game might not happen.

Two delays for lightning — one pregame and one midway through the first quarter that lasted 90 minutes — and consistent heavy rainfall in the first half placed the ability to stage the event in question. More than two inches of rain fell in Birmingham, but the lightning rolled to the east and rain stopped falling after halftime.

The outcome was no longer in question well before that.

That's because the Cincinnati defense stonewalled the Eagles (6-7), who were without their most productive star because running back AJ Dillon opted to skip the game to begin prep for the NFL Draft. Dillon rushed for 1,685 and 14 touchdowns in the regular season. Without him, BC managed just 164 total yards and eight first downs.

The Eagles only score came near the end of the third quarter on redshirt sophomore defensive back Brandon Sebastian's 67-yard return after Cincinnati kicker Cole Smith's long field goal attempt was blocked. A failed two-point conversion pass attempt ensured the Bearcats' defense didn't allow any points.

Quick hits: The Eagles were guided by interim head coach/wide receivers assistant Rich Gunnell after Steve Addazio was fired a month ago. ... The Bearcats won 22 of 27 games the past two seasons, including two wins in bowl games (Virginia Tech in least season's Military Bowl) ... Ridder gained 105 yards on 21 carries, his third 100-yard rushing performance of the season and second straight. ... UC senior Josiah Deguara's third-quarter catch set the school record for career receptions by a tight end with 92 receptions. He finished Thursday with three catches for 12 yards, and has accepted an invitation to compete in the Senior Bowl later this month in Mobile, Alabama. ... UC junior wideout Malick Mbodj scored his first career touchdown on a pass from Ridder in the third quarter. Mbodj became a frequent target late in the season, notching 19 of his 24 receptions on the season after November 1. ... Freshman running back Ryan Montgomery scored his second career touchdown with 39 seconds to play in the game.

Personnel matters: James Hudson and Bryan Cook, both transfers who did not receive an NCAA waiver for eligibility in the regular-season, each made their Cincinnati debuts. Hudson started at left tackle and Cook made his first appearance at safety in the second quarter. ... Wilson Huber, the sophomore tight end who previously wore No. 82, changed to No. 2 and played a series at linebacker in the second quarter. Huber entered Thursday tied with a team-high seven special teams tackles and spent time during bowl practices on defense. ... Jack linebacker Michael Pitts (shoulder) and tight end Josh Whyle (undisclosed) did not play.

Remember when: The Bearcats won the 2007 Birmingham Bowl (then called the PapaJohns.com Bowl) 31-21 against Southern Miss. Quarterback Ben Mauk was named MVP after passing for 334 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions and rushing for 41 yards.

Oregon: 2020 Rose Bowl Champions

Oregon football owns Southern California.

The truth was as startling as the screaming Ducks who danced around a green-confetti-strewn Pasadena field early Wednesday night as if it was their backyard.

For many, it was.

Oregon just won the Rose Bowl with a roster including more than 30 players who grew up within 70 miles of that Rose Bowl.

Oregon just used kids from South Los Angeles to Norco to Rancho Cucamonga to Mission Viejo to defeat a bunch of behemoths from Wisconsin 28-27 in a game that held one bit of consolation for the Badgers.

The real losers here were USC and UCLA.

A program from an adjoining state just won what is annually their season’s most important game on their turf with many of their kids. Yeah, this actually might have been their worst loss of the season.

As the local programs struggle, the Ducks are soaring. As the locals’ recruiting rankings stall or drop, the Ducks continue to take players from underneath their out-of-joint nose, building that rare Pac-12 Conference team that could actually outmuscle a Big Ten Conference hulk.

With about one-third Southern California kids, they beat Wisconsin despite being outgained 322 yards to 204 because they stole the ball four times and shut down the Badgers in crunch time.

With Southern California kids, Oregon won by playing the sort of toughness that USC used to have, with the sort of resilience that UCLA’s Chip Kelly used to engender, thanks to the kind of recruiting that neither place is doing.

This ownership of the local football landscape won’t last forever, it might not even last until USC gets a new coach. But it’s real right now, as real as all those screaming Ducks fans who stuck around the Rose Bowl into Wednesday night as if they owned the place.

Check out the smile on the face of the Calabasas High kid who caught a 12-yard pass to set the tone for Oregon’s game-sealing drive.

“We run L.A.,” receiver Mycah Pittman said.

Now check out the wardrobe of his older brother, Michael Jr., a USC receiver who was spotted after the game wearing — wait for it — an Oregon jersey.

“We’ve got all these SoCal recruits because, if you want to win, you come to Oregon, that’s all there is to it,” Pittman said.

The message was as plain as the sweaty smile on the face of Thomas Graham Jr., the former USC commit from Rancho Cucamonga who intercepted a pass that led to Oregon’s second touchdown, then later offered an Oregon pitch to his Southland buddies.

“We’re taking over,” he said. “Get away from home, get out of trouble, get away from all the distractions, grow as a player and a man, become a Duck, and I promise you won’t regret your decision.”

Graham was part of a second-quarter sequence where Southern California kids were everywhere.

With 8 minutes 37 seconds remaining in the first half, Troy Dye from Norco High ripped the ball from the hands of powerful Badgers running back Jonathan Taylor and Deommodore Lenoir from Los Angeles Salesian High recovered it.

After Oregon failed on a fourth-down run, Wisconsin regained possession only long enough to lose it to another Southern California kid, this time on an interception by Graham with pressure applied on quarterback Jack Coan by Westlake Village Oaks Christian’s Kayvon Thibodeaux.

Two plays later, running back CJ Verdell from Chula Vista carried 13 yards to the Wisconsin five, from where Oregon-grown quarterback Justin Herbert carried it in for one of his three rushing touchdowns to give Oregon a 14-10 lead.

In all, two of three Ducks who carried the ball were from Southern California, one of the four receivers who caught passes were locals, and five of their top nine tacklers were from the Southland.

It all fits into coach Mario Cristobal’s eye-opening answer when he was asked this week about recruiting in Southern California.

“For us, this is home state,” he said of the Southland. “That’s what it is. We’ve made it a priority ... so every opportunity to be in a big game like the Rose Bowl, I think it certainly helps recruiting.”

In winning this game, Oregon backed up the fun yet furious culture that it has been selling. The Ducks wore the flashy dark green and silver uniforms, yet played old-school smashmouth football, then partied like a bunch of crazy kids, dancing in the locker room while puffing on cigars.

“You see the fun we’re having, the way we’re celebrating right now, the way coach Cristobal leads us, there’s no reason not to come here right now,” guard Shane Lemieux said.

It is a culture that has resulted in a 20-6 record over the last two seasons, including two bowl victories.

During that same time, USC is 13-12 with no bowl victories and UCLA is 7-17 with no bowl appearances.

It is also an atmosphere that attracted the 18th-ranked recruiting class in the country this winter, second in the Pac-12. Meanwhile, UCLA was 28th nationally and fourth in the Pac-12, and USC, normally a recruiting powerhouse, ranked 79th overall and last in the conference.

The Ducks, in particular, stole two of the country’s top-ranked defensive forces from the locals, Thibodeaux last year and Upland’s Justin Flowe this year.

Indeed, a large number of Southern California parents crowded a Rose Bowl concourse near the Oregon locker room Wednesday. Mark Dye, whose sons Troy and Travis left Norco to play for the Ducks, offered one theory about the defections.

“The local schools are still well respected, but some of that traditional luster has kind of gone away a little bit,” he said.

“The current age group, when Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart were playing ... those kids were 9 and 10 years old. The rich tradition of both of those schools has started to fade.”

Oregon is clearly the trendy spot, the cool spot, the Rose Bowl’s traditional sounds of “Conquest” replaced Wednesday night by the noise of Ducks fans singing and dancing to their own melody of “Shout.”

The final message of the night came from Troy Dye, delivered to his Southern California neighbors as he sat in a smoky, dizzying Ducks locker room, a statement that served as Wednesday’s true final score.

“I know you grew up watching the Rose Bowl, I know you want to shoot for playing in the Rose Bowl, I know you want to win the Rose Bowl,” Dye said. “If you want to do that, you come to Oregon.”

Georgia: 2020 Sugar Bowl Champions

Those not as well versed in SEC depth charts likely didn’t notice the large absence of Georgia starters at the Sugar Bowl on Wednesday. The Bulldogs were missing six regular-season starters and 13 rotation players in New Orleans, but Kirby Smart’s squad still managed to overwhelm Baylor and quarterback Charlie Brewer in a 26-14 victory. The Bears didn’t score in the first half late Wednesday night. They committed three turnovers, and starting quarterback Brewer spent most of the second half running for his life before exiting the game in the fourth quarter due to a potential concussion. A short-handed Georgia squad handled Baylor with relative ease for much of the evening.

We shouldn’t completely dismiss the effort by coach Matt Rhule’s squad to close the slate of New Year’s Day games. Baylor mounted a 75-yard drive to pull within 12 late in the third quarter, and the Bulldogs’ offense stalled in spurts for portions of the second half. Yet it was a backup Bulldog who ultimately pierced Baylor’s front line in Georgia’s victory.

Freshman Zamir White logged just 60 carries entering Wednesday night, but he led all players with 92 rushing yards on 18 carries in the Sugar Bowl victory. White bullied Baylor midway through the third quarter, bursting into the end zone from 13 yards out. White is no ordinary backup. He joined Georgia as the nation’s No. 1 running back recruit in the class of 2018. After waiting his turn behind D’Andre Swift for much of 2019, White arrived on the national stage Wednesday.

Another Georgia standout freshman, wideout George Pickens finished the evening with 12 catches for 175 yards and one touchdown, bullying the Bears’ secondary with his 6’3” frame. Pickens was one of Georgia’s five five-star recruits in the class of 2019. The Bulldogs currently sport the nation’s No. 4 class for 2020. Smart continues to keep Georgia stocked with the nation’s top talent on a yearly basis.

The Smart era has yet to bring Athens its first national championship since 1980, and back-to-back years outside the College Football Playoff is a minor disappointment after coming so close to the title against Alabama in January 2018. Yet it’s hard not to be encouraged as Georgia enters the next decade. Smart is 36–7 in his last three seasons. Georgia is 6–4 against Top-10 teams since 2017. A standard of success has been re-established, with Smart’s last three years matching the height of the Mark Richt era from the previous decade. With a steady stream of talent arriving each year, a return to the playoff could be imminent.

Georgia will certainly be among the top tier of title contenders entering 2020. LSU will likely lose Joe Burrow, and the potential departure of Tua Tagovailoa for Alabama could leave the conference with no true favorite. Quarterback Jake Fromm’s future may swing the odds entering September. The junior tossed 24 touchdowns and just five interceptions in 2019, and he could sneak into the back of the first round if he performs well in the months between now and the 2020 draft. But Fromm could be well served by another year on a collegiate stage. If he stays, Georgia will likely cruise to the SEC East title. The road will be different if Fromm bolts, though the Bulldogs have proven they have enough talent to withstand any single departure. Smart has built a true power, one that’s in fine shape as we roll into 2020.

Minnesota: 2020 Outback Bowl Champions

TAMPA, FLA. – Tyler Johnson launched off the field and outstretched his right arm.

Reaching, reaching.

Eyes pinned on the ball as it smacked into his curved palm. His right foot, toe pointed, just barely tapped the green turf before he tumbled out of bounds.

Like Michelangelo’s hand of God imparting the spark of life to Adam, Johnson ignited the Gophers. Not just to a divine victory against SEC powerhouse Auburn in the Outback Bowl but to a future that doesn’t just look bright — it might be electric.

Johnson, a senior playing his last collegiate game, caught 12 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns to become the Gophers’ all-time leader in receiving yards and touchdowns in the 31-24 win against the No. 12 Tigers on Wednesday at Raymond James Stadium. He cemented his legacy of 213 catches for 3,305 yards and 33 touchdowns by helping build the No. 18 Gophers program into one that demands national attention and respect after an 11-2 season.

“It was my last chance to go out there and give everything I got,” Johnson said. “To be able to not only represent myself but my family and my community. One last chance at the school that I decided to go to, back four years ago.”

Johnson’s journey embodies that of the entire senior class, with many of the 12 other graduating players from the same 2016 recruiting class. While their impact on the field has been prominent, from seven key defensive players to the all-purpose yards record-holder in running back Rodney Smith, the path they’ve paved off it has led the Gophers to their current star status.

For Johnson, he came back for this final season despite the allure of the NFL. He did so to show his five younger siblings the importance of graduating from college, to show his north Minneapolis community what hometown pride means, to show his young receiving corps how it’s done.

Johnson said seeing out his Gophers career instead of turning pro last year was “definitely worth it.”

“He’s going to leave here the greatest receiver in the history of the University of Minnesota,” said teary-eyed Gophers coach P.J. Fleck. “… Everybody is going to look at that game. Every NFL scout, every NFL wide receiver coach, GM, president is going to watch that game.

“Look at what he just did.”

An announced crowd of 45,652, saturated with Gophers fans, saw it all, what Johnson achieved and more. They witnessed the Gophers respond from early setbacks such as quarterback Tanner Morgan’s interception on the third play and a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. They watched sophomore running back Mohamed Ibrahim reclaim his No. 1 spot, one he took up for an injured Smith last year but ceded with no qualms back to his mentor this season.

Ibrahim, last year’s Quick Lane Bowl MVP with 224 yards, ran for 140 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries against Auburn. He dragged defenders for every extra yard and exploited every hole his offensive line gave him, with that unit refusing to bend to Auburn’s veteran defensive line boasting SEC Defensive Player of the Year Derrick Brown.

The senior-heavy defense held Auburn’s rush, which averaged 211 yards per game heading into Wednesday, to just 56 yards. The Tigers converted only three of 11 third downs.

“Throughout the entire season, it was one of those things where we have to earn everybody’s respect,” senior defensive end Carter Coughlin said. “And we did this year. We earned the respect and respect from other conferences now. And now that’s just a wake up to the rest of the world.”

Coughlin finished his time with the Gophers upholding his father’s and grandfather’s legacies. Linebacker Thomas Barber did the same for his father and two brothers. They’re both Minnesota natives in Johnson’s same class that Coughlin nicknamed all those years ago as the “Empire,” after how the Romans dominated their era.

“That all has to start somewhere,” Coughlin said. “We kind of started that. I think that we were a part in making Gopher football what we’ve always dreamed it could be.”

This could just be the beginning for the Gophers, who probably will enter next season ranked and return all but two of their offensive starters, including Morgan and next-in-line receiver Rashod Bateman.

For Johnson, Coughlin, Barber and more, though, this is the end.

On his penultimate catch for the Gophers, Johnson looked up in the open field. He would track the ball as it dropped into his waiting hands before running free to the end zone for a 73-yard touchdown.

But in that moment, he was Adam. Looking up into the light, anticipating what’s to come.

Alabama: 2020 Citrus Bowl Champions

When Michigan hired Jim Harbaugh five years ago, it had visions of competing against the likes of Alabama in the College Football Playoff. The 2020 Citrus Bowl between the No. 13 Crimson Tide and No. 14 Wolverines may not have been for a national title, but it certainly did not lack in drama. In the end, Alabama pulled away in the second half to beat Michigan, 35-16.

The biggest difference was Alabama's passing attack. Even without quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, the Tide found plenty of downfield shots to take the top of the Wolverines' defense. Quarterback Mac Jones finished the day 16-of-25 passing for 327 yards and three touchdowns. Jerry Jeudy had the best game of his career, statistically speaking, with six receptions on eight targets for 204 yards and a touchdown. Devonta Smith and Miller Forristall also had a receiving touchdown each. That allowed running back Najee Harris to have a big day on the ground with 136 yards and two touchdowns.

Michigan had a solid game plan of its own as well -- at least in the first half. The Wolverines found success in the ground game with Zach Charbonnet, Hassan Haskins and quarterback Shea Patterson. Charbonnet and Haskins ended the day with a combined 145 yards rushing, but most of those came in the first half. By the final 30 minutes, the Tide's defense won in a lot of first-and-second down situations, forcing Michigan out of its comfort zone.

The loss drops Michigan to 9-4 and is Harbaugh's fourth straight bowl loss. Alabama ends the year at 11-2. Here's what else we learned from Wednesday's Citrus Bowl ...

Alabama's 2020 quarterback situation will be fascinating

Jones isn't Tagovailoa, but he really doesn't need to be. He showed to be perfectly capable running Bama's offense both against the Wolverines and in his previous three starts against Auburn, Arkansas and Western Carolina. For the year, he threw for 1,503 yards at about a 69% completion rate and 14 touchdowns to three interceptions. That's more than good enough, and if Tagovailoa were to declare for the NFL Draft, it would put him in position to legitimately challenge Tua's younger brother, Taulia, in an offseason quarterback battle.

However, it's not 100% determined that Tua will go pro. It would make tons of business sense because any rookie contract is better than not being paid a salary at all, but there's a growing sense around the program that he may return in 2020. Would Jones, a redshirt sophomore, transfer from the program? He would have options, especially after what he showed this season. Jones may not be the singular talent that Tagovailoa is, but he's a step above what the Crimson Tide had for many years.

Jerry Jeudy reminded everyone that he's WR1
It's not so much that Jeudy slipped off of anyone's radar, it's more that the radar is filled with other talented wideouts. By now, it's clear the Crimson Tide have four pass catchers -- Jeudy, DeVonta Smith, Henry Ruggs III and Jaylen Waddle -- who could the first option on just about any team in college football. Jeudy and Ruggs are first-round talents for the NFL draft and Smith isn't far behind. When there's such an embarrassment of riches like that, even the best can get overshadowed from time to time. Jeudy still led the Tide in receptions in 2019, but was passed by Smith in yards and touchdowns. Some of that is probably due to the attention Jeudy received from opposing defenses. Against Michigan, though, he showed why he's still in contention for WR1 in the spring. His 204 yards were a career best and he was a nightmare for the Wolverines all day, starting with the first play from scrimmage.

Shea Patterson did not help his draft stock

Speaking of draft takes, Patterson didn't exactly do himself any favors against the Tide. Yes, the full body of work is bigger than one game, but this was not the game Patterson wants to put on his highlight reel. The senior went 17-of-37 passing for 233 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Beyond the numbers, though, he overthrew his wide receivers on seven different occasions -- including a couple of likely touchdowns.

Patterson has always been a guy who's better when he's using his legs. That doesn't mean he's strictly a running quarterback; rather, he's more comfortable in the pocket when he's on the move. He also does better when Michigan has a running game, which is why he seemed more settled in the first half than the second. But when Alabama forced Patterson to make plays with his arm, he didn't fare all that well. Patterson has had his ups and downs in his career, but without the use of his legs, he just didn't show enough as a passer to prove he's a top NFL prospect. 

This is going to be a long offseason for Harbaugh's narrative

It's always going to be something with Harbaugh. That's part of being the coach at Michigan. But Wednesday's loss was another blow to the narrative that the Wolverines' favorite son can't win the big games. Of course, that's not entirely true. The blowout over Notre Dame earlier in the season looks better now than it did at the time. But Harbaugh has now lost four straight bowls (and is 2-5 all time) and has not been competitive lately against the best teams on the schedule.

Looking at the totality of Harbaugh's time in Ann Arbor, it's fair to surmise that he's overall been a good coach. He's won 72% of his games and hit 10 wins three times. That's objectively good. However, without a Big Ten East title or a statement bowl win to hang his hat on, his time at Michigan is incomplete. Some of this has to do with Ohio State's current success; it's hard for two blue-blood programs in the same division to be amazing at the same time. There are ways to fix Michigan's struggles, namely in recruiting, but right now Harbaugh's taking it in the teeth for coming up short yet again.

Texas: 2019 Alamo Bowl Champions

AUSTIN — Sam Ehlinger didn’t say those cursed words. Tom Herman didn’t mock an opposing player. Bevo didn’t attempt to maim another mascot.

This time, Texas took its bowl win in stride.

The Longhorns (8-5) reveled on New Year’s Eve, of course, after a stunning 38-10 demolition of 11th-ranked Utah (11-3) in the Alamo Bowl. But their words and reactions were more measured Tuesday night at an Alamodome brimming with burnt-orange gear.

“I think it taught a lot of the young guys that when you play together, you play mistake-free, you have fun, and then you lock in … that our talent can take us pretty far,” Ehlinger said Tuesday night. “Then once you add in mistake-free football, watch out.”

The junior quarterback added, with a self-aware smirk: “And so I think that it’s a great — I don’t know how to word this — but I’m not going to do this again. I’ll leave it at that.”

Is the way Texas won on the final day of 2019 the blueprint for the future? That’s yet to be determined with new offensive (Mike Yurcich) and defensive (Chris Ash) coordinators joining the staff and more changes likely to come.

Still, there’s reason to believe Texas won’t squander its bowl momentum — real or imagined — this time. It won’t have to deal with the same senior exodus, though losing offensive studs Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay and the respected voice and presence of defensive end Malcolm Roach will require an adjustment.

Texas will be flush with talent again in 2020, as it is every year. The material is always there on the Forty Acres, waiting to be shaped into a contender. But Herman admitted the coaches, himself included, failed in their duty to grow and develop these players in 2019, the main point cited in his staff shakeup.

Against Utah, many of those highly recruited players looked ready to move from “prospect” to “contributor.”

“You look at their guys, man for man, talent-wise,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said, “that’s got to be one of the best, if not the best, 7-5 — now 8-5 — teams in the country.”

Other Longhorns, like Alamo Bowl defensive MVP Joseph Ossai, seem poised to leap from “talented but inconsistent” to “certified game-changer.”

The sophomore linebacker could be a critical piece for Ash as a versatile pass-rushing menace who can play in the more traditional spot or attack off the edge. He was nigh unstoppable against Utah, swimming through and bowling over defenders to drag down quarterback Tyler Huntley three times to go with another three tackles for loss.

The defensive dominance of Ossai and his teammates was a welcome palette cleanser for Texas. The best news for Herman and Ash: 12 of the 14 players who recorded multiple tackles will return in 2020, barring any potential transfers. And that doesn’t include freshman corner Chris Adimora, who came up big with a first-down saving tackle and a breakup of a potential touchdown pass on Utah’s final first-half drive.

“What was going on out there was just us having fun, and us having confidence in the defense, the defensive scheme,” Ossai said. “We bought in 100 percent and went out there and executed. I think that was the key thing tonight, executing. We’ve done a poor job — I myself have done a poor job in the past of executing, and today I feel like we executed at a high level and the result was pleasing.”

Ehlinger never has operated at the college level without center Zach Shackelford, Duvernay and Johnson.

That means freshman slot receiver Jake Smith and 6-foot-4 sophomore Brennan Eagles will be thrust into more prominent roles, and that 6-6 converted tight end Malcolm Epps will need to grow more comfortable as a wideout. Junior tight end Cade Brewer, if healthy, could become Ehlinger’s new safety valve, and 6-2 freshman wideout Marcus Washington will have a chance to fight for more reps.

Ehlinger, now with three bowl wins and 33 starts under his belt, will have to nurture all of those players and aid in their growth. A backfield stocked with sophomore Keaontay Ingram, freshman Roschon Johnson and ballyhooed 2020 signee Bijan Robinson should alleviate some of the pressure, though the buck will stop with Ehlinger.

Texas again will have its mettle tested early with a Sept. 12 trip to Baton Rouge. Taking down possible defending national champion LSU in Week 2 would put not just the Big 12, but the entire country on notice.

That’s looking too deep into the future, though. Herman and his new coordinators have their work cut out for them, but what happened on New Year’s Eve in San Antonio at least served as a beacon of hope after a dispiriting regular season.

“Those guys, we had our ups and downs with that crew throughout the season,” Herman said. “But I think not just the four hours tonight, but throughout the bowl preparation, I think the light bulb went on as to what it takes to win at a championship level, and I’m excited to carry over those lessons into the offseason.”

Wyoming: 2019 Arizona Bowl Champions

Levi Williams has strong audition for next season

If the Arizona Bowl was any indication, Wyoming could have itself another quarterback competition looming.

This spring, it was Sean Chambers solidifying the job over Tyler Vander Waal. Vander Waal is almost certainly on his way out of the program after entering the NCAA’s transfer portal a few weeks back, but true freshman Levi Williams could enter the equation at the position given how he looked Tuesday.

Making his first career start, Williams shined against Georgia State. The 6-foot-5, 208-pounder wasn’t terribly efficient — he completed just 42 percent of his passes — but, as Wyoming coach Craig Bohl noted afterward, he looked composed. There was an interception he threw off his back foot late in the first half that you could chalk up to a freshman moment for a guy playing in his third career game, but he delivered big plays in the clutch more often than not.

He had touchdown passes of 18 and 51 yards and also delivered a 62-yard strike to Xazavian Valladay — the Cowboys’ longest pass of the season — to set up another touchdown. All three of his touchdown passes came on third down, helping Wyoming start 9 of 12 on third down and finish 11 of 17 on the money down. His 234 yards passing marked the most for Wyoming all season, and he added 53 more yards and a score on the ground.

Bohl has said in the past he’s never had a player lose his spot atop the depth chart because of an injury, and given how dynamic Chambers is in the running game, it’s hard to see Chambers not back as QB1 whenever his surgically repaired knee returns to full strength.

But should there be a competition heading into next season? Or at least a platoon? You have to think Williams, who accounted for 524 total yards in the three games he played this season, has at least made Bohl and offensive coordinator Brent Vigen start pondering those questions with the way he performed down the stretch.

Xazavian Valladay is an emerging star

Wyoming’s sophomore running back doesn’t like the limelight. Given the chance to talk about himself, he usually opts to thank his offensive line or a Wyoming defense that was really good about getting the ball back to the offense this season to give him more opportunities.

But Valladay better start getting used to all the attention.

Valladay put together another lunch-pail type of performance against GSU that doubled as his best of the season. The first-team all-Mountain West selection was bottled up for much of the first half but exploded as part of the Cowboys’ 218 second-half rushing yards. He finished with 204 yards on the ground and 91 receiving, surpassing the 280 all-purpose yards he had against Nevada earlier this season.

Valladay finished with six 100-yard games in the last seven games of the season. He ran for 1,385 yards on the season. And it’s not just the running game where Valladay can hurt you (211 receiving yards).

He’s quickly emerging as one of more well-rounded backs in the MW and could become a household name next season.

Wyoming takes momentum into the offseason

The excitement of a 6-2 start for Wyoming was dampened some after the Cowboys lost three of four games to end the regular season. Bohl and his players talked at length about wanting to get that bad taste out of their collective mouth in the bowl game, and Wyoming did that Tuesday.

It gives the Cowboys a wave of momentum heading into one of the more promising offseasons of Bohl’s tenure.

Losing Logan Wilson, Cassh Maluia, Alijah Halliburton and Tyler Hall from one of the MW’s top defenses will hurt, but the Cowboys were still a relatively young team this season. Wyoming is losing fewer than 20 seniors in all.

What’s coming back is significant. That includes the Cowboys’ leading rusher (Valladay), leading passer (Chambers), at least two quarterbacks with starting experience, five of their top 8 tacklers and all but two offensive and defensive linemen off their two-deep.

And Wyoming was in every game despite some of that youth. Their five losses came by a combined 28 points.

Wyoming has never won more than eight games in a season in Bohl’s six years at the helm, but there’s enough talent and experience returning that the Cowboys could make a serious run at changing that in 2020.

Navy: 2019 Liberty Bowl Champions

As usual, the spotlight was on quarterback Malcolm Perry and the Navy offense following the AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

Perry set a Navy bowl game record by rushing for 213 yards, while wide receiver Chance Warren was on the back end of a couple critical gadget plays as Navy’s offense did just enough to squeak out a 20-17 victory over Kansas State on Tuesday at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.

Almost all the questions during the post-game press conference were about offense. Perry, the Liberty Bowl Most Valuable Player, was quite naturally the focal point following yet another spectacular performance.

How does it feel to set the Football Bowl Subdivision single season record for rushing yards by a quarterback? Perry finished his incredible 2019 campaign with 2,017 rushing yards, breaking the mark established by Jordan Lynch of Northern Illinois (1,920 yards in 2013).

“My reaction to the rushing record is that I still can’t believe it,” Perry said. “At the same time, I know the guys up front — the offensive line, the slotbacks and the wide receivers — blocked their butts off all season. This is a testament to how hard they worked all season.”

Perry’s breakaway running ability was needed against a tough, physical defense that made the Midshipmen earn every yard. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound speedster set up an early field goal with a 25-yard run off an option keeper, put his team in position for its first touchdown with a 23-yard gain on fourth-and-one and jump-started the second touchdown drive by scrambling 29 yards into enemy territory.

Perry also made a terrific throw to slotback Keoni-Kordell Makekau on a seam route for a 27-yard touchdown. The senior standout later broke loose for a 59-yard run that gave Navy a chance to take a two-score lead midway through the fourth quarter, but kicker Bijan Nichols missed a 38-yard field goal.

Those plays, along with Warren’s 20-yard scoring scamper off a reverse and 41-yard reception off a slotback option, accounted for the bulk of Navy’s 421 total yards.

Take away the big plays and it was tough sledding against Kansas State, which switched back-and-forth between an eight-man front and the 46 defense that is commonly referred to as the “Bear” alignment. Middle linebacker Elijah Sullivan (11 tackles), weak-side linebacker Da’Quan Patton and free safety Denzel Goolsby (eight tackles apiece) spearheaded a hard-hitting outfit that was well-prepared for the triple-option by defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton.

“I’ll be honest with you, I thought our defense played really well. We had assignment-sound football,” Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman said. “If you were to ask Coach [Ken] Niumatalolo that two of the plays they would score on would be trick plays, I think he would be surprised, too.”

Navy (11-2) probably prepared for a 4-4 alignment with the safety following tail motion because that is what Hazelton employed against Air Force while at Wyoming. Niumatalolo said afterward the offensive staff had a plan for an eight-man front since Kansas State had shown that on tape.

“We weren’t ready for their odd front — the Bear look with the X stack similar to what Houston had done to us. It took us some time to see what they were doing and see how to attack it,” Niumatalolo said. “They’re a good team with a good staff and they had a good option plan.”

Defense stood tall
Here is the bottom line: When you score 20 points and win you should be thanking your defense. Especially when the opponent scored a special teams’ touchdown.

Inside linebacker Diego Fagot recorded seven solo tackles and two sacks to spearhead the Navy defense, which limited Kansas State to 170 yards of total offense. Inside linebacker Paul Carothers notched six tackles for the Midshipmen, who held the Wildcats to just 46 rushing yards — 143 below their season average.

Niumatalolo tried his best to give credit to the defense during the post-game press conference, interjecting comments about that unit into answers about Perry or the offense.

“I love the way our defense played. They kept us in the game,” Niumatalolo said. “To hold [Kansas State] to that amount of rushing yards is tremendous. Our defense played phenomenal the whole time.”

Navy’s defense was nothing short of lights out, throttling talented quarterback Skylar Thompson and an offense that came in averaging 30 points and 375 total yards. The Wildcats want to play smash-mouth football, using a power running game to set up play-action pass.

First-year defensive coordinator Brian Newberry knew Navy needed to stop the run, first and foremost.

“Absolutely. K-State has a big, physical offensive line. It’s an experienced group with 60 starts up front. Everything starts with run game for that offense,” Newberry told The Capital during a telephone interview on Wednesday morning. “I felt if we could stop the run and keep everything in front of us as far as the play-action pass we would have a chance.”

Kansas State offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham looked to establish the run on the game’s opening possession and saw some success. Tailback James Gilbert gained eight yards up the middle on second down and two plays later ripped off a 14-yard run. A false start penalty was a setback, but Gilbert got the Wildcats back on schedule with a 9-yard run.

However, Navy bowed its neck after being pushed into its own territory. Fagot stopped tailback Harry Trotter for a 2-yard gain on third-and-six. Kansas State went for it on fourth-and-four and Navy dodged a bullet when wide receiver Phillip Brooks dropped what would have been a sure touchdown pass.

Kansas State would manage only two other sustained drives the rest of the way. It was a low-possession game as advertised and the Wildcats could not afford to come up empty so often when they only got six true possessions. (Two other possessions do not really count as K-State ran one play on the final series of the first half before time expired and one play on the final series of the game.)

An extremely methodical 13-play, 49-yard march that took almost six minutes off the clock ended with a 39-yard field goal by Blake Lynch that tied the score 10-10 with 2:27 remaining in the first half. Considering how long it was on the field, that was a win for the Navy defense.

Fagot sacked Thompson on third down, while rover safety Elan Nash pressured the quarterback into an errant throw on third down to force the field goal after Kansas State had reached the Navy 18-yard line.

Kansas State’s lone touchdown drive came late in the fourth quarter and tied the score 17-17 with 5:14 remaining. It was the only possession of the entire game in which Thompson got into any sort of throwing rhythm, completing three passes for 75 yards. Wykeen Gill got behind the defense on a post route and Thompson tossed a beautiful ball that hit the wide receiver in stride on his way into the end zone.

Take away that drive and Thompson completed 7 of 11 passes for 49 yards, repeatedly settling for underneath or check down routes.

“I knew we might have a chance if we made the quarterback go to his second and third reads,” Newberry said. “On third down, we showed some different looks and did some things to roll the coverage to try to confuse him.”

Those tactics clearly worked with Thompson saying as much following the game.

“It was different. They did have us out of rhythm,” Thompson admitted. “It’s hard. They did a great job. Hat’s off to them. They had a good game-plan for us. We knew they were a high-pressure team. They did a good job of mixing up their looks, showing from one way and coming from the other way and playing some different looks that I wasn’t really expecting. It just got us off rhythm.”

Klieman seconded that assessment: “Their defense did a nice job of keeping us out of rhythm a little bit,” he said.

Fagot, Pittman lead way
Fagot, who was deservedly voted Defensive Most Valuable Player for Navy, was not surprised when those comments were relayed to him during the post-game press conference.

“I think we played very well on defense. Coach Newberry and all the other defensive coaches prepared us really well for this game,” Fagot said. “We could tell we were confusing [the quarterback] a little bit with our dime packages and the way we were disguising some of our blitzes and coverages. I think we played very well and did our part to help the team win.”

Navy’s outstanding run defense started up front with nose guard Jackson Pittman, who followed a dominant performance against Army with another outstanding effort. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound senior could not be budged by center Adam Holtorf (6-4, 302) with help from guards Evan Curl (6-5, 295) and Tyler Mitchell (6-5, 317).

“Pittman has done a great job all year. He can take on a double-team and not get moved,” Newberry said. “He was doing a good job of holding the point of attack.”

Sophomore tackle J’arius Warren helped plug the middle and made three tackles, while end Jackson Perkins came through with a huge sack on third down.

“Warren holds his own at 260 pounds inside. Jackson was battling as well. All those guys up front did a good job,” Newberry said.

Newberry’s scheme is predicated on being unpredictable and designed to look complicated to the offense. Navy’s defensive players were constantly moving from one spot to another to make it difficult for Thompson to identify who was doing what on a given play.

“We had to stunt and shift as much as possible. We could not play static and take on double-teams. We moved a lot pre-snap and post-snap,” Newberry said. “I think we caused some problems. They had trouble executing.”

Fagot has been the centerpiece of the defense from the day Newberry arrived from Kennesaw State and proved up to the challenge. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound sophomore finished the season with 100 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, 5 ½ sacks and seven quarterback hurries.

“I think Diego is a special player and he’s been good for us all year. We asked a lot of Diego and he responded,” Newberry said.

“Most people don’t realize that Diego has been banged up most of the season. He hasn’t been 100 percent for a while,” Newberry added. “He did not practice the first week for the bowl game because his ankle was so swollen from the Army game. It’s just a testament to character and toughness that he went and played so well against K-State.”

This year’s AutoZone Liberty Bowl was a rock ‘em, sock ‘em affair with both teams intent on being tough and physical. Kansas State thought it could intimidate Navy by delivering some punishing hits, especially early on. Slotback Myles Fells sent a strong message the Midshipmen would dish out plenty of punishment of their own by absolutely destroying strong safety Wayne Jones — lowering a shoulder and sending the defender flying.

“I thought we out-physicaled them on both sides of the football, to be honest,” Newberry said. “I wasn’t sure we could do that. K-State made a living in the Big 12 by being more physical than its opponents."

Newberry was asked if he could have ever imagined holding Kansas State to 10 offensive points and 170 total yards.

“I knew we had to play really, really well just to contain them. That’s a very good offensive football team that scored 48 points against Oklahoma,” Newberry said. “Obviously, our players rose to the occasion and gave a great, great effort.”

It was the latest defensive masterpiece designed by Newberry, whose hiring was instrumental in Navy bouncing back from a 3-10 record in 2018. Niumatalolo has stated numerous times that Malcolm Perry and Brian Newberry are the main reasons why the Midshipmen (11-2) put together one of the greatest turnaround seasons in FBS history.

Navy’s massive across-the-board improvement in every key statistical category was nothing short of remarkable. The Midshipmen finished the season ranked 16th nationally in total defense (314.2 total yards allowed) and No. 34 in scoring defense (average of 22.3 points given up).

“I was really happy that we finished strong. The way we played the last two weeks was impressive,” Newberry said. “We fell off a little bit in the second half against Tulane and against Notre Dame and SMU. It was good to see us bounce back against Army and Kansas State.”

Arizona State: 2019 Sun Bowl Champions

EL PASO — In a scene imagined by few if any before it actually happened and almost assuredly never preceded by anything quite like it, Arizona State players poured a cooler of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes on the head of their coach in celebration on Tuesday.

It was not the traditional Gatorade bath that invariably comes with the biggest of wins. There will be no lighting of victory cigars. There may be some champagne toasts in the aftermath but those will primarily be to ring in the New Year and only more obliquely related to the outcome of their football game played several hours earlier.

But, still, the Sun Devils ended their 2019 season the right way and so they bathed their second-year head coach Herm Edwards in breakfast cereal and he certainly didn't mind it.

"First time I've ever got a bucket full of Frosted Flakes, that's new," Edwards said. "That helps. That's not cold. All I needed was some milk and I would have been fine."

In the play-calling debut of its new defensive coordinator Tony White, ASU forced six turnovers — more than in any game since October of 2009 against Washington State — and perhaps needed every one in its 20-14 win over Florida State in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl in front of 42,412 fans in the 86th playing of the game. The win concluded ASU's season at 8-5 overall, better than their initial 7-6 season under Edwards. Florida State finished its season at 6-7 overall.

Though they have aspirations for more extravagant celebrations in the future, the Sun Devils are content with where they are currently at two years into the Edwards-experiment, which was initially widely panned but now has taken on an unmistakable aura of emerging success.

"It shows the potential for our defense and how strong we're going to become," freshman safety Willie Harts said after collecting one of four ASU interceptions on the afternoon. "We're very young and still experienced and we're going to learn so much over the years."

With both teams missing key players due to early-NFL declarations and undertaking significant staffing changes including a new coordinator on both sides of the ball for the Sun Devils, there was a lot of sloppy, forgettable play on Tuesday. But also, some very memorable moments.

The Sun Devils held a halftime 9-0 lead and appeared to have the Seminoles offense in a vice grip before a five-minute stretch late in the third quarter that flipped the game upside down.

With multiple deep reserves on the field for ASU's defense due to the absence of starting redshirt freshman safety Cameron Phillips and injuries to junior cornerbacks Chase Lucas and Jack Jones, Florida State marched 91 yards in 11 plays including a fourth-and-3 conversion to score its first points at 3:47 of the third quarter and make it a suddenly close 9-7 ASU edge.

After redshirt sophomore punter Michael Turk — excellent in the game with eight punts for a 45.8 yard average with four inside the 20 — ended ASU's third straight series of the quarter with a punt on its next possession, the Seminoles immediately struck again to take a 14-9 lead. With Lucas and Jones watching from the sidelines, sophomore cornerback Timarcus Davis gave up a 91-yard touchdown strike to sophomore wide receiver Tamorrion Terry, a one-play scoring drive.

It didn't dent ASU's confidence whatsoever. On their next possession, the Sun Devils marched 59 yards on 12 plays in a drive that included a highlight-reel 27-yard scramble by freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels on third-and-10 and ended with sophomore kicker Cristian Zendejas making his fourth field goal of the day to tie a Sun Bowl record and cut his team's deficit to 14-12. But it was the Sun Devils' fourth red zone trip and they only had 12 points to show for it and still trailed.

That's when Harts sprung into action on a miscommunication between Florida State sophomore quarterback James Blackman and a receiver that placed a ball directly in the arms of the safety who started in place of Phillips. With a clear path to the end zone, Harts pushed ASU's lead to 20-14 after a successful 2-point try. The interception was Blackman's third of four on the day, with the Sun Devils needing two more turnovers later in the fourth quarter to salt the game away.

On Florida State's next drive, sophomore ASU linebacker Darien Butler made a tackle-for-loss on a fourth-and-2 get his team the ball back. Blackman then threw his fourth interception of the day to ASU senior linebacker Khaylan Kearse-Thomas on Florida State's next drive. And even with all of that, the Seminoles had one more chance in the game's final two minutes when Terry lost a fumble to ASU forced by sophomore linebacker Merlin Robertson and recovered by sophomore linebacker Tyler Johnson.

"Can't say enough about our kicker and our defense," Edwards said. "We get six turnovers we should probably win a game. That being said, these guys kept fighting back for us. They really did. I'm happy for our seniors. To end the season with a bowl victory for them is very important. We hit a slump during the season where we had lost four in a row. I reminded the players, when you get tired of losing, you're going to win again. We've won three in a row now. This is a good way to set the 2020 season off for us, with a bowl game (win). That's very important to us."

Kearse-Thomas, who early in the game was given a reprieve when a hit on Blackman was called targeting on the field but overturned on review, and Williams excelled in their final ASU outing. Kearse-Thomas had a team-high six solo tackles and nine total in addition to his interception and a quarterback hurry. Williams concluded his season without giving up a touchdown pass in coverage and was excellent throughout a game in which ASU's pass defense yielded just 155 yards excluding the 91-yard touchdown.

"I can't say enough about Khaylan and Kobe," Edwards said. "These guys are seniors. I take my hat off to them. When you get a coaching change and you put in your defense, that's hard. It's hard on seniors. It really is. They're looking at a new staff, saying, 'you're playing all these young guys, what about me?' Without these two guys we're not the defense we were this year.

"I'm glad for these guys because of what they've meant to me personally. I lean on them. They were always there, always energetic. They were the keys to the defense to be quite honest."

The Sun Devils won despite being out-gained in total offensive yards 470 to 282 because their defense held up well other than the flagging late third-quarter stretch and Blackman committing five turnovers on his own out of the six total by the Seminoles. Robertson had perhaps his best game of the season and forced both of Florida State's lost fumbles and recovered one of them on his own. Sophomore safety Aashari Crosswell and junior safety Evan Fields each had a first-half interception to contribute to the shutout pitched by ASU before intermission, the latter doing so after promising his mom he would get one for her on her birthday.

While Daniels — sacked three times on the day and under duress throughout — received the game's MVP honors for the Sun Devils despite a low-percentage 12 of 28 passing performance for just 195 yards in part because he led the team in rushing with 36 yards on 12 carries, it was the team's defensive playmaking that took center stage in the absence of senior receiver Brandon Aiyuk and junior running back Eno Benjamin.

Moreover, it was White's successful first attempt at calling plays after being promoted from cornerbacks coach to defensive coordinator, which resonated with Edwards and ASU players in the game's aftermath, particularly as it came in White's hometown in front of a large group of family and friends.

"One hundred tickets," Edwards said. "'One hundred tickets Tony White.' He has a fan base now. He grew up here. It was fun, we visited his brother's high school, worked out over there when we got here Thursday. He was excited. I'm happy for him. Gets to take over as the coordinator. I thought he did a great job. Had a shutout going in the first half."

Added Kearse-Thomas: "He got us prepared really well. I mean, we had all month to really prepare. We were very detailed in what we were doing and then he got the play call in for us and told us to go. [Linebackers coach Antonio Pierce] told us before the game, 'This could be a stat game if you want it to be.'"

Stats make players happy and especially so when it includes winning football games and having fun doing it. Under the team's previous coaching staff, that was not the case for some Sun Devils who now believe they are passing a torch to the next generation with a lot of fuel for what they see as an even brighter future.

"It's changed tremendously (under Edwards)," Kearse-Thomas said. "It's like (the movie) Coming to America. "Coming from a dictatorship ... just the freedom. Coach Herm, he allows us to be us. A couple years back we couldn't do that. It played a role in the success with ASU. I feel like him letting the kids be kids is a big step for the program."

Kentucky: 2019 Belk Bowl Champions

The University of Kentucky’s 2019 football season is in the books.

UK ended its latest campaign with a victory over Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl, securing its 11th season with at least eight wins and building a four-game win streak as the calendar turns over.

The Wildcats open next season against Eastern Michigan at Kroger Field on Sept. 5. They’ll look to extend their run of postseason appearances to five straight years, a feat that the program has accomplished only one time before (from 2006-2010).

What else should Kentucky fans look forward to in 2020? Here are three big things.

TERRY WILSON’S RETURN
So much of the excitement around this year’s squad was sparked by the play of Lynn Bowden, whose move to quarterback midway through the season was precipitated by injuries to incumbent starter Terry Wilson and backup Sawyer Smith.

Smith was reportedly healthy enough to start UK’s last few games, and made some appearances down the stretch, but the staff opted to allow Bowden to carry them to the postseason. Their decision paid off, but he’ll be lost to the NFL Draft come April.

Mark Stoops said Monday that he expects Wilson, who suffered a tear of the patellar tendon in his left leg in Kentucky’s second game of the year, to be available at the start of next season. If Wilson is at full strength, he presumably would be the Wildcats’ starter once more.

That would be an ideal proposition: Wilson was the starter in every game of Kentucky’s historic 10-3 campaign and looked more comfortable as a passer before his junior season was cut short. He was 33-of-52 for 360 yards and two touchdown passes, and had run for 44 yards and a TD.

Wilson was one of the most efficient passers in the Southeastern Conference in his first go-around with the Wildcats. If his legs are underneath him once again and that level of efficiency persists, Kentucky’s offense could come out of the gate strong next fall.

EXPERIENCE EVERYWHERE
The team’s biggest area of concern entering 2019 was its secondary. That turned out to be overblown — in part because of the return of Cedrick Dort and the addition of junior-college transfer Brandin Echols, who blossomed into stars at cornerback.

Production at the running back position wasn’t as worrisome, as A.J. Rose had shown flashes of brilliance in relief of Benny Snell, and Chris Rodriguez and Kavosiey Smoke had seen the field as true freshmen, but none are the bullies that Snell was. Bowden stole the spotlight, but they shouldered much of the rushing burden as well and combined for nearly 2,000 yards.

If you count Wilson, Kentucky could have as many as 19 starters back next year. A couple of guys — nose guard Quinton Bohanna and offensive tackle Landon Young — could leave early for the NFL Draft — but theirs are positions where UK has groomed possible replacements. The return of Davonte Robinson, a defensive back who suffered a torn quad before fall camp, will help mitigate the graduation of safety Jordan Griffin.

Belk Bowl hero Josh Ali is one of three returning receivers who caught a touchdown in a season short on receptions (so did Bryce Oliver and Clevan Thomas, in addition to tight end Keaton Upshaw).

UK will miss departing seniors Calvin Taylor and T.J. Carter, even more so if Bohanna is out of the equation, but the same was said of Josh Allen last year and Kentucky’s staff managed to figure things out. The defensive line appears to be the early pick for “biggest area of worry,” but otherwise there should be several familiar faces around.

OPPORTUNITY
With the talent coming back and an offseason’s worth of work, there’s a path to 2020 being a season equivalent to 2018 — or better.

Florida and Georgia will be picked ahead of Kentucky in the preseason. Accept that for what it is, but don’t forget that — despite only having one win to show for it — Kentucky has closed the gap considerably with Florida, to whom they’ll travel for the second game of the season. The Bulldogs are another animal, but one that UK’s staff is well aware needs to be toppled for it to keep rising. They’ll come to Lexington next year, so that helps.

A rare trip to Auburn is on the docket, and that happens to be the site of UK’s last win in the series (21-14 in 2009). A scheduling quirk put the last two games — each a three-point win in the Tigers’ favor — in Lexington. It’s a chance for UK to earn a prestige win — and might be even spicier if former Auburn quarterback Joey Gatewood somehow gets ruled eligible next fall.

It’s a much tougher schedule, on paper, than this year, but one that Kentucky should be able to navigate with a much healthier situation at quarterback. And one that, if the dominoes fall in their favor, could yield impressive returns.

2020 UK FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Home games in all capital letters. Kickoff times to be announced later.

Sept. 5: EASTERN MICHIGAN

Sept. 12: at Florida

Sept. 19: KENT STATE

Sept. 26: SOUTH CAROLINA

Oct. 3: at Auburn

Oct. 10: EASTERN ILLINOIS

Oct. 17: VANDERBILT

Oct. 24: at Missouri

Oct. 31: Open

Nov. 7: at Tennessee

Nov. 14: MISSISSIPPI STATE

Nov. 21: GEORGIA

Nov. 28: at Louisville