LYNN BOWDEN, JR (WR, #1)
Photo: Lynn Bowden, Jr. (1) – University of Kentucky Athletics
This 6-1, 199-pound junior is a multi-threat for Kentucky, whether it’s going deep for a touchdown catch or returning kicks for the ‘Cats. The team’s leading receiver in 2018, Bowden, Jr. totaled 67 catches (most by a sophomore in school history) for 745 yards and five touchdowns. As a kickoff returner, Bowden averaged 21.6 yards on 25 returns and he also brought back two punts for touchdowns, a 58-yard return against Penn State and a 67-yard TD return at Missouri. Easily UK’s leading receiver again this season, Bowden should be a marked man for the Bulldog secondary and kick coverage teams Saturday.
ASIM ROSE (RB, #10)
Attempting to fill the big shoes left by All-America tailback Benny Snell, Jr. is Rose, a 6-1, 210-pound junior. In 2018, Rose was the Wildcats’ third-leading rusher behind Snell and quarterback Terry Wilson. Now with the dual-threat Wilson sidelined for the season after suffering a torn tendon in his left knee in the second game against Eastern Michigan, Rose has to continue to step up in a big way for the Kentucky offense. He seems capable of doing just that after running for 479 yards and five touchdowns in relief of all-time UK rusher Snell last season.
JAMAR WATSON (OLB, #31)
Watson, a 6-3, 242-pound junior outside linebacker, is someone the Georgia offense must account for on Saturday at Dooley Field at Sanford Stadium. That’s because Watson comes off the edge with one thought in mind … to get to the opposing team’s quarterback. And he’s among the Wildcats’ sack leaders again this season after finishing second on the team with 5.0 sacks in 2018, behind National Defensive Player of the Year Josh Allen. The quick Watson also notched five tackles-for-loss, three pass breakups and one forced fumble last season.
MAX DUFFY (P, #93)
There may not be a better pure punter in America than the Wildcats’ Max Duffy. Duffy (6-1, 186, Jr.) was leading the nation entering this past weekend’s game against Arkansas, averaging 51.1 yards per punt and has had boomers of 61, 63 and 62 yards this fall. Out of Perth, Australia, Duffy was the No. 1 punting prospect in the class of 2018 and posted a 44.8 yards average last year in his sophomore season. He’s on the Ray Guy Watch List and, in fact, has already won the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week twice this season, for his performances against Eastern Michigan and South Carolina, when he broke two school records. The Bulldogs’ offense could well be starting deep in its own territory after Duffy’s kicks.
