Barion Brown had Record-Setting Game in Bowl Loss

UK Athletics Photo

Sophomore receiver Barion Brown certainly showed college football fans — and NFL personnel — just how special he can be even though Kentucky lost 38-35 to Clemson in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.

Brown scored on a 22-yard run in the first quarter, had a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the third quarter and caught a 60-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.

Brown became the second player in school history to have a rushing, receiving and kickoff return for a touchdown in the same game. The only other player to do so was Don “Dopey” Phelps in 1946 against Michigan State. It was also the first time in his career that he had both a touchdown rushing and receiving in a game at UK.

“Offensively we needed to try to have some balance. I think Ray (Davis) made a great run early, and then throughout a big portion of the game there was just too many of those runs again where there was zero yardage and putting us in predictable paths,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said after the game.

“But with Barion — and that’s kind of tough because we really want to be mixed on first and second, putting them in a bind, you know, first-second/first-second. Actually I think the first touchdown was a second down play action, when they went to a simulated pressure.”

Whatever the strategy, Brown was terrific. His kickoff return to start the second half was his third of the season and fourth of his career. He was officially credited with a 102-yard return — the longest in TaxSlayer Bowl history. It was only UK’s second kickoff return for a touchdown in a bowl game (the first was David Jones against East Carolina in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl in 2009).

Brown led the FBS with his three kickoff returns for scores this season. Three kickoff returns for touchdowns in one season ties the SEC record (Willie Gault, Tennessee 1980; Brandon Boykin, Georgia 2009; Warren Norman, Vanderbilt 2009; Evan Berry, Tennessee 2015).

Kentucky’s previous record for kickoff return touchdowns in a season was two by Derek Abney in 2002. He also broke Craig Yeast’s career mark for kickoff returns for scores and his four touchdown returns tied the SEC mark shared by seven other players.
   
Brown has caught a pass in 26 straight games — every game he’s played at UK —  and has 1,167 career yards receiving yards.