Mark Stoops will play ‘several’ QBs vs. Missouri: How about Lynn Bowden?

Maybe it’s just me, but the Kentucky Wildcats can’t afford to continually put Terry Wilson under center.

Terry Wilson completed only three passes on Saturday night against Vanderbilt. That’s not a typo, he only completed three passes. Wilson’s 3-of-9 passing for 18 yards netted him a QBR of 18.8. Yikes! Eddie Gran, UK’s offensive coordinator, has to do something different.

However, rather than bench Wilson in favor of Gunnar Hoak, what if Kentucky utilized one of their biggest weapons?

Perhaps it’s time to line up Lynn Bowden under center in the Wildcat formation, and Mark Stoops may be thinking about just that.

During his Monday radio show, Stoops dropped a bombshell that

“You have to give the other guys an opportunity,” Stoops said. “We’re going to work them hard, and we have the past couple weeks in practice, and I anticipate playing several quarterbacks this week.”

Obviously, we should expect to see some Gunnar Hoak this week at Missouri, but the fact that Stoops made it a point to say he’ll play “several quarterbacks” may suggest someone out of the ordinary could be under center.

It probably doesn’t mean bigger dose of Snell in the Wildcat, as he’s never shown the ability to actually throw a pass. When he’s in, there’s virtually no threat of a pass, which isn’t necessarily true with Bowden.

Bowden was an athlete coming out of Warren G. Harding High School in Youngstown, Ohio. He lined up on offense and defense and played multiple positions. Since coming to Kentucky, he’s been primarily used as a punt returner and slot receiver.

But the former four-star recruit has a background at quarterback, where he accounted for 3,600 total yards and 55 touchdowns as a high school senior before arriving at Kentucky in 2017 as a true freshman.

Just last year, Bowden reminded everyone he played quarterback in regards to Kentucky needing a new signal caller with Stephen Johnson graduating.

Wilson makes some outstanding plays with his legs, but his ability to get the ball to his receivers is incredibly questionable. Wilson is 16-29 for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns over the last two games for the Wildcats. He also has 3 fumbles during those games, one of which was a turnover.

Again, I don’t think Wilson should head to the bench just yet. He gives the Wildcats an added dimension with his wheels that UK does not have when Gunnar Hoak is on the field. However, Stoops can’t keep running Benny Snell into the ground 30-plus times a game the way Kentucky did during Saturday’s victory.

Bowden taking the direct snap gives UK another weapon out of the backfield. Bowden is by no means a polished passer, but neither is Wilson at this point, and Hoak is still an unknown. Kentucky must find another way to manufacture yards besides handing the ball to Snell.

The Wildcats have the chance for a special season. Kentucky is already bowl eligible and in control of their own destiny with a chance to play in this year’s SEC Championship. The defense has played up to their potential and it’s time for the offense to do the same.

Maybe Lynn Bowden running the Wildcat some is the answer.