Kentucky’s 48-10 blowout over Murray State wasn’t just exciting for the bunch of young guys that got some crucial reps, but for the more experienced players, as well. One of them being sophomore wide receiver Lynn Bowden.

Despite having eight players who all contributed to Kentucky’s 283 receiving yards, Bowden had a busy game with a career-high eight receptions good for 89 yards. He averaged 11.1 yards per reception.

His freshman year, Bowden had a total of 17 receptions. Three games into the 2018 season, and he has already matched that. He credits his improvement to him being more comfortable on the field than he was a year ago.

“Last year I was going through the motions, this year I’m playing fast,” Bowden said. “It’s just something we’ve worked on, the ball’s coming to me a lot in practice. So I expect a lot. But I’m not even going to say I expect it, you know, it’s just something that goes on in the game. Playmakers gotta make plays.”

In the mid-second quarter, Terry Wilson completed a 25-yard pass to Bowden on third and long, which eventually led a UK touchdown later on in the drive. Wilson said, “that’s just how he is,” and said in practice he makes catches like that all the time.

“Lynn’s a great player, we’re so excited to have him. I’m so excited to throw to him, and he makes plays that are so explosive, and that’s Lynn. That’s what he does,” Wilson said.

Bowden says the chemistry between him and Wilson started over the summer, when they’d work outside of practice on routes.

“If he was underthrowing me, overthrowing me, me not running my routes, we stayed extra to make sure it happened,” Bowden said.

According to Bowden, communication has also been key in developing their relationship on the field. He says that before the game, he told Wilson “just trust me, give me the chance and I’ll make you look good.”

Wilson agreed that their extra reps over the summer has contributed to their game-time chemistry.

“No doubt it has. That’s how it is with all the wideouts, we’ve spent numerous hours out there on the field throwing every route, making sure we’re all connecting on our throws,” Wilson said. “Because when you get on the field, it becomes easy.”

Kentucky is back in action next weekend at home, where they’ll take on SEC opponent Mississippi State at 7 p.m.