.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
Kentucky Football's Snell, Stenberg Named SEC All-Freshman Team
Kentucky Football’s running game was one of the conference’s best in 2016. Now Benny Snell Jr. and Logan Stenberg have been named to the SEC Coaches’ All-Freshman Team
Nov 26, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats running back Benny Snell Jr. (26) runs the ball against the Louisville Cardinals during the second quarter at Papa John
Kentucky‘s Football fortunes turned around this season on the strength of its ground game, averaging 5.52 yards per rush this season, leading to 241.3 rushing yards per game, ranking 17th in the country. And much of that ground pounding was done on the backs of a pair of freshmen.
Running back Benny Snell Jr. and offensive lineman Logan Stenberg were recently named to the SEC Coaches’ All-Freshman Team, the league announced today.
Snell emerged as one of the brightest spots on this year’s Kentucky team, as the true freshman set the freshman rushing record at UK with 1,057 yards and 13 touchdowns. The most amazing stat of Snell’s season – he didn’t have a rushing attempt until the third game of the season, sharing time with a talented backfield, including Boom Williams and Jojo Kemp.
But once given the opportunity, Snell impressed and became the Cats’ best option out of the Wildcat formation, for which few opposing defenses could find an answer. Snell went on to amass five 100-yard rushing games, finishing eight in rushing in the SEC and first in the nation in rushing touchdowns by a freshman, third in yardage.
While the stats are impressive, what gets lost in pure numbers is the fashion in which Snell performed, such as the final drive against South Carolina where the 5-11, 220 pounder got the ball again and again, seemingly willing the Cats to victory.
More from Wildcat Blue Nation
Stenberg, at 6-6, 318 pounds, got more playing time as the season progressed, becoming a key cog in Kentucky’s rotating offensive line philosophy that keeps fresh bodies on the field. As such, the running game dominated at times, and Stenberg’s emergence, which will be key against Georgia Tech in the upcoming TaxSlayer Bowl, hints at next year where Kentucky will return considerable depth on the offensive line.
The two freshmen, along with the rest of the Cats, return to action Dec. 31 in the TaxSlayer Bowl. The game, scheduled to kickoff at 11:30 AM EST, will be broadcast by ESPN.
This article originally appeared on 
