Finally: Kentucky beats Florida at home for 1st time since 1986
Florida had won 33 of the past 34 in its annual series with Kentucky. Now the Wildcats own a one-game winning streak against the Gators.
Kentucky (5-0 overall, 2-0 in the SEC) upset 10th-ranked Florida 20-13 Saturday night, keeping the Gators (3-2, 1-2) out of the end zone after they had first-and-goal from the 4 in the final minute. It’s the Wildcats’ first home victory over the Gators since 1986 and just their third overall against Florida since 1979.
Kentucky’s defense came in with lofty stats, ranking ninth nationally in total defense (260.0) and seventh in yards per play (4.11). The Wildcats lived up to the stats, holding Florida to 381 yards. Florida rushed for 171, less than half of its season average.
The Wildcats won despite having just 224 yards of total offense and going 1-of-9 on third down. A blocked Florida field goal turned into a touchdown and a 13-10 lead with 6:36 left in the third quarter. True freshman linebacker Trevin Wallace took the block 76 yards for the score; Wallace was a top-50 recruit and the jewel of UK’s 2021 recruiting class, and he’s an example of the types of recruiting battles Mark Stoops and his staff are winning more often these days.
UK’s first touchdown came on a 41-yard receiver screen from Will Levis to Wan’Dale Robinson, two more newcomers to the roster. Kentucky entered the season looking to upgrade its passing game. The Wildcats have had a strong line and physical run game for several seasons, but it was apparent they had room to improve as a passing offense. We regularly see the NFL dip into college football for up-and-coming coaches and fresh offensive ideas. Stoops went against the stream, going to the NFL for his new offensive coordinator – hiring Liam Coen from the Los Angeles Rams.
Coen is essentially running Sean McVay’s offense in Lexington. The offense is designed to stress defenses and promote efficient quarterback play by running different plays that look similar to opposing defenses through play action and personnel use. With Coen in place, the Wildcats landed a few big transfers out of the portal in Levis from Penn State and Robinson from Nebraska. Levis always has been a physical talent – he was among the more athletic quarterbacks in the 2018 cycle. We saw some flashes from Levis at Penn State, but he never was consistent enough to wrest the starting job from Sean Clifford.
Robinson was a top-50 prospect in the 2019 cycle and a one-time Wildcats commitment before ultimately flipping to Nebraska late in the process. Robinson is a dynamic all-purpose player who is deadly in the open field, and he showed that on the 41-yard catch-and-run TD.
Levis struggled against Florida, going 7-of-17 for 87 yards. But while Kentucky’s offense hasn’t been flawless all season, the added ability to hit passes downfield when coupled with their traditionally strong run game and stingy defense has helped lead to the undefeated start.
(On3’s Mike Huguenin and Charles Power contributed to this report.)