5 Things You Need to Know About the Florida Gators, Presented by UKFCU

We’ve made it, folks. It is football time in the bluegrass and the Florida Gators are in town for a 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time kickoff at Kroger Field. Before we get into a few things you need to know about the Gators, a message from our sponsor:

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This highly anticipated game has been circled on Kentucky fans’ calendars ever since the 2021 schedule was released. A 4-0 month of September set the ‘Cats up for one of the biggest home games in a long time.

The Gators are coming off of a 38-14 win over Tennessee a week after taking Alabama down to the wire. Meanwhile, Kentucky has survived the last couple of weeks unbeaten despite not playing their best football. The defense stepped up in a big way out in Columbia to propel the ‘Cats to a 16-10 road SEC victory.

Florida enters as an 8 point favorite with a record of 3-1, 1-1 while Kentucky is a perfect 4-0, 2-0. This matchup will have major SEC East implications. One way or another, we are going to find out just how good the Wildcats are this season.

As always, make sure you’ve checked out Adam Luckett’s Scouting Report as well as Freddie Maggard’s take on what it will take to beat the Gators. Now, let’s dive in to the 5 Things You Need to Know About the Florida Gators.

Dynamic Quarterback Duo

There is a popular saying in football that if you have two quarterbacks then you have none. That may not be the case for Dan Mullen and the Florida Gators though. Both signal callers that Florida will use can absolutely run the football.

Redshirt Junior Emory Jones is fifth in the Southeastern Conference with 375 rushing yards through four games. Through the air, Jones has completed two-thirds of his passes for a total of 668 yards and four touchdowns. He has five interceptions though as well.

Along with Jones, there is the dynamic Redshirt Freshman Anthony Richardson. The Gainesville native has ran for 275 yards in just two games while four of his 11 passing attempts have gone for touchdowns.

Kentucky’s ability to get these two dynamic threats on the ground will be a key to victory under the lights Saturday night. Their rushing ability allows them to extend drives and keep plays alive. The ‘Cats will need to stay disciplined in their defensive scheme and get off the field when opportunities present themselves.

Elite Rushing Attack

We already touched on the quarterbacks ability to run the football. However, that isn’t the Gators only potent ground threat. As a team, Florida features one of the leading rushing attacks in all of college football. Along with the quarterback run, a trio of running backs average over six yards per attempt combined for 560 yards.

Malik Davis, Dameon Pierce, and Nay’Quan Wright will all get carries in this one and have the ability to spark big plays. Dan Mullen will go to the ground nearly 60% of the time and has found a lot of success doing so this season. If Kentucky can limit big plays and slow down the run it will go a long way towards a victory at Kroger Field.

Big Play Potential With Wide Receivers

When Florida does go to the air they are looking for splash plays. Jacob Copeland and Xzavier Henderson are the two primary targets on the outside for Emory Jones/Anthony Richardson. The duo has already produced 10 explosive plays, 15 yards or more, on just 23 total targets. These two are going to put a lot of pressure on the Wildcat secondary.

Elsewhere, Rick Wells leads the team in receptions with 11 for 121 yards and a pair of touchdowns. As usual for the Kentucky defense, limiting the big plays will be the focus. If Florida is forced to methodically march down the field it’ll be advantage ‘Cats.

Todd Grantham Defense

Dial it up and send the boys. That is the philosophy of defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. This will without a doubt be the biggest test to the Big Blue Wall yet this season. If they want to be considered one of the best offensive line units in the country then this is where they show it.

This defense is going to create havoc and look for big negative plays in the backfield. That all starts with Zachary Carter at defensive end. Carter has 7 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks on the season already through just four games. He is producing a ton of negative plays by himself.

Overall, the Gators have the size and depth on the front line to compete with the Big Blue Wall in the battle of the trenches. If they can get into the backfield it’ll be a problem. Chris Rodriguez is one of the best in the country though at avoiding negative plays.

Chance to Exploit the Secondary

The Florida Gators have plenty of talent at the backend of their defense, but continually putting them on an island with the blitz heavy scheme allows for some big play opportunities. Just three takeaways so far is not what this group wanted to see at this point in the season.

This is going to be a bounce back spot for Will Levis. If he can take care of the ball and hit Wandale Robinson, or whoever else, for a couple of deep balls it’ll go a long way towards producing a winning outcome for the Wildcats.

Florida ranks 13th in the SEC allowing 7.5 yards per attempt through the air. Levis and Kentucky. must find some shots through the air to exploit a shaky secondary.