Jordan Wright Provides Energy, Playmaking in Homecoming Win over Florida
Kentucky won twice this week. They collected the first W when Jordan Wright was cleared on Thursday to return to the field. That paved the way for a Top 25 win in Wright’s home state Saturday night in The Swamp, his third victory over the Florida Gators.
“It felt great, first game, my home opener back home, so I had to show out.” And boy, did he.
The super senior outside linebacker from Ft. Lauderdale tallied six tackles, two for loss, a sack, forced fumble and an interception. Brad White’s best havoc playmaker did even more than that for the Kentucky defense.
“He’s not only a good football player, but he brings good energy,” Mark Stoops said after the Wildcats’ 10-point win. “As I mentioned last week, (we were) a little bit mundane, just a touch flat. J-Dub is one of those guys, he’s a strong leader in his presence and he has that energy that’s a little bit contagious.”
Wright’s infectious energy turned the game upside-down as the Kentucky defense suffocated the Gators for the final 35 minutes.
Jordan Wright Turns the Tables for Kentucky
Kentucky was on the ropes. A tipped-ball interception gave Florida a short field to take the lead late in the first hald with a touchdown. The rain started pouring when a bad Kentucky special teams snap led to a safety. The Wildcats were on the ropes just before halftime. The familiar feeling for the Wildcats inspired Jordan Wright to make a prophetic proclamation.
“When we played here the COVID year and they caught that punt and took it (for a score) before halftime, that changed the momentum.”
Wright added: “We needed a turnover. I told coach, ‘let me get one.’ I had the strip sack, nobody recovered it, so I was like, ‘I gotta make up for that one.'”
He made up for it in a big way. While Anthony Richardson scrambled to find an open receiver, the Kentucky outside linebacker stuck out his left hand. Hoping to knock the ball to the ground, Wright made an interception so unbelievable, he did not even believe he caught the pass.
“When I seen how he tried to throw it with a sidearm, I knew I had it. But at first I thought I just tipped it. When I caught it, I said ohhhhh. I surprised myself. I ain’t gonna lie,” Wright laughed.
“When I put my hand out, I was just thinking, disrupt his throw or something. Then when it hit my glove, I thought it was going to fall out. I squeezed it. I said, ‘Oh, I got it. Let me just run.’ I was tired, but let me just run.”
Wright did not score his third career defensive touchdown, but he did put the offense in a position to punch it into the end zone with just over a minute to play before halftime. The middle eight score shifted the momentum away from Florida and into Kentucky’s hands as the first of 19 unanswered points by the Wildcats.
Wright and J.J. Weaver Zip Up Anthony Richardson
Anthony Richardson was outstanding in week one. Containing the duel-threat quarterback was priority No. 1 for the Kentucky defense. Ahead of the matchup J.J. Weaver was not shy about his intentions: The Wildcats were going to contain the running quarterback and shut him down. Florida fans used it as bulletin board fodder, but it did not matter. Kentucky delivered.
“Tonight was something special. To have a dual-threat quarterback only have four yards rushing, that’s a pretty good game for us,” an understatement by cornerback Keidron Smith.
“We had J.J. on one side. We got a great edge rusher there. Then you put another one on the other side, it only gets better. For us on the back end on third down, you know you’re going to get a rush on the quarterback.”
Weaver did not sack Richardson, but he did record a team-high nine tackles in his first game at Florida since he tore his ACL in Gainesville. For almost the entirety of the 2021 season, at least one of the outside linebackers born in Broward County, Fl. was hurt. Wright’s return brought balance back to the defense, freeing up Weaver to make tackles all over the field.
“It’s great, because you know if one of us is eating, they can’t just slide to one side or try to double team to one side,” said Wright. “You gotta respect both of us, and if you don’t, we’re going to make you pay.”
Defensive coordinator Brad White can see a noticeable difference in Weaver’s play when Jordan Wright is on the field at the same time.
“J.J. and Jordan feed off each other. They’re extremely close. The very first person running out on the field to celebrate Jordan’s pick was J.J. and vice versa,” said White. “They feed off each other and it’s fun. Those two are fun to coach.”
And it was fun to watch the Wildcats suffocate the Florida offense. Kentucky put the clamps on the Gators, allowing just 91 yards and zero points in the second half. It’s the most dominant Kentucky defensive performance since the 2018 Wildcats held Missouri to zero second half first downs. Jordan Wright contributed to that defense as a redshirt freshman and he believes this year’s group can be even better.
“No disrespect, but I feel like we’re going to be way better than them because we got a lot of vets and everybody’s just communicating and we’re more player-led this year. Everybody is standing on that team’s standard.”
With three wins over the Florida Gators in the last five years, the standard is being raised at the University of Kentucky.
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