Kentucky beats Florida 26-16 for third victory over Gators in five years

by:Nick Roush•09/10/22•

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An outstanding effort from the Kentucky defense gave Mark Stoops win No. 61. The Wildcats put the clamps on Florida and Anthony Richardson to knock off the No. 12 Gators 26-16. Kentucky has wins over Florida in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1976-77 and Mark Stoops has more wins than any other UK head football coach.

The Wildcats held the Gators to four-and-out not once, but twice in the fourth quarter in Florida territory. Carrington Valentine delivered a PBU on fourth down to give the ball back to the Cats. A possession later freshman Deone Walker gobbled up a tackle for loss on third down to put Kentucky in position to close out the Gators.

The highly-anticipated duel between Will Levis and Richardson was all Levis in the first half. He completed nine of his first ten passes for 136 yards and a score before the UK passing attack cooled off. Meanwhile, Richardson could do nothing right, finishing the night 14-35 for 143 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Game-Changing Kentucky Interceptions

The Wildcats were in the danger zone late in the second half. Florida had all of the momentum in the world following a tipped-pass interception and a special teams snafu that led to a safety. Jordan Wright rose to the occasion. On a routine pass to the flat he made an incredible one-handed interception to set up a Kentucky touchdown and cut the deficit to three.

Once the Wildcats tied the game in the third quarter, Anthony Richardson made his most significant mistake of the early season. He was expecting his receiver to run a hitch. Instead, the pass-catcher went deep. Keidron Smith was ready to make the easy catch and return it 65 yards for a touchdown.

Second Half Rushing Resurgence

It took more than a half for Kentucky to gain more than three yards on a designed run. The Wildcats had just two net yards in the entire first half. The Wildcats were finally able to take advantage of Florida fatigue to gain some momentum on the ground, rushing for 44 yards to get the Wildcat inside the 10-yard line. Even though Kentucky had to settle for a field goal on the drive, it gave the struggling Big Blue Wall much-needed confidence. The Wildcats were able to take time off the clock and move the chains on the ground in the second half.

Incredible Dane Key Touchdown

The most recent Kentucky victory in The Swamp had an outstanding 50+ yard touchdown in the air to Lynn Bowden. Dane Key was happy to replicate it. He caught an absolute BOMB from Will Levis. The 56-yard touchdown is the first of many incredible highlights by the true freshman wide receiver from Lexington.