Kentucky Faces New Task Against Florida Team 'Committed' to Run Game

Through the first month of the 2023 season, the Kentucky secondary was tested through the air by pass-first teams. This week Florida will present a new challenge with a run-heavy offensive approach.

Kentucky has yet to play a game where the opponent has rushed for more than 100 yards. The Wildcats are allowing only 77.5 rushing yards per game, the high watermark in the SEC. Kentucky’s stout run defense will receive its first big test on the ground this season against the Gators.

“They are going to do what Coach [Billy Napier] does and that starts with being a physical football team and being committed to the run game, and then booting, play-action, and things of that nature off of the run game,” Mark Stoops said Monday.  

Only three teams in the SEC have ran the ball more than Florida this fall. They average just shy of 40 carries for 164.7 yards per game. Their efficient attack puts quarterback Graham Mertz in favorable passing situations ahead of the chains.

“Running back is, it always seems to be a strength at Florida, right? They always have some good backs but they have two very talented running backs (this year),” said Stoops.

Trevor Etienne, the younger brother of the Jacksonville Jaguar and former Clemson star, is second in the SEC with 11 carries of 10+ yards. His running mate, Montrell Johnson, has three touchdowns and picks up 4.6 yards per carry, giving the Gators a quality 1-2 punch

“It shows they are committed to running the ball,” said Stoops. “They know a lot of their bigs and explosives (plays) come off the run game and play-action off of it. I think Coach Napier does a really nice job of being committed to that and staying with the run and making you defend him. With some talented backs and they are physical up front and that is one of the main reasons why they are affective in the run game because they are committed to it.”

Kentucky Shows Explosiveness on the Ground

Liam Coen is less committed to the running game than this week’s counterpart, but Kentucky is still popping big plays left and right out of the backfield. JuTahn McClain‘s 36-yard touchdown on the opening drive against Vanderbilt is one of five 30+ yard rushes for the Wildcats this season, the second-most in the SEC.

Kentucky’s rushing attack looks different than previous years, but it’s producing similar results. Instead of getting three or four yards on every carry, the Cats are getting stopped near the line of scrimmage or hitting home runs. Kentucky averages 5.48 yards per carry, ranking No. 2 in the SEC and No. 19 nationally.

“It’s not horrible. There were some really effective runs in there,” said Stoops. “We were 6.1 [yards] per play again. That’s not awful. We were really rolling.”

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