Kentucky vs. Florida After Action Review

An After Action Review, or AAR for short, is a military process used to analyze what happened, why it happened, and how it can be done better. Thanks to our friends at the Kentucky Army National Guard, KSR applies that concept to analyze Kentucky football games. Here is the breakdown of the Wildcat’s 26-16 victory over the Gators.

B.L.U.F. (Bottom Line Up Front)

Kentucky was the better football program with a better team and better players than Florida. Saturday night was as simple as that. The best team won.

OVERVIEW

Always ready, always there. That saying was the Kentucky Army National Guard’s battle cry a few years back. Those words accurately described the Kentucky defense last night. Brad White’s unit suffocated Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson by holding the signal caller to just four rushing yards. The Wildcats limited run lanes and was in the opposing quarterback’s face for sixty minutes. Richardson threw two interceptions as well. The first was an athletic play by UK’s explosive defender Jordan Wright. The second was a pick-six by Keidron Smith. Ballgame.

Will Levis outplayed his peer. The Wildcat leader completed just 54% of his passes but did throw for 202 yards including a 55-yard touchdown toss to true freshman Dane Key. Key averaged 27 yards per catch and is rising on the national scene. Kentucky’s offensive line struggled in the first half but displayed the glory days of the Big Blue Wall in the third and fourth quarters. Running back Kavosiey Smoke took over the game after the halftime break. The Wildcats controlled the clock and momentum to beat the Gators 26-16. Let’s compare pregame goals to results.

OFFENSE

Levis in the Heisman Race: NO/YES

I thought Levis would have to play an extraordinary game for the ‘Cats to win on the road. He was good, but not great in the victory. Pregame goals were set at 300 yards, 65% completion percentage, and two touchdown passes. Levis finished the contest 13/24 (54%) for 202 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Although a monster game was not necessary due to UK’s ability to run the football in the second half, the Wildcat signal-caller didn’t do anything to improve or detract from his Heisman campaign.

Exceed 100 Rush Yards: NO

The ‘Cats racked up 70 yards off 38 carries for 1.8 yards per attempt. These numbers were impacted by the lost yardage on the bad snap. UK ran 17 times for 97 yards in the second half alone. The fact that the running game returned to its physical status to close out the game was vitally important for the game and the future of the season.

Touchdowns in the Red Zone: NO

The goal here was 75% touchdown ratio in the Red Zone. UK scored one touchdown in four trips inside the redzone. The Cats were 3/4 scoring, but two were field goals and one was a missed kick. Will Levis scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak for the lone touchdown.

DEFENSE

Non-Richardson Rushers: NO

Containing Richardson was the game plan. I felt that limiting non-Richardson rushers to 4.5 yards per carry was the formula for victory. While that didn’t happen, UK held the Florida quarterback to four yards off six carries on the ground for 0.7 yards per attempt. Non-Richardson rushers (Montrell Johnson, Trevor Etienne, and Nay’Quan Wright) combined to average 5.6 yards per attempt.

Contain and Maintain: YES

Yes, Yes, Yes. The Wildcat front seven was excellent in maintaining rush lane integrity by not allowing Richardson an escape route in passing downs. The defensive front and linebackers also played the RPO to near perfection. The secondary also played within Brad White’s scheme and was mostly at the right place at the right time doing the right thing.

Outside linebackers Jordan Wright (six tackles, two tackles for loss, one QB sack, one forced fumble, one INT) and JJ Weaver (nine tackles) were brilliant. So were inside backers DeAndre Square and Jacquez Jones. Redshirt freshman Jordan Lovett contributed seven stops in his first full-time action. Keidron Smith and Carrington Valentine were timely and explosive. Saturday night’s defensive outing was a three-level masterpiece.

Be Like Mark: YES

Soft. That word can lead to fights in the locker room. Knowing Mark Stoops and Vince Marrow as I do, I had a feeling that the Network Talking Head’s comments would register within the program. Kentucky’s 26-16 win over the Gators in the Swamp was a prototypical Mark Stoops victory. Great defense mixed in with a clock-controlling, second-half run game constructed an optimal formula for victory.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Stay Special: NO

No. No. No. As good as the Wildcats were last week, it was equally as bad in the Swamp. A botched punt snap led to a safety. Another bad snap led to a missed extra-point attempt. Those errors were followed by a missed 38-yard field goal. Got to get better in the third phase. No way around that.

WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?

Football is a difficult game to understand. Football is also an easy game to understand. Somewhere in between was what happened on Saturday. Simply stated, Kentucky was the better football program with a better team and players. The ‘Cats should have won the game and did. Actually, the gap between the ‘Cats and Gators is more than a 10-point margin.

National media were mostly logo fooled by this game. Florida beat 7th-ranked Utah which led to a colossal jump in the polls. Anthony Richardson was the hottest name in college football after blistering the Utes on the ground. I said earlier in the week that UK was much better than Utah and there was very little intimidation in UK’s quest for a win. However, I was dreading facing Anthony Richardson.

UK’s defensive performance against the talented quarterback may be the one game that sticks out at the end of the season. I don’t see many other teams having the same success that UK enjoyed on Saturday night. Richardson is dangerous. The Wildcats didn’t allow him to threaten. The second half at Missouri in 2018 and the second half at Florida in 2022 were two of the most dominant defensive performances I’ve seen in quite some time. Respect.

The Big Blue Wall’s first six quarters were not up to standard in Lexington. That changed at halftime vs. Florida. The locker room scene of the iconic John Schlarman photograph receiving the game ball following the Wildcats’ win in 2018 was the same location that led to a remarkable OL improvement from the first to second half. Kentucky was Kentucky in the third and fourth quarters. Kavosiey Smoke ran over, through, and around Gators by recording four carries for 10-plus yards. The ‘Cats controlled the line of scrimmage and clock to maneuver past the Gators on the scoreboard. Respect.

Kentucky beat the 12th-ranked Gators by 10 points on the road. The gap between the two programs seemed more than the final score. Mark Stoops has a good football team. That fact remains to be a mystery to some in the national media racket. A 2-0 record with two upcoming games against non-conference opponents is the perfect case scenario for the Wildcats. What will Mark Stoops’ reaction be on Monday? “We need to go back to work.” The all-time winningest coach at the University of Kentucky has won 61 games by simply, “Going back to work.” No flash. No pizazz. Just work.

There’s quite a bit to improve upon following the team’s two wins. But, they were victories. Corrections from coaches are more accepted by players following a W. The Big Blue Wall may continue to be under construction. The group enjoyed success to close the game out, but it’s a long way from being a finished product.

I fully expect Stoops and staff to keep their young team grounded by “Going back to work.” That’s the Kentucky way.

Football state.

A message from the Kentucky Army National Guard, The Kentucky Army National Guard is YOUR Kentucky home team. The Soldiers of the Kentucky National Guard are your friends, neighbors, coworkers and classmates. We are from each county in Kentucky and we stand together to support our fellow Kentuckians in times of natural disaster and civil unrest. We also serve our nation at the direction of the president should the need for national defense arise. Soldiers in the Kentucky Army National Guard are able to take advantage of opportunities in education with trade skill training, student loan repayment and up to $60,000 in tuition assistance to state public universities while serving part time. Do you think you have what it takes to be a member of our team? For more information about joining the Kentucky Army National Guard, Text “KYGUARD” to 95577. Live Here, Serve Here, Kentucky Army National Guard.