Big Blue Preview: Kentucky vs. Florida
Info to Know
| Kentucky vs. Florida | When: Sat., Nov. 14, 6:15 p.m. ET | Where: Kroger Field, Lexington, Ky. | TV: ESPN | Radio: UK Sports Network |
Preview
After suffering just its second loss of the season last weekend, No. 11 Kentucky returns home on Saturday, facing Florida at Kroger Field (6:15 p.m. ET, ESPN).
Kentucky (7-2, 5-2 Southeastern Conference) lost at Tennessee 34-6 on Saturday, snapping a six-game winning streak in the process. The Cats were able to move the ball against the stout UT defense, but points proved to be hard to come by.
Florida (5-4, 3-4), coached by former Kentucky linebacker Jon Sumrall, lost to Oklahoma 23-7 in its last outing.
The Gators lead the all-time series with the Cats 54-22, but UK has won the last three contests in Lexington, including a 38-7 win last season.
Cat Scratches: Cats Preparing to Bounce Back Against Gators
Kentucky lost for just the second time this season on Saturday, falling to Tennessee at Neyland Stadium. Now, the Cats must bounce back as they host a talented Florida team on Saturday at Kroger Field.
After the first loss of the season, against Alabama, the Cats were able to recover, winning at Texas A&M, a team that was ranked in the Top 10 at the time of the game. UK head coach Will Stein is hoping for a similar outcome this weekend.
“I’m fired up about this week because although we faced adversity in games, this is truly real adversity,” Stein said. “Nobody wants to lose. I want to win every single game. It does allow you to reset your mind and your focus going into this next week and really focus on details and execution that we were always focusing on, but when you come off a loss like this, it can almost amplify those to really coach it even harder.”
Stein and the Cats know that all of their goals are still within reach, but the UK head coach also knows how difficult things can be in the Southeastern Conference…Read More
Kentucky-Florida Series
The Series
• Kentucky trails Florida in the all-time, on-field series, 54-22.
• UK also trails UF in Lexington, 22-12. • UK has won the last three straight in Lexington (2021, 2023, 2025).
• This is the second consecutive season the two teams have met in Lexington in November.
• The Wildcats have won four of the past five meetings.
Last Season
• Kentucky defeated Florida, 38-7, in Lexington.
• It was the largest margin of victory vs. Florida since a 40-6 win in 1950.
• It was the most points UK has scored vs. Florida since a 41-24 win in 1974.
• It was the most points UK scored vs. Florida in the first half since 1950 (26).
The Connections
• Kentucky has 10 players from the state of Florida on its roster, including DB Jesse Anderson III (Fort Lauderdale), RB CJ Baxter (Boynton Beach), DB Jordan Castell (Orlando), OL Alexander Dimartino (Fort Lauderdale), WR Denairius Gray (Boynton Beach), OL Mark Robinson III (Altamonte Springs), RB Tovani Mizell (Fort Lauderdale), RB Jason Patterson (Sneads), TE Nelson Tambling (Gainesville) and DB Kevis Thomas (Perry).
• UK defensive backs Jordan Castell and Aaron Gates each previously played at Florida. Castell played three seasons with the Gators (2023-25), starting 43 games. Gates also played three injury-shortened seasons in Gainesville (also 2023-25).
• Kentucky defensive coordinator Jay Bateman was the Gators’ inside linebackers coach under Billy Napier from 2022-23.
• Florida coach Jon Sumrall both played at UK (2002-04) and coached with the Wildcats as a graduate assistant (2005-06) and assistant coach (2019-21).
• Florida defensive coordinator Brad White held the same position at UK from 2019-25 after one season (2018) as linebackers coach.
• Florida safeties coach Chris Collins served as an assistant on UK’s staff from 2021-25. Tight ends coach Evan McKissack was a graduate assistant at UK from 2017-19.
• Florida athletics director Scott Stricklin was the media relations director at UK from 2003-08.
By the Numbers
1
Tight end Willie Rodriguez is the first UK tight end in program history with at least five catches in five straight SEC games
3
Consecutive wins over Florida in Lexington by the Cats
4
Interceptions for both Ty Bryant and Jordan Castell this season
6
Catches needed for Kenny Darby to pass Barion Brown’s UK true freshman record for catches in a season.
11
Kentucky’s current ranking in the College Football Playoff poll, which would mean that the Cats would be in the CFP if the season ended today
