Football Wildcats Fall at Florida

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Boom Williams rushed for 66 yards on 12 carries, but it was not enough as the Kentucky football team lost to Florida 45-7 on Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

The Wildcat offense never got on track in the game, committing four turnovers. The three interceptions and one fumble led to 28 Florida points.

Florida took a 14-0 lead after the first quarter, but Kentucky had an opportunity to score early in the second stanza. After sophomore cornerback Derrick Baity intercepted a Luke Del Rio pass, Kentucky drove to the Florida 17-yard line. But on fourth down, Austin MacGinnis’ field goal attempt hit the left upright and the Cats came away empty.

After a Florida field goal made it 17-0, Kentucky drove into Gator territory again, aided by a 25-yard reverse run by junior wide receiver Jeff Badet. But sophomore quarterback Drew Barker was intercepted by Florida’s Jalen Tabor to end the threat.

Florida extended its lead to 24-0 before the half, before adding 21 points in the second half.

Kentucky assembled its best drive of the game in the fourth quarter, as the Wildcats went 80 yards in nine plays, culminating in a Jojo Kemp touchdown run from two yards out. MacGinnis added the extra point to make it 45-7. The biggest play of the drive was a 45-yard completion from backup quarterback Stephen Johnson to Badet, which got the Wildcats into the red zone.

Defensive back Blake McClain had nine tackles for Kentucky, while sophomore Jordan Jones continued his strong early-season play with nine stops, including a tackle for a loss. De’Niro Laster and Naquez Pringle each had five tackles, and each recorded a tackle for a loss.

Kentucky returns to action next Saturday against New Mexico State at Commonwealth Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET and the game can be seen on SEC Network+.