Cats Open SEC Play with Trip to Florida
With a season-opening win against Central Michigan that tested its resolve right out of the gate, Kentucky heads south looking to end a frustrating drought. The Wildcats will take on No. 25 Florida in The Swamp in primetime with an opportunity to defeat the Gators for the first time since 1986. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.
The Cats return 19 total starters, the 11th most in the country, to a team that has won 14 games the past two seasons, including eight in league play. Led by All-America candidates Josh Allen (OLB), C.J. Conrad (TE) and Benny Snell, Jr. (RB), and a defense that has 14 of its top 19 tacklers back, the Cats are primed for a breakthrough.
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| Kentucky vs. Florida | ||
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| Sat., Sept. 8 – 7:30 p.m. ET Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, Fla. Game Notes: UK  | UF Digital Gameday Program Gameday App |
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| Coverage | ||
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TV: SEC Network |
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| UK | Team Stats | UF |
| 1-0 | Record | 1-0 |
| 0-0 | Conference Record | 0-0 |
| 35.0 | Scoring/game | 53.0 |
| 427.0 | Total offense/game | 444.0 |
| 299.0 | Rushing yards/game | 203.0 |
| 128.0 | Passing yards/game | 241.0 |
| 20.4 | Kickoff returns (avg) | 1.0 |
| 10.2 | Punt returns (avg) | 8.5 |
| 50.0 | Punting (avg) | 44.5 |
| 28:08 | Time of possession/game | 27:58 |
| 53.8% | Third down conversion | 22.2% |
| 0.0% | Fourth down conversion | 50.0% |
| 20.0 | Points allowed/game | 6.0 |
| 255.0 | Total yards allowed/game | 225.0 |
| 118.0 | Rush yards allowed/game | 222.0 |
| 137.0 | Pass yards allowed/game | 3.0 |
Snell continued his assault on the record books in the opener, piling up 125 yards on 20 carries with a pair of scores. A staggering 91 of those yards came after contact and he forced six missed tackles, including hurdling through a pair of defenders on his 52-yard scoring run.
Florida Streak Matters Little Compared to Task at Hand
Mark Stoops has never been one to dodge topics important to Kentucky fans.
He has fully embraced rivalry games, acknowledged the significance of reaching bowl eligibility and even recognized what it would mean to end a losing streak to Florida that has now reached 31 games.
But for the Wildcats to accomplish the latter, Stoops knows there’s only one path.
“It is important to us for that reason, but we can’t focus on it for that reason,” Stoops said. “We need to focus on it because it’s this year.”
The streak might be the primary subject of UK-Florida talk outside the Wildcat locker room, but don’t expect to hear any of it inside. For one, not a single player who will suit up on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in Gainesville, Florida, was alive when it began. For two, this game – which features a pair of 1-0 teams jockeying for position in the rugged Southeastern Conference – is way too important even without the historical context.
“It’s an SEC team, it’s in the East, and we want to win some football games and they are next on the schedule,” Stoops said. “That’s truthfully what it is about. These guys cannot worry about 30-some years and all that. They really can’t. Winning is important to our team each and every week and that’s the approach we’ll have.”
Inevitably, questions about the streak have popped up in interviews leading up to this weekend’s matchup in the Swamp. The way players have answered them shows they are following Stoops’ lead …Read More
Scouting Florida
• Florida went out and lured former Gator assistant coach Dan Mullen away from Mississippi State, where he resurrected the Bulldogs and turned them into an annual bowl team.
• The Gators smashed FCS opponent Charleston Southern, 53-6, in the season opener.
• The Gators used a balanced offensive attack with Feleipe Franks at the controls. Franks threw for 219 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for another 34 yards.
• The run game was by committee with four players receiving at least five carries. Dameon Pierce was the most effective, rushing for 73 yards on nine carries.
• Ten different players caught passes, led by Van Jefferson’s four for 34 yards and two scores. Four players caught touchdown passes from Franks.
• The Gators allowed just 225 yards of total offense, including a shocking three yards through the air.
• The Gators defense piled up eight tackles for loss, three sacks and forced three turnovers.
Series vs. Florida
• Florida leads the all-time series 51-17, including 28-4 in Gainesville.
• UK’s last win in Gainesville was in 31-3 triumph in 1979.
• Three of the last four meetings have been decided by six points or less, with one going to three overtimes.
• The Gators won last season’s game 28-27, scoring the winning touchdown with just 43 seconds remaining.
• Florida has won 31 consecutive meetings dating to 1986.
• This will be the 10th consecutive season UK and Florida have been in the month of September.
• Each of UK’s past three trips to Gainesville have been its first road game of the season (2014, 2016 and 2018).
• The teams have met annually since the 1967 season.
• The first-ever meeting was in 1917 with UK earning a 52-0 victory.
• Games decided by a touchdown or less: Florida leads 16-9.
• Biggest UK win: 52 (52-0) in 1917 in Lexington
• Biggest Florida win: 66 (73-7) in 1994 in Gainesville
A UK Win Would …
• End Florida’s 31-game winning streak in the series, giving UK its first win over Florida since 1986 (UK 10, UF 3) and first win in Gainesville since 1979 (UK 31, UF 3).
• Mark the Cats’ fifth win in Gainesville all-time.
• Give UK its first win over a top-25 ranked team in the AP poll since defeating No. 11 Louisville (UK 41, UL 38) on the road in 2016.
• Give UK its first win over a ranked Florida team for the first time since upsetting the 15th-ranked Gators 28-9 in 1976 in Lexington.
• Give UK its first win in school history over a ranked Florida team in Gainesville.
• Give Mark Stoops his third win over a ranked team (Louisville and Missouri), including second over a conference foe.
• Move UK to 2-0 for the second straight season and fourth time in past five years.
• Make it two consecutive seasons the Cats have won their SEC road opener. The Cats defeated South Carolina last season in Columbia.
Big Games vs. Florida
• 1950 – One of Kentucky’s big wins in its national championship season was a 40-6 home victory over No. 17 Florida. All-America quarterback Vito “Babe” Parilli threw two touchdown passes and led the Wildcats to 459 yards total offense.
• 1976 – Kentucky played seven ranked teams in the 1976 season, winning four of those games. One of those victories was a 28-9 home win over No. 15 Florida as the Wildcats eventually won the Southeastern Conference championship. Coach Fran Curci termed Kentucky’s effort, “The most complete game I have ever been associated with as a coach.”
• 1986 – Kentucky’s last win over Florida came in 1986 as the Wildcats defeated the Gators, 10-3, on a cold, drizzly day in Lexington. Quarterback Bill Ransdell completed 20-of-23 passes for 161 yards as the Kentucky offense controlled the ball for 41 minutes. Mark Higgs rushed for 95 yards and scored the game’s only touchdown on a one-yard run in the first quarter.
In Our Last Meeting Against Florida
• Kentucky fell to Florida 28-27 at Kroger Field in 2017.
• The Wildcats had a chance to win on the game’s final play, but Austin MacGinnis came up just short on a 57-yard field goal attempt as time expired.
• After the teams traded punts to start the game, Kentucky got the scoring started on its second drive. The Wildcats marched 75 yards in eight plays, culminating with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Johnson to Blake Bone. MacGinnis nailed the point after to give Kentucky a 7-0 lead.
• The Wildcats took that lead into the second quarter, but that’s when Florida scored its first points. The Gators went 58 yards in just four plays, with Kadarius Toney rushing 36 yards for a touchdown to tie the score at 7-7 with 14:16 left in the second quarter.
• UK regained the lead later in the second quarter, when Johnson connected with Garrett Johnson on a nine-yard fade in the corner of the end zone to make it 14-7 UK.
• UF answered later in the quarter when, on fourth down and three from the 45 yard line, quarterback Feleipe Franks found a wide-open Tyrie Cleveland to tie the score 14-14 with 3:16 left in the half.
• The Cats had a chance to take the lead into the locker room right before the half, but MacGinnis’ 48-yard field goal glanced off the right upright with 16 seconds remaining, and the score remained 14-14 at the break.
• Florida received the second-half kickoff, but went three-and-out, as the Wildcat defense forced a punt. Kentucky took over on its own 38 and went 62 yards in just four plays. And when Johnson hit tight end C.J. Conrad with a 23-yard scoring pass, the Cats grabbed a 21-14 advantage.
• Kentucky extended its lead later in the quarter on a 42-yard MacGinnis field goal, giving the Wildcats a 24-14 lead with 5:51 left in the third quarter.
• In the fourth, MacGinnis added to the lead with a season-long 50-yard strike, giving Kentucky a 27-14 lead with 11:33 left in the game. It was MacGinnis’ 58th career field goal, breaking the Kentucky record of 57 previously held by Joe Worley.
• But Florida was not done. The Gators took the ensuing kickoff and marched 80 yards in seven plays, keyed by a Toney end around pass to Cleveland for 50 yards. Brandon Powell finished the drive with a six-yard rush out of the wildcat formation to cut Kentucky’s lead to 27-21 with 7:58 left in the game.
• After a Kentucky punt, the Gators mounted what turned out to be the game-winning drive. Florida assembled a 13-play, 58-yard drive that ended with a Luke Del Rio five-yard scoring pass to Freddie Swain. Eddie Pineiro nailed the extra point to give Florida a 28-27 lead with just 43 seconds remaining.
• UK was able to drive the ball into Florida territory on its final possession of the game. And with three seconds left, MacGinnis’ attempt came up just short, ending the game.
Don Franklin Auto Countdown to Kickoff Show
All-Southeastern Conference defensive end Jeremy Jarmon and former quarterback Dusty Bonner will be alongside host Christi Thomas for the Don Franklin Auto Countdown To Kickoff, the two-hour pregame show that airs prior to each UK football game in 2018.
A live video broadcast of Countdown to Kickoff will air on UKAthletics.com, the UK Athletics mobile app and the Kentucky Football Facebook page.
For home games, Countdown to Kickoff will broadcast live in front of Nutter Field House outside Gate 1 of Kroger Field with special guests and giveaways. The set of the show is conveniently located near the Coke Fan Zone in Nutter Field House and the Cat Walk presented by Chevy.
When the Wildcats are on the road, the show will broadcast from Kroger at the Tates Creek Centre in Lexington.
