Football
Cats Want More after Knocking Down Door vs. Florida

Cats Want More after Knocking Down Door vs. Florida

by Guy Ramsey

Mark Stoops wasn’t going to let his team be overwhelmed by thoughts of how much a victory over Florida would mean.
 
When Kentucky finally got that win, Stoops couldn’t help but succumb to the very feeling he was trying to prevent.
 
“It’s hard to describe the feeling that I have right now,” Stoops said. “Just feel so blessed to be the head coach here and just to get that victory for truly everyone in the Big Blue Nation. Most importantly our players for the work that they’ve put in and the time commitment. I’ve said all along that I love this team.”
 
For Stoops, that love yielded belief. Belief that, after 31 losses to Florida since UK’s last win over the Gators in 1986, the Wildcats would pull off the upset of the 25th-ranked Gators on Saturday night.
 
“I told them at halftime – I told them before the game – that we were going to win this game in a team effort because they love, trust and believe in each other,” Stoops said.
 
Stoops, of course, was proven right. In spite of some nervous moments late, Kentucky came into the Swamp and claimed a 27-16 victory, punctuated by a Josh Allen sack and forced fumble returned by Davonte Robinson for a touchdown as time expired. UK was the dominant force in the game from start to finish, outgaining the Gators 454-360 and rolling up 303 rushing yards to Florida’s 128.
 
“We’ve had a lot of good teams,” Stoops said. “Sometimes the ball doesn’t bounce your way for one reason or another, but we were going to keep on plugging. I know this: If we competed against them the way we have since I’ve been here, we were going to knock down that door sooner or later. Fortunately it was tonight.”
 
By finally knocking down that door, the Cats kicked off a jubilant celebration that included an emotional game-ball presentation offensive line coach John Schlarman, currently battling cancer, and linebacker Kash Daniel picking up his head coach on the field of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
 
“I’m so lucky,” said Daniel, who had 11 tackles. “I’m blessed. I have the best teammates in the world. I got the best running back in the SEC. I got the best head coach in the SEC. I got the best everybody in the SEC. I love all my teammates. I love all my coaches. That’s not cockiness. That’s just me loving on my coaches and my teammates and everybody’s that’s got a part of this.”
 
Benny Snell Jr., of course, is the running back Daniel was praising. The star junior added another chapter to what has already been a remarkable Kentucky career, running for 175 physical yards. Though he said the right things during the week about treating this as another game, Snell admits his mind wandered to what it would be like to stop the streak.
 
“There’s no feeling like this,” Snell said. “During the week, I was just thinking about the moment, the game ending and all the fans leaving. It was what I dreamed out. It’s the best feeling in the world. I can barely talk. I’m so happy.”
 
Believe it or not, Snell’s happiness might not even approach Daniel’s. The Paintsville, Kentucky, native has grown up intimately knowing Florida’s domination of his home-state team and now he played an instrumental role in ending it.
 
“Honestly it really hasn’t hit me, but I about cried on the field just because of how happy I am,” Daniel said. “It’s just unreal. I’m a small-town—I never dreamed of this ever happening.”
 
Stoops can relate, but he also has the bigger picture in mind. At the end of the day – and regardless how big beating Florida might feel – Kentucky is just two wins in two weeks into a long season that continues next week against Murray State.
 
“I think it’s a big step,” Stoops said. “It’s only two games. You can’t ever get too far ahead of yourself. Just like if we would have come out on the wrong end, you can’t be too low. You can’t put everything into it. It’s a long season, but it is a step. I know that. It’s a big piece. You heard me talk about knocking down doors since I’ve been here. Well this is a big one. We knocked down this door and we did it the right way: by being a good, hard-nosed, tough, physical football team.”
 
By continuing to be that kind of team, UK’s best days could still lie ahead.
 
“We want it,” Allen said. “We’re taking it game by game. We’re not worried about the future. We’re not worried about game six, game 12. We’re worried about game three next and we all have the mindset to be great and we want it. We’re hungry for it.”
 

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