Big Blue Preview: Kentucky at Florida
Info to Know
| Kentucky at Florida | When: Sat., Oct. 19, 7:45 ET | Where: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Fla. | TV: SEC Network | Radio: UK Sports Network |
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Preview
A pair of 3-3 teams meet on Saturday when Kentucky visits Florida for a Southeastern Conference matchup at the Swamp in Gainesville (7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network).
Kentucky lost to Vanderbilt 20-13 last week at Kroger Field. Florida lost to Tennessee in overtime in Knoxville in the Gators’ last outing.
The Cats have won three in a row against the Gators and four of the last six. Kentucky has also won two games in a row in Gainesville for the first time since 1979. Overall, Florida leads the series 53-21, including a 29-6 mark in Gainesville.
Cat Scratches: Kentucky Offense Focused on Explosive Plays and Finishing Drives
The Kentucky offense has been able to move the ball in just about every game this season. The Cats are able to pile up the yardage and make first downs. But the end of drives has been tough for the 2024 Cats.
On Tuesday, UK offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan said that his team is focused on a number of things, but one word kept coming up – finish.
“I think the message is consistent for us. Process is the process here,” Hamdan said. “We’ve certainly got to address, from our standpoint, what those issues are, how do we fix them. Consistency, you’ve heard that from us over and over again. We’ve got to finish drives, that’s the frustrating part of it. I think you look at every game we’ve played this year from yardage, first downs, moving the ball and on and on and on. From the standpoint of finishing, it just hasn’t occurred.”
The Cats have been able to move the ball between the 30 yard lines, but when arriving in the red zone, drives have stalled. Hamdan wants his unit to have the focus they need to finish those drives…Read More
Kentucky vs. Florida
The Series
• Florida leads the all-time series with Kentucky, 53-21.
• The Gators lead the all-time series in Gainesville, 29-6.
• The Wildcats have won three straight in the series and four of the past six.
• The Wildcats have won two of those games (2018, 2022) in The Swamp after not having won there previously since 1979.
• In UK’s last trip to the The Swamp on Sept. 10, 2022, the Wildcats came away with a 26-16 win.
• Last season, Kentucky defeated Florida, 33-14, in Lexington, setting the following season highs in its most impressive rushing performance of 2023:
• Team Rushing Attempts – 36
• Team Rushing Yards – 329
• Yards per rush – 9.1
• Rushing Touchdowns – 3 (Ray Davis with all three)
• Player Rushing Yards – 280 (Ray Davis)
• Longest Rush – 75 yards (Ray Davis)
The Ties
• Kentucky’s roster has eight players from the Sunshine State, including RB Henry Bennett (West Palm Beach), LB Jayvant Brown (Deerfield Beach), WR Hardley Gilmore IV (Belle Glade), OL Daniel Mincey (Pompano Beach), OL Gerald Mincey (Fort Lauderdale), RB Tovani Mizell (Fort Lauderdale), DB Jarard Mosely (West Palm Beach) and RB Jason Patterson (Sneads).
• Also, UK offensive coordinator Bush Hamdan was the wide receivers coach at Florida in 2012.
By the Numbers
6
Times that Kentucky has beaten Florida in Gainesville, including the last two meetings (2018 and 2022)
9
Kentucky’s rank in scoring defense in the country through three games (14.5 points per game)
20.5
Career sacks for UK’s J.J. Weaver
66
On field wins for Mark Stoops, the most in UK history
367
Career points for UK kicker Alex Raynor, the second highest among active FBS players
