Kentucky Falls at Florida
Barion Brown set a Southeastern Conference record with his fifth career kickoff return for a touchdown, but Kentucky lost to Florida 48-20 on Saturday night at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville.
Brown also caught two passes for 56 yards, including a 45-yard touchdown, and he rushed three times for seven yards.
Kentucky (3-4, 1-4 SEC) got nine tackles from Jordan Lovett and seven from Alex Afari and Zion Childress. Afari had 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks.
Florida (4-3, 2-2) got the game’s first possession and the Gators got a big play when DJ Lagway connected with Eugene Wilson for a 40-yard pass play, getting Florida into the red zone. The Gators got inside the five, but a sack by UK linebacker Alex Afari and a pass breakup by Deone Walker forced Florida into a field goal attempt. Trey Smack would connect on a 29-yard field goal and Florida led 3-0 with 10:27 left in the first quarter.
Kentucky went to the ground on its first drive. Demie Sumo-Karngbaye ripped off a 15-yard run to get the Cats near midfield. However, the Cats would get no further and would punt. Florida took over at its own nine yard line with 8:36 to play in the first quarter.
Florida would make one first down on its next possession before the UK defense got the stop and forced a Gators’ punt. The Cats took over at their own 25 with 6:03 left in the first period.
Kentucky went back to Sumo-Karngbaye on the next drive and the senior helped the Cats get one first down. However, the drive stalled and UK punted again. Florida took over at its own 20 with 3:17 left in the period.
The Gators would get a couple of solid rushes from Lagway as the first quarter came to an end with Florida leading 3-0 and threatening. As the second quarter began, the UK defense stuffed the Gators and forced another field goal. Smack would make a 33-yard field goal and Florida led 6-0 with 14:13 left in the half.
Kentucky started its next drive at its own 16, but an 11-yard Vandagriff run got the Cats a quick first down. On the next play, Jamarion Wilcox busted through the line for a 25-yard gain, getting the Cats into Florida territory. Two plays later, Vandagriff handed to Sumo-Karngbaye, who flipped it back to his quarterback. Vandagriff connected with Barion Brown for a 45-yard touchdown. The extra point was no good and the game was tied 6-6 with 12:05 left in the half.
The teams would trade three-and-out possessions before Florida got its offense going again. The Gators needed just three plays to cover 65 yards, ending with a seven-yard touchdown run by Jadan Baugh. Smack added the PAT and Florida led 13-6 with 8:15 remaining in the half.
Kentucky got a first down on the first play of its next drive when Vandagriff hit Dane Key for an 11-yard gain. However, three plays later, Vandagriff was intercepted by Florida’s Trikweze Bridges at the Florida 46.
On the second play of the Florida drive, UK’s Kristian Story picked off Lagway and returned the ball 63 yards to the Florida 11 yard line. A pair of quarterback runs, one by Vandagriff and one by Gavin Wimsatt, got the Cats to the Florida three. Sumo-Karngbaye was stopped on third down and the Cats went for it on fourth down. Sumo-Karngbaye was stopped short of a first down, and Florida took over at its own two with 4:24 left in the half.
Florida got out of the shadow of its own goal post on a 27-yard run by Baugh on first down. On the next play, Lagway connected with Elijhah Badger for a 58-yard gain to the UK 13 yard line. Two plays later, Baugh scored around on a 10-yard run around left end. Smack added the point after and Florida led 20-6 with 2:10 left in the half.
The Gators added another touchdown to go up 27-6 before Brown returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown. Alex Raynor added the point after and UK cut the Florida lead to 27-13 with 1:30 left in the half. That would be the halftime score.
Kentucky got the ball to start the second half, and it started with three consecutive Vandagriff runs (11, 0 and nine yards). However, on third and two, the Cats were stopped again. UK would go for it on fourth down and Vandagriff hit tight end Josh Kattus for a 21-yard gain and a first down. Kentucky would get into the red zone on a 19-yard completion from Vandagriff to Fred Farrier. The Cats got to the Florida three on a four-yard carry from Brown. Two plays later, Wimsatt rushed up the middle for the one-yard touchdown. Raynor made the point after and UK cut the deficit to 27-20 with 8:34 left in the third quarter.
Florida answered with a drive of its own. The biggest play was a Lagway completion to Chimere Dike, covering 44 yards to the UK three yard line. Three plays later, Baugh scored from one yard out. Smack added the PAT and Florida extended its lead to 34-20 with 3:27 left in the third quarter.
The Cats’ next drive started in the third quarter and continued early in the fourth. The Cats would run 15 plays and would gain 53 yards on the drive. But needing a touchdown, Kentucky went for it on fourth down in Florida territory and came up short. Florida took over with 10:35 to play holding a 14-point lead.
The Gators would add two touchdowns late to provide the final margin of victory.
Kentucky returns home next week, hosting Auburn on Saturday at Kroger Field. Kickoff is set for 7:45 ET and the game can be seen on the SEC Network.
