Kentucky-Florida Postgame Notes

FLORIDA AT KENTUCKY
NOVEMBER 14, 2026
KROGER FIELD AT C.M. NEWTON GROUNDS, LEXINGTON, KY
ATTENDANCE: 61,886

FINAL SCORE: Florida 21, Kentucky 14

Team Records and Series Information

• Kentucky is 7-3 overall, 5-3 in the Southeastern Conference. Florida is 6-4 overall, 4-4 in the league.
• Florida leads the series, 55-21, including 23-11 in games played in Lexington. (Series records do not include Kentucky win in 2021, later vacated by the NCAA.)
• Florida head coach Jon Sumrall, who played at Kentucky from 2001-04, is the fifth UK alumnus in the modern era to coach against his alma mater. Additional alumni and the schools they coached vs. UK are:
  • Jerry Claiborne (UK 1946, 48-49), Virginia Tech and Maryland
  • Charlie McClendon (UK 1949-50), LSU
  • Howard Schnellenberger (UK 1952-55), Louisville and Florida Atlantic
  • Doug Martin (UK 1981-84), Kent State and New Mexico State

Next Game

• Kentucky has its final away game of the regular season and wraps up the SEC schedule Saturday at Missouri. Kickoff is set 7:30 p.m. Eastern time (6:30 p.m. Central time in Columbia) and will be televised on the SEC Network.

Team Notes

• On Kentucky’s first possession, the Wildcats drove 86 yards for a touchdown. It is the fourth time this season that UK drove for a touchdown on its first possession.
• Kentucky allowed only two points in the first half, fewest vs. Florida since 1988.
• Kentucky allowed 119 passing yards, fewest vs. Florida since 2011.
• Kentucky allowed 21 points or less in four straight home games vs. Florida. UK held the Gators to 21 or less in nine straight home games from 1917 to 1968.
• Kentucky tight ends totaled five catches for 62 yards.
  • UK tight ends have totaled 69 receptions this season, the most in the first 10 games of a season since the tight ends caught 82 in the first 10 games of 2000.
• Turnovers telling the tale: during Kentucky’s six-game win streak, the Wildcats won or tied the turnover margin in every game. UK has lost the turnover margin the last two games.

Player Notes

• QB Kenny Minchey completed 15 of 26 passes for 181 yards and one touchdown.
  • He also burrowed one yard for a touchdown in the third quarter.
  • He is the first UK quarterback with a rushing and passing touchdown in the same game at home vs. Florida since Sawyer Smith in 2019.
• RB CJ Baxter rushed for 21 yards and also caught a 5-yard touchdown pass on Kentucky’s first possession. It is his first receiving TD of the season, second of his career.
• TE Willie Rodriguez caught five passes for 62 yards.
  • He is the first UK tight end in school history with at least five receptions in six straight SEC games.
  • He has caught at least five passes in the last six games. Last UK receiver to do that was Wan’Dale Robinson in 2021, who had an eight-game streak with at least five receptions.
  • He has caught 50 passes this season, most for a UK tight end in the first 10 games since James Whalen in 1999.
  • He has a reception in 22 of his last 23 games and in all 10 games this season.
• WR J. Miller snagged four passes for 80 yards. He averaged 20 yards per catch, best for a Wildcat vs. Florida (min. four catches) since Garrett Johnson averaged 25.7 yards per reception at Florida in 2014.
• WR Kenny Darby caught four passes for 25 yards.
  • He has 49 catches on the season, just one shy of the UK freshman record of 50 by Barion Brown in 2022.
  • He leads the Cats with 601 receiving yards this season. He needs 27 yards to tie Barion Brown for the UK single-season freshman record.
  • He has caught at least one pass in every game this
• LB Grant Godfrey led the Wildcats in tackles with a game-high 13 stops. It is his fifth double-figure tackle game of the season.
• CB Hasaan Sykes had three tackles and tied his career high for pass breakups with two.
• LB Lorenzo Cowan made four tackles, including his first quarterback sack of the season (-11 yards).
• Thomas O’Hara returned to punting duties tonight and kicked three times for a season-best 46.3-yard average, including a season-long 55-yarder.

Game Captains

• DB Jordan Castell, DB Aaron Gates, C Coleton Price, TE Willie Rodriguez