It was the tale of two halves as Flordia cruises past Kentucky. For the Gators, the first half was an ugly half as the defense couldn’t get Kentucky’s offense off the field, and keeping Kyle Trask and the Florida offense on the sidelines.
While the second half was a half dominated by the Gators. Their offense scored 20 points and their defense force two three and outs, a turnover on downs, and three interceptions. The Gators also had their star tight end return and he made a significant impact in the game.
While the Florida Gators won, there are still a lot of things that needed to fixed but Florida has put themselves in a good position as they are one win away from clinching the SEC East.
Kentucky Wildcats Offense
The Kentucky Wildcats gave the Gators a good fight but it wasn’t enough for them to pull off the upset. Their offense completely disappeared in the second half while their defense couldn’t contain Florida’s offense.
Kentucky quarterback Terry Wilson had a rough performance in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Wilson completed 10 out of 18 passes for 62 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Wilson also had 25 rushing yards on eleven attempts.
The Kentucky rushing attack had a pretty solid performance as they rushed for 159 yards on 43 carries. Asim Rose was the lead rusher with Chris Rodriguez out of the game. Rose rushed for 58 yards on 15 carries. Kavosiey Smoke also rushed for 47 yards on 14 carries.
The passing attack for Kentucky was nowhere to be found as only three players caught passes in the loss to Florida. Josh Ali led the Wildcats in receiving with six receptions for 32 yards. Tight end Keaton Upshaw had three catches for 28 yards and a touchdown.
Kentucky Wildcats Defense
On defense, Kentucky was able to force some turnovers but it still wasn’t enough. Yusuf Corker led the Wildcats in tackles with eight tackles including three solos. Jordan Wright and Jamar Watson shared the only sack recorded by the Kentucky defense.
DeAndre Square and Jamin Davis both had fumble recoveries in the game but both also recorded six tackles in the game. Kentucky held Florida’s offense to 418 yards which is the lowest since their loss to Texas A&M.
Florida Gators Offense
The Florida Gators took care of business in the Swamp with another win. Redshirt-senior quarterback Kyle Trask continues to impress with another good performance. Trask completed 21 out of 27 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns.
Junior running back Dameon Pierce was the lead rusher for the Gators once again. Pierce had eight carries for 64 yards including a 38-yard run. Pierce also caught four passes for 19 yards.
Kyle Pitts returned to the gridiron had another incredible performance. Pitts had five receptions for 99 yards and three touchdowns. Redshirt-freshman running back Nay’Quan Wright had five catches for 40 yards. Kadarius Toney had three receptions for 38 yards but made the biggest on special teams as he returned a 50-yard punt for a touchdown.
Florida Gators Defense
The Florida defense had an abysmal first-half as Florida’s head coach Dan Mullen had to get on his defensive coordinator Todd Grantham. Whatever Mullen told Grantham worked because of the Florida defense dominant Kentucky’s offense in the second half.
Linebacker James Houston IV returned after missing the past two games and made a huge impact in the game. Houston led Florida in tackles with eight tackles. He also had 2.5 tackles for loss and four solo tackles. Sophomore Mohamoud Diabate had six tackles with half a sack and an interception.
Former Georgia transfer Brenton Cox had three tackles in the game but also recorded a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. Senior Shawn Davis had seven tackles, one tackle for loss, and an interception. True freshman Tre’Vez Johnson recorded his first career interception as he ripped the ball away from the receiver he was covering.
What’s next?
The Florida Gators will be back on the road to take on their most hated rivals, the Tennessee Volunteers. If the Gators knocks off the Volunteers, they will clinch and win their first SEC East title since 2016. The Tennessee Volunteers are coming off an unscheduled bye as they were supposed to be playing Vanderbilt this past Saturday.
