The Opening Kickoff: Gators at Kentucky -- #UFvsUK
Friday, September 22, 2017 | Football, Scott Carter
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No. 20-ranked Florida faces the undefeated Wildcats on Saturday night at Kroger Field.
By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
LEXINGTON, Ky. – If you were dialed into what Florida head coach Jim McElwain said this week in the wake of his most dramatic home win at UF, you understand the challenge he presented to his team heading into Saturday's SEC East showdown at Kentucky.
McElwain has no interest in Feleipe Franks' 63-yard Hail Mary to Tyrie Cleveland to defeat Tennessee to stand as the highlight of Florida's season. But for that to happen, the Gators need leaders to show the way and help build off their sudden momentum.
"Leadership itself is not something said. It's something that's earned," McElwain said. "It's something that's respected. It's also something that kind of takes a life of its own and more. It morphs into who is that? Who are those guys? Who is that group?"
The No. 20 Gators (1-1, 1-0) are young, starting with Franks, a redshirt freshman who has only two career starts. Receiver Brandon Powell is the team's only senior starter on offense.
The defense has more experience but with senior cornerback Duke Dawson (concussion protocol) questionable for Saturday's game against undefeated Kentucky (3-0, 1-0), a young secondary could be younger.
This is a team still in search of a true identity.
"I feel like this was a great win for us to have a rolling start going into another SEC game,'' sophomore linebacker David Reese said. "Our goal is to get back to Atlanta and actually win it this year. We have to get to that point."
To get there, a win over the upstart Wildcats seems necessary. The season remains young, but a loss to Kentucky would neutralize the energy from the victory over Tennessee and create a new set of questions for Florida as it moves deeper into the SEC schedule.
A disciplined, clean game against the Wildcats – and a win, of course – is the ideal scenario for the Gators.
If so, some of those leaders McElwain seeks are likely to start emerging.
"You learn about your team, especially when it's as youthful as ours is, but then who are the guys that are going to step up and say, 'Look this is the way it's going to be, this is the way it's got to be.' I think that evolves as it moves forward,'' he said. "This is one of those challenges for our locker room to find out where we're at."
Here is a closer look at the Florida-Kentucky matchup in the latest edition of The Opening Kickoff, but first, a blast from the past and one of UF's most thrilling wins in the series.
Q:What was it like for the offensive line to be in the spotlight after the Michigan loss? Jawaan Taylor A: Social media-wise, they kind of scrutinized us a little bit, but we didn't let it get the best of us. We just knew we had to work harder and we worked a lot harder leading up to Tennessee and it just helped us out. We just kept a strong mind and played through it.
Q:What did you think of the block you had early in the Tennessee game where you tossed a defender a few yards out of bounds?
A: I first realized [I could do that] last year, my freshman year, when I had a few blocks like that. But over the summer I got stronger in the weight room with Coach [Mike] Kent and it helped out tremendously in the game. It showed Saturday.
Q:How important is the running game this week against Kentucky's tough run defense?
A: It's going to be tough for us. We're just going to have to work hard in practice and prepare for Kentucky's defense, which I know they're a good defense. It's going to be a challenge for our offensive line. We'll prepare for it.
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THREE STORYLINES
You may have seen a viral YouTube video of a conspiracy theorist who predicts the end of the world on Saturday. If the prediction comes true, it will be interesting to see if the Apocalypse happens before the Florida-Kentucky game or after. Both teams have a lot at stake for eternity when one (Florida) has beaten the other (Kentucky) 30 consecutive years. Meanwhile, if we're still here Sunday, the winner moves into the driver's seat early in the SEC East race.
Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks is coming off a moment every quarterback imagines – a game-winning bomb on the game's final play. The play gave the Gators a 26-20 win over Tennessee and a huge lift heading into Saturday's game at Kentucky. Can Franks and Florida's offense build off the moment, or was the magic over as soon as the celebration ended?
Sticking with the Florida offense, a pair of true freshmen – running back Malik Davis and receiver Kadarius Toney – flashed their big-play ability in the win over the Vols. As the Florida offense continues to search for an identity, Davis and Toney appear ready to contribute in a bigger way after the first two games of their college careers.
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THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Gators freshman cornerback CJ Henderson has played in two college games and returned two interceptions for touchdowns. He has immediately made his presence felt in Florida's young secondary. However, with senior Duke Dawson potentially unavailable on Saturday, Henderson could be in the starting lineup opposite fellow freshman cornerback Marco Wilson, who has started both games.
Kentucky quarterback Stephen Johnson took over as the starter last season and the Wildcats are 8-4 when he starts. A transfer from Grambling, Johnson is a dual-threat talent who engineered Kentucky's win at South Carolina a week ago by passing for 169 yards and rushing for 74.
Kentucky's defense is ranked third nationally against the run, surrendering just 57 yards per game on the ground. The Gators are ranked 12th in the SEC in rushing, so this matchup clearly favors the Wildcats. To get the ground game going between the tackles, guards Brett Heggie and Fred Johnson, and center T.J. McCoy need to bring some attitude and push onto the field Saturday night.
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THREE DIGITS
50 – Wins for the Gators in 67-game all-time series against Kentucky
166 – UF players selected in NFL Draft since last loss to Kentucky in 1986
8-1 – Gators coach Jim McElwain's record in one-score games at UF
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THE QUOTE FILE
"Let's just call it the way it is. As you know, good football teams take care of the football, and obviously, in two games we've put it on the ground." – Gators coach Jim McElwain on team's ball security
"I do feel the importance of it and I've always accepted that as I've accepted rivalries and all the negative streaks you guys are so good at telling me about. I take it personally. I do. I care. I care about our fan base, I care about the history even though I wasn't here." – Kentucky coach Mark Stoops to reporters on losing streak to Florida
"I don't know if I had any kids yet or not. Now I have grandkids, so it's been a long time.'' – Gators assistant coach Greg Nord, an assistant at Kentucky in 1986, on UF's three-decade win streak in series
"We've got to beat them Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, so we can have fun on Saturday." – Gators QB Feleipe Franks on preparation for Kentucky game
"This is OUR year. Let's pack it out." – Former Kentucky quarterback Tim Couch on Twitter encouraging fans to show up at Kroger Field for the sold-out game
The Gators last lost to Kentucky during the Reagan administration in 1986. Florida's 30-game win streak over the Wildcats is the longest active streak in the country against a single opponent in an uninterrupted series. A look at the all-time longest streaks:
STREAK
TEAMS
YEARS
43
Notre Dame over Navy
1964-2006
36
Nebraska over Kansas
1969-2004
32
Oklahoma over Kansas State
1937-1968
30
Florida over Kentucky
1987-Current
29
Nebraska over Kansas State
1969-1997
28
Texas over Rice
1966-1993
26
Syracuse over Hobart
1906-1931
26
Tennessee over Kentucky
1985-2010
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10 QUICK HITTERS
Prior to Feleipe Franks' touchdown pass to Tyrie Clevelandto defeat Tennessee – believed to be only time in school history Gators have scored a touchdown on final play to win in regulation – the last walk-off regulation win for Florida came on Arden Czyzewski's 41-yard field goal at LSU in 1989.
The Gators rank first in the nation over the past 10 seasons – since the start of the 2008 season – with 28 interceptions returned for touchdowns, including three in two games of the 2017 season.
Sophomore defensive lineman Jachai Polite ranks third on the team with 11 tackles and earned praise from his coaches and teammates for a hustle play he made in the Tennessee game that was popular on social media with Gator Nation.
Mark Stoops is 20-20 since Kentucky went 2-10 in his first season. The Wildcats have won 10 of their last 14 games.
Kentucky junior linebacker Jordan Jones, who led the team with 109 tackles a year ago, will not play due to a shoulder injury according to Stoops.
Florida has scored 20 points or more in all but one game during its 30-game win streak over the Wildcats – a 14-9 road win two years ago.
Imagine being a headline writer at the Lexington Times-Herald for the past 30 years when the Gators and Wildcats play. A cool slideshow worth checking out.
Florida head coaches against Kentucky during 30-game win streak: Galen Hall (2-0), Gary Darnell (1-0), Steve Spurrier (12-0), Ron Zook (3-0), Urban Meyer (6-0), Will Muschamp (4-0) and Jim McElwain (2-0).
Sophomore receiver Tyrie Cleveland has nine catches for 149 yards in the first two games. He needs only five more receptions to match his total (14 for 298) from a year ago.
Kentucky has allowed its fewest rushing yards through three games (171) since 2008 when it allowed 151.
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THE OTHER SIDE
You think this is a big game up in the Bluegrass State?
UK Athletic Director Mitch Barnhart condemns "offensive" Hurricane Irma sign heading into Florida game by Jared Peck of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
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BOTTOM LINE
This all feels so much like 2015. That was the year the Wildcats were finally going to take down the Gators and end the streak. What was then known as Commonwealth Stadium was packed on a chilly Lexington night. Those rabid fans who showed up with so much hope went home chilly and sad as the Gators extended the streak to 29 consecutive games. Last year at The Swamp, Florida made it 30 in a row with a 45-7 spanking of the Wildcats. Here's the way I look at Saturday's matchup: It won't be as close as 2015 but not as lopsided as 2016. Still, the Gators win to extend the streak to 31 and stay on top of the SEC East.
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FINAL WORD
If you have made it this far, that means you probably won't mind an addition to this week's Opening Kickoff. While I made reference to the Jachai Polite hustle play in the Tennessee game above in "10 Quick Hitters," it deserves show-don't-tell treatment for full appreciation.
Without further ado, give Polite a hand for his effort on this tackle:
