The Opening Kickoff: Gators vs. Kentucky

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Graphic: Scott MacCord/UAA Communications

The Opening Kickoff: Gators vs. Kentucky

Thursday, September 6, 2018 | Football, Scott Carter

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

2018 Football Game Day Initiatives | Directions and Parking | Pregame Notes

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In one of the most anticipated season openers in years for the Gators, they did not disappoint.

Florida dismantled overmatched Charleston Southern exactly the way they should have, winning 53-6 in head coach Dan Mullen's debut.

Did the Gators play a perfect game? Certainly not. However, they walked off Florida Field confident in what they are doing and with expectations of a more difficult challenge on Saturday when Southeastern Conference foe Kentucky visits the Swamp (7:30 p.m., SEC Network).

"To have a good game and get a victory is a good thing, it gets the confidence going for us," quarterback Feleipe Franks said. "It was a great little confidence-booster."

That it was. For the team and for the fans.

Our journey has just begun... 😤#TheSwamp ➡ #UKvsUF pic.twitter.com/xIk7URROoH
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) September 6, 2018

Next is proving they are good enough to play well against an SEC opponent, even if it is one they have defeated 31 consecutive times.

Kentucky opened its season with a 35-20 win over Central Michigan, trailing late in the first half before scoring with 14 seconds left before halftime to take the lead for good.

It took only one play for UF fans to see a different approach in attitude.

On the Gators' first play from scrimmage, Franks broke off to the left of the line and appeared ready to run. However, he then looked toward the visiting sideline and tossed a lateral to receiver Josh Hammond for a 6-yard gain.

It was a creative ice-breaker. Florida used an up-tempo offense early to run away with a 38-0 halftime lead.

"I love that. If we can go up-tempo, get our guys — we want to get reps, get plays in,'' Mullen said. "I think it keeps the defense on their toes. I was worried. That was one of the things for us going into the game, I want to play with great tempo, get up, get down, get adjusted to doing that. And I thought they handled that."

The Gators find out Saturday if they can handle more. Much like Florida's history against the Wildcats, Mullen has dominated the rivalry. He was 8-1 at Mississippi State against Kentucky.

In this week's edition of The Opening Kickoff, here is a closer look at the Florida-Kentucky matchup:

THREE QUESTIONS WITH … GATORS O-LINE COACH JOHN HEVESY

Q: How did the offensive line grade out in the opener?

A: They essentially graded out champions, but there's still a lot of things we need to improve on. Obviously, just cleaning things up from the first game. Communication needs to be better and just the little things, which is fundamentals we just have to clean up. After the first game, it's a chance to watch it in a live situation in a game. They see it and get it cleaned up this week.

Q: How was the push in the running game?

A: I always want more. We still need to get more. I think a little bit is hesitation to make sure they're right doing things.

Q: Do you envision a power run game the way Coach Mullen has talked about?

A: Absolutely. I don't think there is any other type of run game. That to me, is our attitude and demeanor to come off the ball and have that drive just to knock people back is the biggest thing. When we get double teams, they've got to get moved.

THREE STORYLINES

A year ago when the Gators played in Lexington, there was a viral YouTube video of a conspiracy theorist predicting the end of the world that day. The world is still here. So is Florida's winning streak over the Wildcats. If it ends Saturday, then perhaps that conspiracy theorist was just a year off.
Gators quarterback Feleipe Franks played his best game for the orange and blue, completing 16 of 24 passes for 219 yards and five touchdowns. The offense executed crisply for the most part in head coach Dan Mullen's debut. Can the Gators build off one of their best offensive games in recent years? That's what the Florida faithful hopes to see.
If there was a negative for the Gators in the season opener, it's that they allowed 222 yards rushing to Charleston Southern, which has them ranked last in the SEC in rushing defense. Defensive coordinator Todd Grantham would like to see the run defense tighten up, especially after Kentucky's Benny Snell Jr. and A.J. Rose each surpassed 100 yards in the Wildcats' season-opening win over Central Michigan.

THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH

An obvious pick is UF quarterback Feleipe Franks, coming off a confidence-building performance in the season opener. Franks appeared more comfortable in the new offense more than at any point in the scheme the Gators ran last season, his first year playing at the collegiate level.
Florida's interior defensive linemen Elijah Conliffe and T.J. Slaton are expected to be busy up front trying to defend Kentucky's running game. On the second level, if junior middle linebacker David Reese can't play, Rayshad Jackson will be challenged to prevent big plays up the middle.
Keep an eye on Kentucky senior tight end C.J. Conrad, who has nine career touchdown receptions among his 53 receptions – or a touchdown grab every 5.9 catches.

THREE DIGITS

+733 – Point differential in favor of Gators during their 31-game win streak against Kentucky.

11,620 – Days ago come Saturday since Florida lost to Kentucky.

7 – Different UF head coaches to beat Kentucky during the 31-game win streak.

INJURY REPORT

PROBABLE: DB C.J. McWilliams (foot/ankle); DT T.J. Slaton (shoulder); QUESTIONABLE: LB David Reese (ankle); OUT: DB Shawn Davis (unspecified); WR Jacob Copeland (unspecified).

THEY SAID IT

"I remember days I used to joke about this kind of thing. That was when it was happening to someone else." – Former Gators receiver Cris Collinsworth in the Nov. 18, 1979, edition of Florida Today after the Gators lost at home to Kentucky to drop to 0-8-1. That was the last time UF lost at home to the Wildcats.
"With the opponent they opened with they didn't have to tip off too much of what they're gonna do. But we don't expect them to vary very much from what he did at Mississippi State." – Kentucky coach Mark Stoops on preparing for UF
"It's very, very critical to their success, especially for a young player. The more success you have, and get off to a good start, it becomes contagious throughout the game. It becomes contagious to your teammates." – Gators quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson on importance of Feleipe Franks' performance in opener
"I like the hit better than the cut because I've been watching him run and make cuts. But I think for a confidence thing, when you take a big hit on the leg like he did later in the game, at whatever point it was, I think that would give him a lot of confidence." – UF coach Dan Mullen on running back Malik Davis playing his first game since season-ending knee surgery last year
"DP's a hard guy. We call him a grown man because he's an 18-year-old kid and runs harder than anybody that we've ever played against. It's like basically playing against Ezekiel Elliott but without all the flash." – Gators sophomore defensive tackled T.J. Slaton on freshman running back Dameon Pierce

THEY WROTE IT

Franks, UF focused on confident approach writes Graham Hall of the Gainesville Sun.
What makes Gators head coach Dan Mullen a quarterback guru? Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times asked some of Mullen's ex-quarterbacks.
The regrets and redemption of Ben Moa, Mullen's jump pass pioneer. Good read here from Will Sammon of The Athletic (subscription site).
Kentucky's defense, led by Josh Allen, crucial to silencing the Swamp writes John Clay of the Lexington Herald-Leader.
UF pass rusher Jachai Polite sacrifices sweets to become force for Gators writes Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel.
31 and counting: Inside Florida's winning streak vs. Kentucky writes Garry Smits of The Florida Times-Union.

CHARTING THE GATORS

The Gators have not lost to Kentucky since 1986. For those Millennials out there, that's the same year Lady Gaga was born. Let's take a look at the top 10 grossing films of 1986 to see how many you've seen:

MOVIE	STARRING ROLE	DOMESTIC GROSS
Top Gun	Tom Cruise	$176.78 (million)
Crocodile Dundee	Paul Hogan	$174.80
Platoon	Charlie Sheen	$138.53
The Karate Kid Part II	Ralph Macchio	$115.10
Star Trek IV	William Shatner	$109.71
Back to School	Rodney Dangerfield	$91.26
Aliens	Sigourney Weaver	$86.16
The Golden Child	Eddie Murphy	$79.82
Ruthless People	Bette Midler	$71.62
Ferris Bueller's Day Off	Matthew Broderick	$70.14

Chart research: Zach Dirlam/UAA Communications

NEWS, NOTES, NUGGETS

The Gators moved into the national rankings at No. 25 in both the AP Top 25 and Amway Coaches Poll after defeating Charleston Southern. Meanwhile, Kentucky is receiving votes but has not been ranked since the 2007 season under former head coach Rich Brooks.
Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks became the fifth player in school history to throw five touchdown passes in a half in the win over Charleston Southern, joining Rex Grossman, Doug Johnson, Terry Dean (twice) and Danny Wuerffel.
Florida made all three of its field goals in the opener, two by freshman Evan McPherson and one by fifth-year senior Jorge Powell. The Gators have made 19 consecutive field goals, a streak that dates back to last year's opener against Michigan.
Three of the past four Florida-Kentucky games have been decided by six points or less: 36-30 (2014, triple OT), 14-9 (2015) and 28-27 (2017).
In his sixth season, Wildcats coach Mark Stoops owns a 27-36 record. However, Kentucky has won at least seven games and finished at least .500 in the Southeastern Conference in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 40 years.
Gators junior defensive back Chauncey Gardner-Johnson had two sacks in the opener, doubling his career total entering the game.
In his first career start, Kentucky linebacker Kash Daniel had a team-high 11 tackles and leads the SEC after Week 1.
UF receiver Van Jefferson caught two touchdowns in his Gators debut, joining Brandon Powell (2017 vs. Florida State) as the only Florida players with multiple touchdown receptions in a single game over the past three seasons.
Zachary Carter's blocked field goal and Jeremiah Moon's blocked PAT marked the first time the Gators have blocked two kicks in the same game since the 2013 Sugar Bowl against Louisville.
Kentucky has 19 players from the state of Florida, while the Gators do not have any players from Kentucky.

THE OTHER SIDE

Junior running back Benny Snell Jr. is the star of Kentucky's offense. Snell became the first player in school history to rush for 1,000 or more yards in back-to-back seasons a year ago with a career-high 1,333 yards and school-record 19 touchdowns.

Snell has racked up 2,549 yards in his two-plus seasons to rank seventh on the school's all-time rushing list. He already owns the school record for rushing touchdowns with 34 and can move into sixth on Kentucky's career rushing list and pass Derrick Locke with 69 yards on Saturday.

Snell opened the season with 125 yards on 20 carries in the win over Central Michigan. The Gators held Snell in check a season ago in Lexington, limiting him to 59 yards on 14 carries.

Can they do it again? Check out video below to get a better idea of why Snell is considered one of the top backs in the league:

BOTTOM LINE

In Florida's victory last year at Kentucky, it sure seemed the streak was about to end in front of a sellout crowd at Kroger Field. Instead, the Wildcats forgot to cover receiver Freddie Swain in the final minute. Swain's 5-yard touchdown reception from Luke Del Rio with 43 seconds left tied the game, and then Eddy Pineiro's extra-point proved the difference. As Gators head coach Dan Mullen said this week, the streak is eventually going to end. Still, this year doesn't seem the year. The Gators are riding high off a solid performance in the opener and there is no reason to think they won't beat Kentucky for the 32nd consecutive time.