Saturday, September 10, 2022 | Football, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
THE QUICK SLANT
KENTUCKY 26, FLORIDA 16
WHAT HAPPENED: Cornerback Keidron Smith returned an Anthony Richardsonthird-quarterinterception 65 yards for the go-ahead score and Matt Ruffolo kicked a 26-yard game-sealing field goal with 1:25 to play, as the 20th-ranked Wildcats manhandled the 12th-ranked Gators on both sides of the ball in the second half on the way to their victory Saturday night in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams at Spurrier/Florida Field. UK quarterback Will Levis passed for 202 yards and accounted for a touchdown each rushing and passing. Tailback Kavosiey Smoke had 14 carries for 80 yards and wide receiver Dane Key caught three passes for 83 yards and a score, including a 55-yarder in the first half. Richardson, the hero in last week's upset of seventh-ranked Utah, struggled all night against the UK defense, finishing with just 14 completions on 35 attempts for 143 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. The Wildcats also bottled up Richardson's threat to run, limiting him to just four yards on six carries. They dared "AR" to beat them and he had no answers, as the Gators finished with only 279 yards of total offense, just 91 after halftime, and went 4-for-16 on third. The Gators had a 16-7 first-half lead, thanks to a couple of Adam Mihalek field goals, a Trevor Etienne touchdown run and two-point conversion catch, plus a safety on a bad snap on a UK punt attempt. The Wildcats, though, cut the margin to 16-13 at the half after turning a Richardson interception into a 2-yard TD run by Levis. UK tied the game on a short field goal from Ruffoloin the third quarter, then took the lead on Smith's interception with 3:25 to play in the period. After the pick-6, the Gators had three possessions to make up for the miscue and tie the game, but those three possessions ended with a punt and back-to-back surrenders on downs.
Florida defensive lineman Justus Boone sacks Kentucky's Will Levis during first-half action Saturday night. (Photo: Emma Bissell/UAA Communications)
WHAT IT MEANS: It's tough to start the conference season with a defeat, and it's even worse against a division opponent. After that record run of 31 straight losses in the series, the Wildcats have defeated the Gators three of the last five. Didn't take long for the euphoria of that season-opening upset of the Utes last week to give way to reality, what with Kentucky a near-unanimous preseason pick to finish second in the SEC East. The Gators (and their QB) have lots of work to do.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Levis ran away with his QB duel against Richardson, but it was the Kentucky defense, which repeatedly thwarted and confused Richardson, that decided the game.
STAGGERING STATISTIC: Kentucky has now beaten Florida in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1976-77. That would be 45 years. On the other sideline, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops won his 61st game with the Wildcats, breaking the previous program record held by the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant.
UP NEXT: The Gators (1-1, 0-1) will step out of league play with a third straight home game, this one against South Florida (1-1, 0-0), as part of the two-for-one home-and-home-and-home series arrangement (UF played at USF in '21). The Bulls, from the American Athletic Conference, opened their season by getting blasted at home, 50-21, by No. 25 Brigham Young, but handled FCS opponent Howard 42-20 Saturday night in Tampa. The game will mark the third meeting between Florida and USF.
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