The Gators host Kentucky on Saturday night at The Swamp in the SEC opener. (Photo: Maddie Washburn/UAA Communications)
Game Day: No. 12 Florida vs No. 20 Kentucky (ESPN, 7 pm)
Saturday, September 10, 2022 | Football, Chris Harry
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By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In just about everyone's former life the circumstances of Saturday night's Florida-Kentucky game would warrant mention in a Bizarro-like "Seinfeld" episode. OK, so maybe that's not a dead-on comparison, but you get the drift.
The 12th-ranked Gators (1-0) and 20th-ranked Wildcats (1-0), in their Southeastern Conference opener, are about to play a sold-out football game with significant stakes. A game that will tilt the balance of the SEC East Division. And with cases to be made that either team has an excellent chance to win the game.
[Read senior writer Scott Carter's comprehensive "Pregame Stuff" setup here]
Most fans are old enough to remember when UF won 31 straight in the series from 1987-2017, along the way with stat-stuffing scores of 73-7, 65-0, 63-5, 38-0 and 45-7.
Coach Mark Stoops, now in his 10th season, has completely flipped the Kentucky culture. How so? The Wildcats are coming off their second 10-win season since 2018, with Stoops needing (and get this, folks) just one victory to pass Paul "Bear" Bryant as the winningest coach in UK history. That 31-game losing streak against the Gators is a mere memory, as the Cats have won two of the previous four, including last year's 20-13 upset at Lexington on a night the Gators committed 15 penalties for 115 yards, including eight false starts (at least one by each starting offensive lineman).
Since stepping to the UF podium for the first time, Coach Billy Napier has declared discipline would be one of the hallmarks of his program. During the preseason he put an acceptable rate for penalties at one in every 30 plays. Last year, the Gators averaged one every 8.7 plays. Is that good? In that loss to the Wildcats last season, it was a penalty every 4.7, which amounts to abject self-destruction.
In Napier's UF debut last weekend, a 29-26 upset of seventh-ranked Utah, the Gators were flagged seven times for 38 yards. That's a penalty every nine plays, which is about the same as last season and, obviously, fell way short of the new staff's goal. The infractions, however, did not come at crucial times (such as in the red zone) and only one was a major infraction (a 10-yard offensive holding). In other words, the Gators could probably live with that, but they don't want to get used to it. And they certainly will want to improve on that number in SEC play, starting with a Kentucky team that finished with a No. 18 ranking in the final 2021 Associated Press poll and was picked to finish second in the East (compared to UF, which was picked to finish anywhere from third to fifth) in '22.
The Wildcats opened last week with a 37-13 defeat of Ohio U, but managed just 353 yards of total offense against its Mid-American Conference opponent, They were without standout tailback Chris Rodriguez Jr. (coach's decision), who rushed for 1,378 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. Rodriguez will miss the Florida game, as well.
Kentucky will lean again on quarterback Will Levis, who shows up in the top 10s of just about every 2023 NFL mock draft out there. Levis, the 6-foot-3, 222-pound transfer from Penn State, passed for 2,433 yards, 24 touchdowns and 13 interceptions last season, and opened the season by completing 21 of 32 attempts for 303 yards, three TD and a pick.
The Gators limited Will Levis to just 87 yards passing last season, but the Wildcats' quarterback is much further along in his development a year later (and UK also won that game).
Make that a second straight week the Gators will face an accomplished and savvy quarterback, after Utah's Cameron Rising passed for 216 yards, rushed for another 91 and was an end-zone interception with 17 seconds left away from either handing UF a gut-punch defeat or taking the game to overtime.
The Utes punched Florida's defense for 446 yards, including 233 on the ground at a 6.8-yard clip, and had no sacks. Levis is more of a prototypical drop-back passer, but he's more than capable of running himself out of trouble, should the UF pass rush (without a sack in Week 1) show up.
Kentucky has a defensive identity and against Miami-Ohio surrendered just 290 yards, only 111 on the ground, which was best in the SEC last week. The Florida offense had 453 yards against its Pac-12 Conference foe, with 283 on the ground, led by quarterback Anthony Richardson, who accounted for 106 and three touchdowns rushing and 168 yards passing.
Richardson, like the bulk of his teammates, played with remarkable poise against the Utes, rallying the Gators from behind four different times, including a 14-play, 75-yard drive to the go-ahead TD inside two minutes to go. That across-the-board poise was a reflection of Napier and his level, consistent demeanor, but his players also furthered the level of trust from Napier and his staff.
Maybe this week's plan for the Wildcats will ask Richardson and the offense to do a little bit more. Against a UK defense that, on paper, is better than what the Gators saw in Utah, that might have to be the case.
The Florida-Kentucky matchup, frankly, looks like something of a toss-up, which means the "Swamp" will need to be a factor. Like last week.
Two games. Two extremely challenging games for the Gators. And one against Kentucky.
Welcome to the SEC's new normal.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on ESPN, with Joe Tessitore on play-by-play, Greg McElroy providing analysis and Katie George working the sidelines. For radio and television broadcast info, click here. The game will be replayed Sunday at 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday at 12:30 a.m. The Learfield Gator IMG Sports Network coverage, with Sean Kelly and Shane Matthews in the booth, and Tate Casey on the sidelines, will begin at 4 p.m. You may also happen upon an ESPN national broadcast, with Marc Kestecher, Kelly Stouffer and Ian Fitzsimmons.
Also, check out the "1st & 10 Pre-Game Show," hosted by Jeff Cardozo via the Florida Gators Football YouTube site, starting at 6 p.m. This week's lineup includes interviews with Napier and GatorMade director Savannah Bailey, a mic'd-up segment with offensive lineman O'Cyrus Torrence, a look back on this staff's first night in the "Swamp" and pregame thoughts from FloridaGators.com senior writer Scott Carter and Learfield's Kyle Crooks.
Finally, follow Carter (@GatorsScott) on Twitter for commentary and analysis throughout the game. FloridaGators.com will have complete coverage content from the game late Saturday night and fresh follow-up content Sunday, also.
