Florida Notes |
Kentucky Notes |
Broadcast Information |
Game Day Info
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A September trip to Kentucky used to mean a blast of cooler weather and automatic win for the Gators.
The forecast Saturday calls for a high of 81, which is pleasant enough. However, the No. 22-ranked Gators (3-1, 1-0) know the heat will be on inside Kroger Field when they face the undefeated Wildcats (4-0, 1-0) in their first Southeastern Conference road game of the season.
Florida lost at Kentucky for the first time since 1986 two seasons ago, and a year ago at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the Wildcats made it two in a row in this once-lopsided rivalry.
Gators head coach
Billy Napier, who joined
Dan Mullen as the only first-year UF coaches to lose to the Wildcats since
Charley Pell in 1979, is eager for another shot. Florida has won three consecutive games for the first time on Napier's watch and can make a statement in the SEC East with a victory.
Still, Napier is prepared for a stiff challenge from the Wildcats, who are no pushovers like days gone by. Kentucky's turnaround under veteran head coach
Mark Stoops starts on defense.
"One of the reasons why they've been able to be very consistent as a program and as a team is because they play really good defense," Napier said. "They've got an identity. They understand who they are and how they play. It's a veteran group, and I think they've added a couple transfers also that have provided depth at certain positions.
"Obviously, the head coach has a defensive background. They're systematic in what they do, and they do a really good job, play well at all levels of the defense."
In this week's edition of
The Opening Kickoff, here is a closer look at the Florida-Kentucky matchup:
THREE QUESTIONS WITH … GATORS TE ARLIS BOARDINGHAM
Q: Did you keep the ball from your first career touchdown catch in last week's game
?
Arlis Boardingham
A: I kept the gloves, the ball I had to give it away. But just the first touchdown in The Swamp, it's something I definitely will remember forever.
Q: What did it take to get your first career start
?
A: To earn that, it definitely came in practice. I feel like all throughout the season the practice tape is really what is going to tell you who gets on the field, and I feel like the last two weeks, my last week of practice, I definitely stepped my game up in terms of what I need to do to get on the field in games in practice.
Q: How important is it to maintain momentum this week at Kentucky
?
A: I feel like momentum is everything. We're going into this game knowing what the mindset is, that the season's on the line all the time. Every game that we play the season's on the line. So we know that this momentum, we coming out swinging, is going to be a huge, huge factor, especially being away.
THREE STORYLINES
- Florida owned the Wildcats not so long ago, winning 31 in a row in the series from 1987-2017. However, Kentucky has won three of the last five, including two in a row. Kroger Field's atmosphere has improved drastically over the last decade, giving the Wildcats a true home-field advantage. This is a true barometer game for the Gators. A win could drastically improve their fortunes later in the season. A loss and UF might be that middle-of-the-SEC-East team many predicted.
- The quarterback matchup features Florida's Graham Mertz and Kentucky's Devin Leary. Both are transfers who visited Lexington last December only days apart. Mertz, the former Wisconsin starter, landed at UF while Leary, a standout at NC State, signed with the Wildcats. Mertz leads the SEC in completion percentage, and Leary's nine touchdown passes are tied for third.
- Both teams opened SEC play with victories, Florida winning at home against Tennessee and Kentucky beating Vanderbilt on the road. The winner Saturday improves its standing in the race to challenge favorite Georgia for the final SEC East title. The league is moving away from a divisional format in 2024.
Gators quarterback Graham Mertz signs posters for young fans after last week's win over Charlotte. (Photo: John Paternoster/UAA Communications)
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Wildcats running back Ray Davis (more on Davis, below) turned in a strong performance a year ago against the Gators when he was at Vanderbilt. Davis is a tough runner and Gators LBs Shemar James and Scooby Williams, both playing well, must do their jobs to limit Davis. James leads the team with 27 tackles, and Williams is third with 20.
- Trevor Etienne was quiet in last week's win over Charlotte after his career-high 172-yard performance in the win over Tennessee. The Gators turned mostly to Montrell Johnson Jr. in defeating Charlotte. It will be interesting to see if Etienne has more of a role in Saturday's game plan as the more explosive of the two backs.
- Wildcats sophomore CB Maxwell Hairston flashed his ball skills in last week's win over Vanderbilt with a pair of interception returns for touchdowns. Hairston became the first Kentucky player with two interception returns for touchdowns in a single game, returning picks 29 and 54 yards for scores. The Gators must be careful when throwing in Hairston's direction.
THREE DIGITS
6,356 — Career passing yards for Gators QB
Graham Mertz, 37th among active players.
50 — Years since Kroger Field, formerly Commonwealth Stadium, opened in September 1973 with Kentucky defeating Virginia Tech 31-26.
7,867 — Career passing yards for Kentucky QB
Devin Leary, 22nd among active players.
INJURY REPORT
GATORS — OUT: TE
Dante Zanders (lower body), DB
Ja'Markis Weston (upper body), TE
Tony Livingston (upper body), DL
Justus Boone (knee, out for season), RB
Cam Carroll (knee, out for season), TE
Keon Zipperer (knee), OL
Caden Jones (foot).
QUESTIONABLE: WR
Marcus Burke (upper body), WR
Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman (lower body).
KENTUCKY — OUT: LS Ronald Gaines (undisclosed), OL Kenneth Horsey (undisclosed), OL Nikolas Hall (undisclosed), OL Ben Christman (undisclosed).
QUESTIONABLE: RB Jamarion Wilcox (hamstring), RB La'Vell Wright (undisclosed), TE Josh Kattus (undisclosed).
THEY SAID IT
- "The guy's a unique player. He has unique acceleration. He has unique instincts, vision, ball skills, hand selection, run after catch, it's not too big for him. It's always good when he's in there." — Gators head coach Billy Napier on return of freshman WR Eugene Wilson III
- "I do admit, and I admitted it then when we were in the midst of that streak, it does get to be a little bit problematic because that's all everybody talks about. Then your players start thinking about it. So that was a hurdle we had to overcome and we have." — Kentucky coach Mark Stoops on defeating Gators in three of last five games after 31-game losing streak to UF
- "I play for my mom. Really, my whole community, cause I know they be back in Louisiana watching me. So, I know every time I step on the field and they watching me on TV, I just try to go hard for them and just show them it's a way out." — Gators DL Camron Jackson on his inspiration
THEY WROTE IT
CHARTING THE GATORS
The Gators are seeking a fourth consecutive win, and to do so, they must overcome recent road woes in the SEC. A look at Florida's last seven true SEC road games:
| DATE |
OPPONENT |
RESULT |
NOTABLE |
| Nov. 19, 2022 |
@Vanderbilt |
L 31-24 |
Fourth-quarter rally fell short despite 400 yards passing |
| Nov. 5, 2022 |
@Texas A&M |
W 41-24 |
Gators rushed 50 times for 293 yards to take control |
| Sept. 24, 2022 |
@Tennessee |
L 38-33 |
First loss in Knoxville since 2016 dropped UF to 0-2 in SEC |
| Nov. 20, 2021 |
@Missouri |
L 24-23 (OT) |
Final game for Dan Mullen as Florida head coach |
| Nov. 6, 2021 |
@South Carolina |
L 40-17 |
Stunning loss to Gamecocks set wheels in motion |
| Oct. 16, 2021 |
@LSU |
L 49-42 |
Tyrion Davis-Price gashed Gators for 287 yards rushing |
| Oct. 2, 2021 |
@Kentucky |
L 20-13 |
Gators suffer first loss in Lexington in 35 years |
NEWS, NOTES, NUGGETS
- Gators starting center Kingsley Eguakun, receiver Eugene Wilson III and offensive lineman Micah Mazzccua are expected back for the game. Eguakun has played in only one game due to an ankle injury, and Wilson (injury) and Mazzccua (suspension) did not play in the victory over Charlotte.
- Florida owns a 53-20 advantage in the series against Kentucky, including a 22-11 record in Lexington.
- The Wildcats have won three of the last five, snapping UF's 31-game win streak in the series in 2018 with a victory at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Kentucky has won the last two meetings and has not beaten the Gators three consecutive times since a four-game win streak from 1948-51 when legendary coach Bear Bryant led the program.
- Gators head coach Billy Napier (49-20) seeks his 50th career victory. Napier, in his second season at UF, improved to 9-8 with the Gators with last week's victory.
- Kentucky coach Mark Stoops, in his 11th season, surpassed Bryant as the program's all-time wins leader last season. Stoops is 70-59 and can win his 50th game at Kroger Field on Saturday.
- Wildcats QB Devin Leary has already matched his interception total from his final full season at NC State, where he threw 35 TDs and five interceptions. Leary has nine TDs and five interceptions in his first four games at Kentucky.
- Gators WR Ricky Pearsall recorded the fifth 100-yard receiving game of his career against Charlotte. Pearsall's one-handed catch in the first quarter went viral on social media and earned him catch-of-the-year nominations. Pearsall has caught a pass in 31 consecutive games.
- The Gators lead the SEC in total defense (244.8 yards per game) and pass defense (162.8). Florida's defense is one of only five among FBS teams allowing less than 15 points a game (13.5) and fewer than 250 yards per game.
- The Gators have 22 rushes for 10 or more yards through four games, topped by Trevor Etienne (12) and Montrell Johnson Jr. (six)
- Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston was named National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in last week's win over Vanderbilt. Hairston had four tackles, three pass breakups, and returned two interceptions for touchdowns.
THE OTHER SIDE
Senior running back
Ray Davis needs no introduction to Florida fans who recall what he did a season ago when the Gators lost at Vanderbilt for the first time since 1988.
Davis rushed for 130 yards to help the Commodores upset Florida, 31-24. Davis transferred to Kentucky after the season and has quickly made his presence felt in the Bluegrass State.
Davis has rushed for 314 yards and caught 10 passes for 137 yards. He has already scored seven touchdowns in four games (five rushing, two receiving) and is on pace to break the school record for touchdowns in a single season (19) set by
Benny Snell in 2017.
The Wildcats haven't faced a defense as talented as Florida's, so Davis should find yards a little more difficult to come by on Saturday at Kroger Field.
But he knows what it's like to have a big game against the Gators.
Davis started his career at Temple, and then became only the fifth running back to run for 1,000 or more yards in a single season for Vanderbilt.
BOTTOM LINE
The days of a Florida-Kentucky game being an automatic win for the Gators are over. The Wildcats have improved significantly under 11th-year head coach
Mark Stoops. Meanwhile, the Gators continue to try and climb their way back into national relevance. Florida is the ranked team but a three-point underdog on the road. Both teams have a lot to play for in this early-season SEC East battle. The Gators are due for a meaningful SEC road win and they win a close one.
