The UF defense had trouble stopping Kentucky's running game last season in the program's third consecutive loss to the Wildcats. (Photo: Ashley Ray/UAA Communications)
Gators Prep for Kentucky's Two-Pronged Offensive Attack, SEC Starting Debut for DJ Lagway
Thursday, October 17, 2024 | Football
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By: Noah White, FloridaGators.com Student Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — At the University of Florida, the expectation is to beat Kentucky in football. That expectation hasn't been upheld recently.
The Southeastern Conference matchup that featured the Gators winning every meeting from 1984 to 2017 will be played again on Saturday but in a much different light than its lopsided past.
Kentucky is not historically a dominant college football program. The Wildcats hold three 10-win seasons, fewer than Florida has registered since 2012. They also haven't recruited at the rate Florida has. The Gators have brought in higher-ranked recruiting classes than Kentucky every year since recruiting rankings began in 1999.
None of that matters on Saturday, though.
While Florida's history and theoretical talent gap over Kentucky suggest that the Gators will win in two days at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, that hasn't been the theme recently. The Wildcats have taken four of the last six matchups, most recently dominating UF 33-14 last season. So, when the Gators take the field Saturday night, their historical dominance and recruiting star power may make home fans confident, but the contest's result is nowhere close to set in stone.
And the Gators know that.
"I respect them," Gators head coach Billy Napier said Wednesday evening. "I just expect it to be ugly. They do a good job. They play complementary football. I think they're tough."
Napier would know how "tough" Kentucky is after losing to the Wildcats in each of his first two seasons at the helm of the Gators' program. Kentucky's offense in the matchups outperformed Florida's, but more notably, it was picked apart by Kentucky's stringent defense.
In 2022, Florida entered its early September meeting with the Wildcats riding the high of defeating No. 7 Utah to commence Napier's tenure. Subsequently, Kentucky shell-shocked Anthony Richardson and company for 60 minutes behind a dominant defensive performance. UK held Florida to a goose egg in the second half while Richardson threw two picks.
Gators safety Jordan Castell, No. 14, and the UF defense seek to bring down Kentucky's offense on Saturday night better than a year ago in Lexington, Ky. (Photo: Maddie Washburn/UAA Communications)
Last season was much the same. Kentucky never let Florida sniff a lead, sacked Graham Mertz three times and forced another turnover en route to its largest victory over the Gators since 1979.
After the past two years, Napier recognizes the abnormal challenges Kentucky's defense poses.
"[Their] group is consistently one of the better defensive units in our league and it's a very unique concept relative to other weeks," Napier said. "They give everybody fits."
Kentucky has recorded double-digit sacks in four of its six games. While less prolific than the past two years, the Wildcats' pass rush can disrupt the Gators' offense again on Saturday.
According to Pro Football Focus analytics, UF's offensive line ranks in the bottom half of the FBS this season. Against Tennessee last week, Florida allowed the Vols to sack Mertz and DJ Lagway three times and pressure them consistently. Now, with the freshman Lagway behind center, Florida's offense will need to provide him with time.
"It's going to give him so much more confidence and allow him to play his game when he has a clean pocket and he's able to do what he wants," redshirt sophomore tight end Arlis Boardingham said. "We definitely emphasized our technique and just making sure we're doing our jobs so it's easier on him."
After starting against Samford and playing intermittently in the following games, Lagway will make his first start in SEC play against the Wildcats.
The first-year quarterback boasts raw athleticism that makes Gators faithful reminisce over another signal-caller who split snaps as a freshman, but he is, in fact, still a freshman. Lagway has struggled to quickly make decisions in the pocket and can be overly aggressive in moments, leading to four interceptions.
But what Lagway loses in freshman errors and inexperience, he makes up in other ways.
"DJ is someone who could do a couple of read options and get loose with it," Boardingham said.
Napier added that Lagway is improving as he begins to process faster and adjust to the speed of SEC football.
When Kentucky's offense is on the field, there won't be a question of speed.
Receiver Barion Brown and situationally deployed quarterback Gavin Wimsatt will challenge Florida's defense to cover the entire field.
"Barion Brown, he can keep you up at night. He's definitely one of the more explosive players," Napier said. "[He] is one of the best vertical players in the country."
The latter, Wimsatt, is part of a pair of quarterbacks that Kentucky utilizes each game. Brock Vandagriff is the primary passer between the two, leading the team with 951 yards, while Wimsatt is primarily a runner, especially in short-yardage situations. The combination will force the Florida defense to quickly adjust as the two players shift in and out of the lineup.
"We're prepared for them," senior defensive lineman Cam Jackson said. "We know if they bring No. 2 [Wimsatt] in, he's going to run the ball, he's more of a runner. No. 12 [Vandagriff] is more of a passer, but he can run the ball, too."
After poor performances against Miami and Texas A&M, Florida's defense has improved its ability to contain mobile quarterbacks, holding Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava and UCF's KJ Jefferson to a combined minus-17 rushing yards. Against Wimsatt and, at times, Vandagriff, the Gators will need to continue with their recent pocket containment improvements.
While not an offensive powerhouse (averaging a little below 21 points per game), Kentucky employs an effective rushing attack that Florida knows about well.
Last season, Kentucky's Ray Davis rushed for 280 yards for an average of 10.6 yards per carry. Lucky for Florida, Davis used up all his eligibility.
"I'd say to be real, that game I felt embarrassed,'' safety Jordan Castell said. "We went out there and they beat us. They beat us bad."
The Wildcats rank 65th in the FBS in rushing yards per game, but those yards come efficiently. Of Kentucky's four players with the most rushing attempts, three average over four yards per carry. The efficiency often is through the use of Wimsatt on designed runs.
"[He] is a big, physical athlete ... [It's] almost as if you're in a wildcat formation when he's in the game," Napier said. "They do some really unique things there to add an extra box. You're short a defender. It's definitely a huge part of the game for sure."
Florida's defense will focus on making Kentucky one-dimensional, especially with Wimsatt behind center.
When Florida faces Kentucky on Saturday, it'll be under atypical circumstances. Kentucky has a leg up on the Gators in recent years. It'll be a first-year quarterback tasked with breaking a three-game slump in his first Southeastern Conference start.
Lagway will be supported by a Florida defense that has been improving in recent weeks, but Napier knows the Gators' entire roster will need to step up to beat Kentucky for the first time in his tenancy at Florida.
"I think the challenge is for every part of our team to kind of raise their level of play, knowing that we're going to be playing with a rookie quarterback," Napier said.
However, that shouldn't be a problem for the Gators, as their recent losses to Kentucky remain at the forefront of their minds, according to Boardingham.
