Kentucky football defeated No. 22 Florida 33-14 at Kroger Field in Lexington on Saturday, remaining undefeated on the season.
The Wildcats entered the match on the back of a 4-0 start to the season, most recently earning a 45-28 win over Vanderbilt to kick off SEC play 1-0.
As for the Gators, Florida entered the matchup on the back of a 3-1 start to the season that included a loss to current No. 10 Utah and a win over No. 21 Tennessee.
The Gators were the first to receive the ball but Kentucky would get off to a stellar start in the first half, forcing a punt on the opening drive before adding a field goal on its first offensive drive.
Florida looked to get things going in its next offensive drive but the Cats struck again when Trevin Wallace came down with an interception after the ball was knocked out of a UF receiver’s hands in mid-air. Already in the red zone, running back Ray Davis powered the ball into the endzone after a pass by Devin Leary to extend the Kentucky lead to 10.
The impressive first quarter continued on the very next drive when, after forcing Florida to punt with under a minute left, the Cats found the endzone once again after a 75-yard rush by Davis to make it 16-0. Kentucky kicker Alex Raynor’s kick was blocked.
Another forced Florida punt would be followed by yet another Kentucky touchdown by Davis, who rushed it in from three yards out to make it 23-0 Kentucky.
While Kentucky’s defense held tall on Florida’s next drive, the Cats were forced to punt for the first time all night on their next drive. The stop proved to be a spark for the Gators who promptly scored their first touchdown of the game after a short pass from quarterback Graham Mertz to Hayden Hansen.
The Gator touchdown would be the final score of the first half with Kentucky taking a 23-7 lead into the halftime break.
Getting the ball to start the second half, Kentucky made the most of the opportunity, ending its opening drive with, unsurprisingly, yet another Davis touchdown to extend the UK lead to 30-7.
This time, however, Florida responded quickly, answering with a 33-yard passing touchdown from Mertz to Ricky Pearsall to get the game back within 16 points.
Neither side would be able to score again in the third quarter, entering the fourth with the 30-14 score line intact.
Knowing it needed to play a little risky to get back into the game, Florida continued to choose to go for it on fourth downs, with Kentucky forcing a turnover on downs early in the fourth to get into prime field position.
While the Cats did not notch a touchdown on the drive, they did run the clock and add three points with a Raynor field goal.
The field goal would be the final score of the game as Kentucky successfully killed the clock en route to the overall victory.
Next up for Kentucky the Wildcats will travel to Athens to face off against No. 1, and two-time reigning national champions, Georgia at Sanford Stadium.
