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    • Florida football looks to overcome a three-game deficit in the Kentucky series
    Duluth

    Florida football looks to overcome a three-game deficit in the Kentucky series

    Eira Gwyneth Posted on

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    There was a time when a Florida football victory over Kentucky was as certain as rain on a fall afternoon in Gainesville.

    From 1986 to 2017, the Florida Gators won 31 straight times against the Wildcats in the annual matchup between the former SEC East Division opponents.

    But Kentucky turned its fortunes around against UF under 12th-year coach Mark Stoops, who has brought a physical, defense-oriented mindset to the program. The Wildcats have won three straight and four of their last six meetings against the 2018 Gators.

    Florida (3-3, 1-2 SEC) will look to reverse that trend when it hosts the Wildcats (3-3, 1-3 SEC) for homecoming Saturday at The Swamp (7:45 p.m., SEC Network).

    “There is no lack of respect for Kentucky here, I can promise you that,” said Florida football coach Billy Napier, who is 0-2 against the Wildcats during his UF tenure. “They have a good football team. They had a very consistent program. Coach Stoops did a good job.”

    Last season, Kentucky beat Florida 33-14 in Lexington, rushing for 329 yards on 9.1 yards per carry. Former Kentucky State running back Ray Davis, now in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, rushed for 280 yards and three touchdowns.

    “You could say it’s a revenge game,” Florida sophomore safety Jordan Castell said. “We want to go out there and prove that they won’t do what they did last year again. Let’s go out there and do what we’re supposed to do.”

    Florida football and Kentucky are both desperate for a win

    Florida is coming off a disappointing 23-17 overtime loss at Tennessee and, given its strength in the second half, needs a win over the Wildcats to avoid a fourth straight losing season.

    Kentucky is coming off a 20-13 home loss to Vanderbilt after posting a surprising 20-17 win at Ole Miss. After the Vandy loss, Stoops lamented the lack of NIL support for the program. Kentucky has relied heavily on the transfer portal during Stoops’ tenure.

    Kentucky not only lost Davis from last year’s squad to the NFL, but also starting quarterback Devin Leary and offensive coordinator Liam Coen to the NFL (Tampa Bay Bucs).

    Georgia native Brock Vandagriff has had ups and downs since replacing Leary as Kentucky’s starting quarterback. He completed 59.8% of his passes and throws for 951 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions.

    Florida’s defense has improved since opening week, averaging 18.0 points in the last two games.

    “We just keep things basic,” Castell said. “We have a lot of athletes on our team who can play ball. We have a saying we say in the weight room: Just place the ball and lay it down.”

    “This is something we just did during the bye week. We took it very seriously and showed week after week that we all play together.”

    Florida freshman DJ Lagway is making his second start in his career at UF after starting quarterback Graham Mertz was ruled out for the season due to a torn ACL he suffered last Saturday at Tennessee. Taking care of the ball will be crucial for Lagway, who has thrown for 765 yards this season with five touchdowns and four interceptions.

    In 2022, former Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson threw a second-half pick six against Kentucky that proved crucial in UF’s 26-16 loss to the Wildcats at The Swamp.

    “Guy is a newbie and it’s his show,” Napier said of Lagway. “I think he will work extremely hard. He prepared the whole time like he was one play away from being the guy.”

    “I think we tried – that was the message and the mentality from the start. The work he has put in from day one I think will pay off.”

    Kevin Brockway is the Florida beat writer for The Gainesville Sun. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1

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    Eira Gwyneth
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