John Clay
Lexington Herald-Leader
Back in the dark ages, back when Florida was romping by scores of 73-7 and 65-0 and 63-5, back when Steve Spurrier was having his fun in the sun and the Gators were riding a wave of 31 straight football victories over Kentucky, it seemed almost unimaginable that the Wildcats might one day have a series win streak of their own.
It could happen. It could happen Saturday. One win could be construed as a fluke. Two straight could be a coincidence. But three straight, now that’s a certified streak. And that’s what Mark Stoops’ Cats will be going for at noon Saturday at Kroger Field when they attempt to defeat the Gators for the third consecutive year for the first time since they won four straight from 1948 through 1951. An up-and-coming young coach Bear Bryant patrolled the UK sidelines back then. Look it up.
I know, I know, Big Blue Nation is unhappy about that 12 p.m. start. After all, Kentucky-Florida was meant to be played at night. Especially in Lexington, where Cats-Gators had become a biannual under-the-lights September tradition before the overlords at ESPN positioned the 2023 kickoff at high noon on their programming sheet.
To be honest, however, the unpopular start time is probably the least of Kentucky’s worries. True, Mark Stoops’ squad is off to a 4-0 start. Yet even after last Saturday’s 45-28 victory at Vanderbilt in UK’s SEC opener, not one of Kentucky’s three football heads of state appeared overly pleased. Not Stoops. Not defensive coordinator Brad White. Not offensive coordinator Liam Coen.
“There were some serious frustrations on the offensive side of the ball on the headsets,” Coen admitted at Saturday’s postgame press conference, held inside a construction site trailer in the midst of Vanderbilt’s stadium renovation. “You get a little agitated with, ‘Guys let’s just execute, man. We’re just shooting ourselves directly in the foot.’”
“We still have not played a complete game,” White said even after UK defensive back Maxwell Hairston returned not one but two interceptions for touchdowns. “It’s nice that you’re sitting at 4-0 and you haven’t played a complete game on defense yet.”
Clearly Kentucky’s coaches can see into a future filled with seven straight strong SEC opponents, starting with the No. 22 Gators. After all, just when you thought second-year coach Billy Napier might not be up to the task of returning the glory days to Gainesville, Florida popped right back into the AP Top 25 last week.
It did so thanks to a surprising 29-16 win over visiting Tennessee back on Sept. 16. Trevor Etienne, brother of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne, rushed for 172 yards, quarterback Graham Mertz completed 19 of 24 passes and the Florida defense limited Tennessee’s normally high-scoring offense to all of two touchdowns.
These Gators can play some defense. Through four games under new 30-year-old defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong, Florida is fifth nationally in total defense (244.8 yards per game), 15th in rushing defense (82.0 yards per game) and 18th in scoring defense (13.5 points per game).
True, the Gators looked nothing like a world-beater in Saturday’s lackluster 22-7 win over visiting Charlotte, who received a $1.55 million check for its troubles. Mertz, the Wisconsin transfer, did complete 20 of 23 passes, but the Gators’ offensive highlights consisted of a dazzling one-hand catch by wideout Ricky Pearsall and five Trey Smack field goals. Blame it on a letdown after the big win over Tennessee. Napier said simply, “It’s hard to win.”
And it hurts to lose. Just as Kentucky wanted to avenge its surprising 2022 home loss to Vanderbilt, Florida will no doubt want to avenge its 2021 (20-13) and 2022 (26-16) losses to the Cats. At this very moment, no doubt Spurrier is still scratching his head over those two outcomes. Didn’t happen in the Ol’ Ball Coach’s day.
To stretch the win streak to three, Kentucky will have to play better than it has played in its first four games, however. We know it. The players know it. The coaches know it. Said Stoops, “You know and I know what we’re going to face.”
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