Kentucky football makes statement with win at Florida: ‘Nobody on this team is soft’
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Game day: No. 20 Kentucky 26, No. 12 Florida 16
Click below for more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s coverage of Saturday’s Kentucky-Florida football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla.
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You would think passing Bear Bryant to become Kentucky football’s winningest coach would have been enough for Mark Stoops to permanently change the perception of his program.
After all, the Wildcats spent most of the summer dealing with rising hype as reporters picked them to finish only behind defending national champion Georgia in the SEC East and ranked them in the Associated Press preseason top 25 for just the fifth time in program history.
Apparently a middling performance in a comfortable season-opening win over Miami (Ohio) was all it took to erase that respect from at least some pundits, though.
“Kentucky looked a little softer,” SEC Network analyst Roman Harper said last week in justifying his prediction of a comfortable win for Florida over UK in Gainesville. “I hate using the word softer, but they were not as physical running the football.”
Recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow quickly seized on the soundbite, circulating it among Kentucky players. By interviews after Wednesday’s practice, the No. 20 Wildcats were already citing the comment as motivation to make a statement against the No. 12 Gators.
Then on Saturday in The Swamp, Kentucky responded in the most convincing way possible with a physical 26-16 win to give the program consecutive wins over Florida for the first time since 1976 and 1977.
“Since I’ve been here, we’ve never been called soft,” super senior outside linebacker Jordan Wright said. “I took that to heart. I said I made sure I came with the energy for 60 minutes straight so they can feel us and show them who’s really soft.”
Florida players had no part in Harper’s comments, but they had to pay the price.
Many of the issues from the opener that led to Harper’s assessment popped up early in the game as quarterback Will Levis was sacked three times in the first quarter and Kentucky totaled just two rushing yards in the first half.
But a week after Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson threw for 168 yards and rushed for 106 in an upset of Utah, Kentucky limited the SEC Offensive Player of the Week to four rushing yards. He completed just 14 of 35 passes for 143 yards and two interceptions.
Kentucky shut out Florida in the second half, surrendering just 91 yards and five first downs after intermission.
“I don’t know if it’s a statement,” defensive coordinator Brad White said. “I just think it’s playing to our standard. We expect to do that. We want to dominate. To be an elite defense, you should expect to dominate.”
It is fair to question exactly how good Florida is.
The Gators were unranked in the preseason poll, then rocketed to No. 12 after upsetting Utah. After a week of talk about Richardson as a first-round NFL draft prospect, the quarterback suddenly looked like a player making just his third career start.
But the environment in the Swamp was unquestionably difficult. When Florida scored twice in quick succession off a short field provided by an interception that popped into the air while Levis was being hit and then a bad snap on a punt that resulted in a safety, Kentucky could have folded.
Instead, the Wildcats took control.
“Ain’t nobody on this team soft,” said senior cornerback Keidron Smith, who returned an interception 65 yards for a touchdown. “I’ve been here for a couple months now and I can tell you ain’t nobody on this team soft. That was big, especially coming from Coach Stoops. He did not like that at all.”
Harper’s comment alone would not be enough for Kentucky to win for the third time in five years against Florida.
To reach this point, Stoops had to recruit and develop a roster that now rivals Florida’s in talent for one of the few times in program history. Many of his best recruits made stellar individual plays, including freshman wide receiver Dane Key’s 55-yard touchdown grab.
Kentucky’s defense was boosted with the return of Wright, who was suspended for the opener for an undisclosed off-field issue. Stoops questioned his team energy level against Miami (Ohio), but that was no issue in Gainesville.
“Jordan is Jordan,” Smith said. “He’s going to bring energy every day, 24/7. He’s not going to change.”
Wright turned the momentum toward Kentucky with an interception deep in Florida territory shortly after the second-quarter safety. That play set up a 1-yard Levis touchdown run. Kentucky tied the game in the third quarter on a field goal then took the lead for good on Smith’s interception return.
Twice in the fourth quarter, UK made fourth-down stops to kill Florida’s hopes of a comeback. When the first did not result in points, the defense simply gave Kentucky’s offense an even shorter field to work with. That was enough for a game-clinching 26-yard Matt Ruffolo field goal.
Kentucky was certainly not perfect in the win.
The Wildcats finally found some momentum in the run game in the second half, but that facet of Rich Scangarello’s offense remains a concern for as long as star Chris Rodriguez is suspended. Special teams miscues could have cost Kentucky the win. The offense scored only one touchdown without the help of a short field provided by the defense.
“I just think it set up well for us,” Stoops said. “I knew we weren’t far off in game one when we really looked at it. … There’s things we still need to improve on, and will. We’re not a finished product at all. That’s why we keep on practicing and playing. There’s areas where we need to coach better and play better, and we will. I just know our guys. They don’t flinch. They knew they would come down here and play, be tough and grind it out.”
Georgia still looks like the clear favorite in the SEC East. Tennessee made a statement with a ranked win at Pittsburgh on Saturday. Kentucky will face difficult tests ahead with three more games against teams currently in the top 25.
But whether or not Kentucky actually pushes for an SEC East title or New Year’s Six bowl bid, no one will make the mistake of calling Stoops’ team soft again.
“We may be a lot of things,” Stoops said, “but we’re not that.”
Next game
Youngstown State at No. 9 Kentucky
When: Noon Saturday
TV: SEC Network
Records: Kentucky 2-0, Youngstown State 2-0
This story was originally published September 11, 2022 at 6:30 AM.
