Give Brad White’s defense the game ball for Kentucky football’s huge win at Florida
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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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Of all the Kentucky football comings and goings during a busy offseason, perhaps the most important development was on full display Saturday night in “The Swamp.’‘
“Brad White,” said Kentucky offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello after the 20th-ranked Wildcats’ 26-16 win over the 12th-ranked Florida Gators, “is one of the best coaches I’ve been around at any level.”
Over the summer, new LSU coach Brian Kelly wanted White, courting the Kentucky DC to make the move to Baton Rouge. Alas, UK head coach Mark Stoops and athletics director Mitch Barnhart stepped to the plate and convinced the 40-year-old White to remain in Lexington, though White would be the first to tell you he didn’t need all that much convincing.
Saturday night showed why the man was in such demand as White’s defense put the cuffs on Florida’s highly touted quarterback, Anthony Richardson, limiting the athletic freak to a net four yards rushing on six attempts. This, it should be noted, was just seven days after Richardson had become the talk of the college football world by ripping then seventh-ranked Utah for 106 yards on 11 attempts in a 29-26 Florida victory.
Different night, different opponent, different story. With New York Giants general manager Joe Schoen in attendance, Kentucky forced Richardson to win with his arm. The quarterback responded by reverting to his scattershot self, completing just 14 of 35 passes for 143 yards with a pair of interceptions, including a pick that former Ole Miss cornerback Keidron Smith returned 65 yards for a Kentucky touchdown.
“Hats off to the guys,” White said when asked about how the Cats contained Richardson. “They executed so well. There’s no magic plan calls. It’s just about guts and determination, and they had that.”
Since the day he stepped on campus, the former Indianapolis Colts assistant has been quietly and consistently going about his business, first developing edge rusher Josh Allen into the No. 7 overall pick in the 2019 draft. When Matt House left for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2019, Stoops promoted White to defensive coordinator. (Kelly ended up hiring House to be his DC at LSU, by the way.)
Under White, Kentucky finished 20th nationally in total defense in 2019, 45th in 2020 and 25th last season. The Cats opened 2022 by allowing a touchdown on Miami of Ohio’s initial drive before holding the RedHawks to a pair of field goals in a 37-13 UK win. Florida, however, presented a much tougher challenge.
And White’s crew was more than up to the challenge. As the Kentucky offense struggled early to find its footing, the UK defense kept the visitors in the game until outside linebacker Jordan Wright made the interception “that changed the game,” White said.
Wright’s theft set up a 6-yard touchdown drive that cut Florida’s lead to 16-13 with 1:25 left before halftime, and gave Kentucky momentum going into intermission.
Florida failed to score in the second half. After gaining 188 total yards the first half, the Gators were held to 91 the second. They were 0-for-4 on third downs in the fourth quarter and failed to convert a pair of fourth downs deep in UF territory — fourth-and-3 from its town 40; and fourth-and-6 from its own 24 — when head coach Billy Napier rolled the dice in a one-score game.
On a key third-and-5 with approximately five minutes left, UK true freshman defensive lineman Deone Walker broke through to drop Florida running back Nay’Quan Wright for a 1-yard loss at his own 24. An incomplete pass on fourth down gave the ball back to Kentucky and set up Matt Ruffolo’s clinching 24-yard field goal.
“I didn’t even see what happened or how he created it,” Stoops said of Walker’s tackle. “But I saw him in the backfield. He put that big bear hug on him.”
Consider this: Florida scored one touchdown all night, and that was on a 34-yard drive set up by a Gators interception.
“Every time (our guys) came to the sideline there was a steely determination and they were ready to go back out there,” White said afterward. “I’m just so proud of those guys.”
Hats off to Brad White.
This story was originally published September 11, 2022 at 1:21 PM.
