Blue Preview: Can the new ‘Big Blue Wall’ rise to the moment at Florida?
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Preview: No. 20 Kentucky at No. 12 Florida
Click below to read more of the Herald-Leader’s and Kentucky.com’s preview coverage ahead of Saturday’s Kentucky-Florida football game at 7 p.m. at Gainesville, Fla.
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No. 20 Kentucky at No. 12 Florida
When: 7 p.m. Saturday.
TV: ESPN.
Announcers: Play-by-play, Joe Tessitore; analysis, Greg McElroy; sideline, Katie George.
Radio: WLAP-AM 630, WBUL-FM 98.1.
Satellite Radio: XM Channel 190, Sirius Channel 138, Internet Channel 961.
Records: Kentucky (1-0, 0-0 SEC); Florida (1-0, 0-0 SEC).
Series history: Florida leads 53-19 and has won 33 of the past 35 meetings. Kentucky, however, is 2-2 vs. the Gators in the past four games.
Most recent meeting: Kentucky defeated Florida 20-13 on Oct. 2, 2021, at Kroger Field. It was UK’s first victory over UF in Lexington since 1986.
Line: Florida is favored by 5.5 points.
The story line
Coming off an uneven showing in its 37-13 season-opening win over Miami (Ohio), Kentucky ventures to Gainesville for an SEC East showdown that will attract national attention due to the quarterback battle between UK’s Will Levis and Florida’s Anthony Richardson. The winner of the game seizes the early advantage in positioning itself to be the prime challenger to Georgia for SEC East supremacy.
The number to watch
Kentucky’s rushing yards. With star running back Christopher Rodriguez unavailable and UK breaking in four new starters into “The Big Blue Wall,” Kentucky was held to 50 yards rushing on 26 attempts vs. Miami. When the Cats scored their streak-snapping 27-16 victory at Florida in 2018, UK controlled the game with a punishing ground attack that went for 303 rushing yards on an average of 7.4 yards a carry. Such line of scrimmage dominance by UK is likely unrealistic in the current circumstances, but Kentucky has to run the ball far better than it did vs. Miami to have a chance.
The big threat
Anthony Richardson. The 6-foot-4, 236-pound Florida quarterback wears No. 15 in honor of childhood hero Tim Tebow and has drawn comparisons to Cam Newton. In Florida’s 29-26 upset of No. 7 Utah, Richardson, a Gainesville native, ran for 106 yards and three touchdowns and completed 17 of 24 passes for 168 yards. It might not work, but Kentucky’s best defensive strategy would seem to be trying to make Richardson beat the Cats with his arm, not his legs.
On the spot
The Kentucky offensive line. Not only was the UK rushing attack stymied vs. Miami, the Wildcats also gave up four sacks in pass protection. It should not have been that big a shock that a unit that had four new starters plus a returnee switching positions (Eli Cox from right guard to center) struggled the first time out. The ultimate arc of the Kentucky season might be determined on whether — and how quickly — the 2022 UK offensive front can begin playing near the high standard that has defined “The Big Blue Wall” since 2016.
The mood
Is apprehensive. Expectations were sky-high for Kentucky entering 2022, so the Wildcats showing some vulnerabilities in the season opener raised some concerns. Wins over Florida in 2018 and 2021 opened the door to 10-win seasons for Kentucky — the only two 10-win seasons UK has enjoyed in the past 45 years. So no one needs to remind the Big Blue Nation of the high stakes on the line when the Cats enter “The Swamp.”
This story was originally published September 5, 2022 at 10:38 AM.
