How Kentucky football and Florida match up — with a game prediction

How the Kentucky Wildcats (3-5, 1-5 SEC) and the Florida Gators (3-5, 2-3 SEC) match up at each position for Saturday’s college football contest — with a game prediction:

Quarterbacks

• Even though it was easily his worst statistical performance in his past four games, Kentucky’s Cutter Boley (65.8% completions, 1,376 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, seven interceptions) was named SEC co-Freshman of the Week for his play in UK’s 10-3 win at Auburn last week. Against the Tigers, the 6-foot-5, 220-pound Boley completed 18 of 29 passes for 161 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Last season, as a true freshman, Boley made his first appearance in a college game at the tail end of UK’s 48-20 loss at Florida. Boley’s first college passing attempt was intercepted and returned 29 yards for a touchdown by Cormani McClain. Boley finished the game 0 of 6 passing.

• The sophomore season of Florida’s DJ Lagway (65% completions, 1,679 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, SEC-worst nine interceptions) has been hampered by injuries and interceptions. From the spring through now, Lagway, a 6-3, 247-pound product of Willis, Texas, has battled shoulder, calf and hamstring problems. In last week’s 24-20 loss to Georgia, Lagway completed 15 of 24 passes for 166 yards and a TD and ran 10 times for 24 net yards. In last season’s blowout of Kentucky, Lagway burned the Wildcats with big plays — he completed only seven passes (7 of 14), but they went for 259 yards.

Advantage: Even

Running backs

• Kentucky standout Seth McGowan (529 rushing yards, seven TDs, 4.6 yards-per-carry average) returned to action at Auburn after missing UK’s 56-34 loss to Tennessee due to an apparent shoulder injury. The 6-1, 215-pound senior from Mesquite, Texas, ran for 53 yards on 21 carries vs. the Tigers. McGowan, a transfer from New Mexico State who began his college career at Oklahoma, scored all seven of his touchdowns in UK’s first four games.

• Last season as a freshman, Florida running back Jadan Baugh pitched a tent in the Kentucky end zone. While running for 106 yards on 22 carries against UK, the 6-1, 231-pound Atlanta product rushed for five touchdowns. This season, Baugh has run for 632 yards and five TDs and is averaging 5.2 yards a carry.

Advantage: Even

Wide receivers

• Kentucky senior slot receiver Kendrick Law scored the only touchdown in UK’s win at Auburn, turning an outside screen pass from Boley into a 13-yard TD. On the season, Law, a transfer from Alabama, leads the Wildcats in receptions (30), receiving yards (351) and touchdown catches (three). Former Franklin County star Fred Farrier II (six catches, 98 yards) played a big role in setting up Law’s TD at Auburn. The transfer from UAB made two catches that went for a combined 45 yards on third-and-long plays to extend what became Kentucky’s touchdown drive. “Just appreciate him,” Mark Stoops said of Farrier. “When his number was called, he produced.” UK freshman Cam Miller (eight catches, 90 yards) had three catches for 28 yards at Auburn. His biggest play, however, was forcing a fumble that teammate Henry Boyer recovered after Auburn had intercepted a UK pass late in the fourth quarter.

• Florida sophomore Eugene Wilson III (27 catches, 239 yards, three TDs) had a monster game in the loss to Georgia. The 5-10, 194-pound Tampa product caught nine passes for 121 yards and a touchdown vs. the Bulldogs. Wilson caught one pass for 40 yards vs. UK last season. However, he is listed as “out” for this season’s UK game on Florida’s Wednesday injury report. Freshman Vernell Brown III leads the Gators in receptions (32) and receiving yards (451).

Advantage: Florida

Tight ends

• Kentucky sophomore Willie Rodriguez has caught at least one pass in each of UK’s eight games. The 6-4, 252-pound Covington Catholic alumnus is second on the UK team in receiving yards (209) and is third in receptions (15). Senior Josh Kattus, a 6-4, 247-pound Cincinnati product, has 14 catches for 184 yards and two TDs.

• Florida junior Hayden Hansen is a mammoth target in the passing game. The 6-8, 269-pound product of Weatherford, Texas, has caught 22 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown.

Advantage: Kentucky

Offensive line

• Kentucky right guard Jalen Farmer was named SEC co-Offensive Lineman of the Week for his play at Auburn. The 6-5, 318-pound junior from Covington, Georgia, graded out at a team-high 81% after playing all 64 offensive plays and not missing a single assignment. Farmer did not allow a QB pressure or sack at Auburn and had seven blocks at the point of attack. Both Farmer and UK left guard Joshua Braun began their college careers at Florida.

• Center Jake Slaughter and left tackle Austin Barber, both redshirt seniors, anchor a Florida offensive line that dominated Kentucky a season ago. However, the Gators’ offensive front has not played to expectations in 2025, as Florida is 13th in the SEC in rushing (126.5 yards a game). The pass protection — 14 sacks allowed, sixth in the SEC — has been statistically better than the run blocking.

Advantage: Kentucky

Defensive line

• Kentucky tackles Tavion Gadson and Khalil Saunders were disruptive at Auburn. The 6-5, 293-pound Saunders, a redshirt senior from Huntsville, Alabama, had four tackles and 1.5 quarterback sacks. The 6-5, 298-pound Gadson, a sophomore from Savannah, Georgia, had two tackles and a sack.

• Florida gets production from its ends. Tyreak Sapp, a 6-3, 274-pound senior from Fort Lauderdale, has a sack, three tackles for loss and three quarterback hurries. His backup, Kamran James, a 6-6, 270-pound junior from Orlando, has 3.5 TFL, two QB hurries and has broken up two passes.

Advantage: Kentucky

Linebackers

• The Kentucky linebacker corps played its best game of the season at Auburn. MLB Daveren Rayner made a team-high eight tackles, including a tackle for loss. “I thought he played really fast and very sure of himself,” Mark Stoops said. OLB/edge rusher Sam Greene had seven tackles, two TFL and a final-drive QB sack that essentially snuffed out Auburn’s comeback hopes. WLB Alex Afari Jr. chipped in six stops, 2.5 TFL and 1.5 sacks.

• Florida WLB Myles Graham is having a stellar season. The homegrown 6-1, 228-pound sophomore from Gainesville leads the Gators in tackles (48) and QB hurries (five) and is second in tackles for loss (3.5) and pass breakups (four). OLB/edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. had a big game in the loss to Georgia. The 6-4, 250-pound senior from Chicago made nine tackles, four of them solo, and had a sack.

Advantage: Florida

Defensive backs

• Kentucky free safety Jordan Lovett had six tackles and a tackle for loss at Auburn. The 6-2, 208-pound senior from North Hardin also intercepted Auburn’s Hail Mary pass into the end zone on the game’s final play for his second pick of 2025. That made Lovett the first player in UK football history to have at least two interceptions in four straight seasons. “That’s just not (an) easy stat, four years in a row,” Mark Stoops said. “It says a lot about him.”

• Florida free safety Jordan Castell made a team-high 11 tackles and had a QB hurry in the loss to Georgia. On the season, the 6-2, 213-pound junior from Orlando is fourth on the team in tackles (33) and has intercepted two passes. Strong safety Bryce Thornton has a nose for the football: The 5-10, 211-pound junior from College Park, Georgia, has made 37 tackles, broken up five passes and recovered two fumbles.

Advantage: Even

Special teams

• Kentucky senior punter Aidan Laros (44.5 yards a kick, 19 of 36 punts stopped inside the opponents’ 20) was one of the stars of the Auburn win. Six times Laros punted vs. the Tigers and after all six, Auburn began drives inside its own 20-yard line. Redshirt freshman place-kicker Jacob Kauwe is 11 of 14 on field-goal tries with a long make of 51 yards. As UK has struggled with ball security on punt returns, senior receiver Kendrick Law became the fourth player the Cats have tried in that role at Auburn and handled it without incident.

• Florida place-kicker Trey Smack (14 of 17 on field goals) has a big leg — he is 4 of 5 on field goal attempts of more than 50 yards this season with a long of 56. Punter Tommy Doman is averaging 44.6 yards a kick and has stopped 13 of 37 punts inside the opponents’ 20. Punter returner Vernell Brown III is averaging 13.9 yards on 10 returns.

Advantage: Florida

Prediction

Kentucky 23, Florida 21

This story was originally published November 5, 2025 at 7:00 AM.

Mark Story

Lexington Herald-Leader

859-444-4731

Mark Story has worked in the Lexington Herald-Leader sports department since Aug. 27, 1990, and has been a Herald-Leader sports columnist since 2001. I have covered every Kentucky-Louisville football game since 1994, every UK-U of L basketball game but three since 1996-97 and every Kentucky Derby since 1994. Support my work with a digital subscription