Three final thoughts before Kentucky football faces 10th-ranked Florida
Three thoughts before Kentucky plays host to 10th-ranked Florida at 6 p.m. on Saturday at Kroger Field.
1. Liam Coen vs. Todd Grantham
Before Kentucky’s 35-28 victory over Missouri back on Sept. 11, we focused on how UK offensive coordinator Liam Coen would match wits with Mizzou defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Both boasted NFL experience. Coen was an assistant coach on Sean McVay’s staff with the Los Angeles Rams before coming to Kentucky. Wilks was defensive coordinator with the Carolina Panthers before becoming head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, then later DC of the Cleveland Browns.
Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham has NFL experience, as well, but the bulk of Grantham’s experience is in the college ranks. In fact, Grantham has faced Kentucky in each of Mark Stoops’ eight years as the UK coach. Grantham was defensive coordinator at Georgia in 2013, then Louisville from 2014-16 before joining Dan Mullen at Mississippi State in 2017. He followed Mullen to Gainesville in 2018.
Grantham’s record vs. Stoops is 6-2.
Grantham is an aggressive DC. He lives to scheme up the big play on defense, even if makes the Gators susceptible to the big play by the opponent’s offense. That doesn’t always sit well with his boss.
But, as Stoops said earlier this week, Grantham is “unpredictable in a good way.” Coen said he counted 15 different “one-time” looks Grantham’s defense has given the offense this season.
Meanwhile, this is Coen’s first year as an FBS play-caller, much less an SEC play-caller. He has put his Rams background to good use, opening up Kentucky’s passing game and adapting his game plan to the situation. But the head-to-head matchup of the 35-year-old Coen vs. the 55-year-old Grantham will be a featured attraction Saturday night.
2. Chris Rodriguez has never carried the ball against Florida
It’s true. (Hat tip to Pat Dooley.) Kentucky’s top running back has never toted the rock against the Gators. In 2018, Rodriguez’s freshman season, the big back carried the ball in just one game, gaining 43 yards on two carries against Murray State. In 2019, the redshirt freshman was in Eddie Gran’s doghouse early in the year and did not get a carry in the Cats’ 29-21 loss to the Gators in Lexington. Last season, COVID-19 protocols caused Rodriguez to miss the trip to Florida for UK’s 34-10 loss at The Swamp.
All that should change in 2021. Rodriguez is the SEC’s leading rusher at 130.5 yards per game. That ranks fourth nationally. He has topped the 100-yard mark in three of UK’s four games this season — 125 yards vs. ULM, 198 vs. Missouri and 144 vs. South Carolina. Overall, Rodriguez is averaging a healthy 6.14 yards an attempt on 85 carries.
Meanwhile, Florida is 35th nationally in run defense, allowing 110 yards per game. Opponents are averaging just 3.08 yards per rush against Grantham’s defense. Tennessee rushed for 148 yards in a 38-14 loss to the Gators last Saturday, but Alabama managed just 91 yards rushing in the No. 1-ranked Tide’s 31-29 victory over the Gators on Sept. 18. In its first two games, Florida held Florida Atlantic to 92 rushing yards and South Florida to 95.
3. Marquan McCall will be a key player Saturday
The Kentucky nose guard picked up praise for his play last Saturday at South Carolina. Said defensive coordinator Brad White, “Boy, he played a whale of game. His energy, his effort, his physicality at the point of attack, we’re going to need that not just last week, we’re going to need that every week.”
White pointed to a key third-quarter play in UK’s victory. The Gamecocks had just pounced on a Kentucky fumble. Then on first down at the UK 41, South Carolina running back Kevin Harris gained 10 yards to the 31. There, McCall forced South Carolina center Eric Douglas into a holding call that pushed the ball back and put the Gamecocks at first-and-20. The hosts ended up turning the ball over on downs.
“For me, arguably the most important play of that entire game was his forced hold on first-and-10,” White said. “That really helped the momentum of that game. That was a huge play.”
Earlier, in the second quarter, it was McCall’s penetration that helped teammate DeAndre Square make back-to-back stops on third-and-1 and then fourth-and-1 at the UK 47-yard line, again turning the ball over on downs.
Kentucky will need a repeat of that effort Saturday night against a Florida offense that is third in the nation in rushing, averaging 322 yards per game.
“We’ve got to see that out of Marquan each and every week,” Stoops said Thursday. “He’s really worked hard this whole year. He did put together probably his best performance a week ago as far as being that consistent for a lot of plays. I’d love to see him continue it. We’re going to need him here this week.”
This story was originally published October 1, 2021 at 11:42 AM.
