By Keith Taylor
Kentucky Today
Kentucky will face the first of four straight ranked opponents when Florida visits in a noon kickoff Saturday at Kroger Field.
After opening with the season with four straight wins for the third year in a row, Kentucky (4-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) faces stiffer competition, starting with the No. 22 Gators in its first conference home encounter.
“We’re looking forward to getting back home,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “We need the crowd packed and we need them loud. It’s going to be a big SEC East game and I’m looking forward to that challenge.”
Florida lost to Utah 24-11 in its opener before ripping off three consecutive victories, including a 22-7 win over Charlotte last week.
The Gators (3-1, 1-0) dominated the series with 31 straight wins from 1986-2017 before the Wildcats ended the losing skid in 2018. Since then, Kentucky has won three of the past five games, including a 26-16 triumph a year ago in Gainesville.
Despite the recent success, Stoops knows extending a modest two-game win streak won’t be an easy task. He said the Gators have been “dominant on the defensive side of the ball” in Billy Napier’s second season at the helm.
“I think they’re giving up less than three yards per rush,” the Kentucky coach said. “They’re not giving up very many yards at all in the pass game, so they have been very dominant defensively.”
On the flip side, Florida relies on the running game and the tandem of Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson. Kentucky defensive coordinator Brad White said the Gators’ rushing attack will challenge his team’s defense.
“They’re a really talented running football team,” White said. “The first place you go is the running backs. (Trevor) Etienne)and (Montrell Johnson) are as good as you’ll find in this league. Etienne with his burst, (Johnson) with his strength really poses a huge issue.
“It’s a huge challenge,” White said. “They are the best rushing team we’ve faced up to this point and probably one of the best, if not the best, we’ll face this year.”
The Gators also have a quarterback — Graham Mertz — who also was recruited by Stoops and his staff before opting to sign with the Gators.
“Graham has been very good with the football,” Stoops said. “They have very few turnovers in general. I want to say he maybe has one. He’s been very efficient, very smart getting rid of the football and taking care of the ball. In running their offense, he’s been very efficient. He’s playing very well.”
Coming off a 45-28 win at Vanderbilt last week, Stoops believes his team is ready for the uptick in competition.
“(It’s) been a good week (and) I like the way our players have prepared. I think they’ve had a greater sense of urgency understanding the little things, the details that it takes to be successful,” Stoops said. “The guys are excited and its been a solid week.”
Gametracker: Florida at Kentucky, noon, Saturday. TV/Radio: SEC Network, UK Radio Network.