By Keith Taylor
Special to NKyTribune
Kentucky came close to beating Florida last year. They also did Saturday, but coming close doesn’t stop a losing streak that just never seems to end.
The Gators notched their 29th straight win over the Wildcats with a 14-9 triumph over the Wildcats Saturday night in what many considered a winnable game for Kentucky, considering Florida was in a year of transition under first-year coach Jim McElwain. The Wildcats were riding high following a 26-24 win at South Carolina and opened the season with two consecutive victories.
Optimism was building after Kentucky took the Gators to task in three overtimes a year ago before dropping a 36-30 setback in Gainesville. On paper, all the signs were ripe for Kentucky to end two-plus decades of futility. Like many times close doesn’t count and hopes of getting a first win over Florida since 1986 will have to wait until next year.
Although not the Florida powerhouse of the Steve Spurrier era, the Gators are still tough to beat and the Wildcats have very little room for error when the two Eastern Conference rivals play each other.
Kentucky had its chances to make a statement, especially early, but a dropped touchdown pass in the end zone, followed two plays later by a Patrick Towles interception that set up the first of two scores by the Gators is all Florida needed to keep its dominance over the Wildcats intact for another season.
It was a sequence that not only proved to be the difference, but one that gave Florida just enough momentum to carry through the remanning three quarters. Kentucky chipped away at an 11-point deficit in the second half, but managed just two field goals instead of touchdowns, allowing Florida to keep its perfect record intact.
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said the first quarter turnover, one of two interceptions thrown by Towles, was a “critical” and one that hurt his team’s chances from the get go.
“You talk about a huge swing,” Stoops said. “We never really gave our opportunity for our fans to really get into the game.”
Although used to such letdowns, those fans never stopped hoping for comeback, even when a rally was against the odds.
The defense did its part to give the Wildcats a chance by shutting out the Gators in the second half. Although a heroic effort, it wasn’t enough to overcome a stalled offense that never gained traction.
“They played very good and very disruptive defensively, caused us a lot of problems all night,’ Stoops said. “(We) really never got in any rhythm or any sync offensively. And again they had a lot to do with that.”
Much of the blame could be easily shouldered on the offensive line, which gave up a season-high six sacks, or even Towles, who misfired on several passes, but a disappointed Stoops wasn’t in the mood to play the blame game after the loss.
“Patrick’s done some very good things. I’m not going to sit here and throw him under the bus,” Stoops said. “We need to play better all around him.”
Towles wasn’t happy with his outing, blaming the performance on a lack of execution. Towles completed just eight passes for 126 yards and threw a season-high two interceptions.
“I’m definitely missing balls that I usually hit and there is no excuse for that,” he said. “We have to execute better. I have to execute better if we want to consistently win. I didn’t execute consistently tonight. I’ve got to make more plays.”
The outcome was indeed a disappointment for the Wildcats, but Kentucky has little time to dwell on loss, with nine more games looming on the horizon.
“It’s a long season and this loss will dwell on us for a while, but we can’t dwell on it too long,” Kentucky running back Stanley “Boom” Williams said. “We have a ranked team coming in here next week. We’ve got to be ready to prepare for those guys.”
Keith Taylor is a columnist and senior sports reporter who covers UK sports for the NKyTribune