Lexington, Ky. -- On the verge of falling behind No. 10 Florida, Kentucky quickly picked up the pace with several gut-check plays and held on to a memorable victory.
Not to mention, with the expectation of a significant competition for the Wildcats team.
Travin Wallace returned a blocked field goal from 76 yards to advance late in the third quarter, Chris Rodriguez Jr. scored a 9-yard scoring run in the fourth, and Kentucky took the final defensive stand to stop Florida 20-13. Make. on Saturday night.
The performance of the Southeastern Conference East division was more of a slogan than a slugfest for most of the night, and the Gators (3-2, 1-2) added Jess Christman's 48-yard field goal effort to their 10-7 lead. were ready for. .
Kentucky defensive end Josh Pascal got his hand on a low kick that sent the ball flapping past the line to Wallace, who slammed a tackler on the left and a short seam to race a game-changing TD with 6 Cut back through: 36 remaining in third.
"My job is to play like safety there in case anything goes wrong," said the freshman. "The ball was tipped and it came to me. ... I knew what to do when I got the ball. I felt a lineman's hand miss me and knew I was gone. "
Paschal added: "They gave me some space to go in and jump in and make a big play, and Trevin made a big play."
The Wildcats (5-0, 3-0) soon made another to extend their lead.
He converted it on Down at Florida 34 to start the fourth quarter, but quickly created another opportunity when linebacker J.J. Weaver intercepts Emory Jones' pass for the first time at Gators 29. This set up Rodriguez's 9-yard TD for a 20-10 cushion with 11:32 remaining.
Florida continued to struggle and reached within seven on Christman's 33-yard field goal, with 6:23 remaining, before receiving the ball again a few minutes later and driving for Kentucky 5. A 4-yard loss on pass play and a false start penalty put the Gators back at 14, but they still had a final chance at 8, before Jacques Jones scored Jones' fourth-down pass with 18 seconds to seal the victory. left to seal.
Fans took to the field to celebrate as Kentucky beat Florida at home for the first time since 1986 and took another step toward formerly potentially challenging No. The Wildcats are 5-0 for the first time since going 10-3 in 2018 and just the fourth time in the last 70 years.
Penn State transfer Kentucky quarterback Will Lewis "has never been a part of a team whose fans came to the field." "The fans were awesome."
The Wildcats won despite leading 382-211, but received a 41-yard TD pass from Lewis to Vandell Robinson in the first quarter and 99 yards on 19 carries from Rodriguez.
Eight false starts comprised more than half of Florida's 15 penalties for 115 yards. Jones completed 23 of 31 passes for 203 yards, but the Gators were placed below his average of nearly 541 yards, coming in ninth.
Florida coach Dan Mullen said, "I mean, you wouldn't make all the mistakes we made during the game and expect to win. You're not going to win in the SEC by doing that."
BRING THE NOISE
Kentucky’s loud, boisterous home crowd of 61,632 appeared to disrupt the Gators’ cadence and may have contributed to all those false starts. While Florida players chalked it up to lack of focus, Kentucky coach Mark Stoops was happy with the edge the noise gave his team. Especially at the end.
“There was another false start, and thank you, fans, for affecting the game," he said.
THREE AND OUT
Both teams struggled on third down. Kentucky entered the game converting 54% of its chances but made just 1 of 8 against Florida. The Gators were just 4 of 13 after entering with a 50% conversion rate.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
Florida figures to drop a few slots with its second SEC loss. Kentucky made a strong case for joining the rankings for the first time since the 2018 season.
THE TAKEAWAY
Florida: The Gators got the ball rolling with Jones and Anthony Richardson but couldn't complete other than their first TD. Christman's 51-yard field goal provided the lead, but blocks and interceptions dug a hole they could not climb. False start in a strenuous environment stalled drive and speed.
"The main thing we had to do is take care of the environment," Jones said. "I think we did part of the game, but we had too many penalties."
Kentucky: The Wildcats actually had only one continuous drive for 50 yards and were committed to another turnover, until Pascal and Wallace prevented them from playing special teams in time and with TD. Weaver's pickoff proved crucial in a defensive fight.
UP NEXT
Florida: Hosts Vanderbilt on Saturday.
Kentucky: Hosts LSU on Saturday.