Game Preview: No. 20 Kentucky Takes On No. 12 Florida in The Swamp
The first big SEC showdown this season is between the Kentucky Wildcats and the Florida Gators on Saturday.
Kentucky is looking to get a big marquee win early to prove that their great season last year wasn’t a fluke. Florida is looking to stay hot after a huge win over Utah last week that shot them to number twelve in the AP rankings.
Kentucky beat Miami Ohio last week 37-12 off a big day from Will Levis. The former Nittany Lion threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns. Barion Brown also added to the Wildcats’ total with a kick return for a touchdown.
The one weak spot of the offense was the running game. Kavosiey Smoke was only able to run for 32 yards on seven attempts and the team only totaled for 50 yards on the ground.
Chris Rodriguez Jr. was a factor in this offense last season and his ability to run the ball allowed this offense to be multi-versatile.
Kentucky is going to need to be explosive facing off against Anthony Richardson and Florida's run game. Florida ran for 283 yards and four touchdowns in their win against Utah last week.
Being in a close game last week should prepare the Gators for this weekend's game as it looks like it will be another close battle.
Richardson was able to make the game winning rushing touchdown and an amazing two-point conversion earlier in the fourth quarter. Richardson pump faked and spun past the edge rusher to find the open receiver in the back of the endzone for two.
He proved that he has the clutch gene against Utah and is going to have to come up big again against Kentucky.
Florida’s defense also came up with the game clinching interception with their backs to their endzone.
Both defenses are going to have a lot to deal with. This game might come down to one big stop at the end of the game and Florida has already proven they can do that.
But Kentucky has that chip on their shoulder and they’re still trying to prove themselves in the SEC. Kentucky’s weak schedule last season made people not believe in this team, especially with a loss against Georgia.
A win against a team that just beat a top 10 team can be a huge confidence booster and get the media behind Kentucky.
This won’t be an easy task for both teams, but they both have the star power at quarterback to get the win. The fans in Gainesville shouldn’t expect an easy win and should be on the edge of their seats for the entire game, just like last week.
Score prediction: Florida, 34-27
Jayson O’Connell is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jbo5216@psu.edu.
