Week 5: #10 Florida Gators at Kentucky Wildcats 10/2/2021

[Escambia94]

The #10 Florida Gators (3-1, 1-1) travel to Lexington, Kentucky to play the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats (4-0, 0-0) at 6 PM on ESPN. Florida leads the series 53-18 (29-5 in Gainesville, 22-10 in Lexington) and has won 33 of the last 34 meetings since 1987. The Gators won the match last time 34-10 when they were ranked #6 in the nation. The last time Kentucky won was in 2018, when they defeated the Gators in the Swamp 34-10. The Gators are 7.5-point favorites and the over/under is 56. I would take the under but not the points.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1443573797899030532

The Gators have the nation's #9 offense (540.8 YPG/F); the Cats have the nation's #9 defense (260.0 YPG/A). The Gators have the #3 rushing offense facing the Cats #21 rushing defense. Florida is the only SEC school and one of 14 FBS programs overall with 2,000-plus total yards this season. Florida’s 1,290 rushing yards through four games is its highest total through four games of a season in the last 56 years (since at least 1965). For the Gators to win this game, they must absolutely win the line of scrimmage and get the rushing game going. I believe the Gators will slowly dominate the line of scrimmage and win 21-14.

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Kentucky’s week 5 depth chart looks like this:

Quarterback

1. Will Levis
2. Beau Allen

Running Back

1. Chris Rodriguez
2. Kavosiey Smoke

Wide Receiver (X)

1. Josh Ali
2. Tae Tae Crumes

Wide Receiver (Z)

1. Isaiah Epps
2. DeMarcus Harris

Wide Receiver (F)

1. Wan’Dale Robinson
2. Chauncey Magwood

Tight End

1. Justin Rigg
2. Brenden Bates
3. Izayah Cummings

Left Tackle

1. Dare Rosenthal
2. Deondre Buford

Left Guard

1. Kenneth Horsey
2. Austin Dotson

Center

1. Luke Fortner
2. Quintin Wilson

Right Guard

1. Eli Cox
2. Jager Burton

Right Tackle

1. Darian Kinnard
2. Jeremy Flax

Jack Linebacker

1. Jordan Wright
2. J.J. Weaver

Defensive End

1. Josh Paschal
2. Tre’vonn Rybka

Nose Guard

1. Marquan McCall
2. Josiah Hayes
3. Justin Rogers

Defensive Tackle

1. Octavious Oxendine
2. Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald
3. Kahlil Saunders

Middle Linebacker

1. Jacquez Jones
2. Trevin Wallace

Weakside Linebacker

1. DeAndre Square
2. Jared Casey OR Martez Thrower

Nickel/Sam Linebacker

1. Davonte Robinson
2. Marquez Bembry

Cornerback

1. Cedrick Dort
2. Quandre Mosely

Cornerback

1. Carrington Valentine
2. Quandre Mosely

Strong Safety

1. Tyrell Ajian
2. Jalen Geiger

Free Safety

1. Yusuf Corker
2. Taj Dodson
3. Moses Douglass

 

[DRU2012]

The #10 Florida Gators (3-1, 1-1) travel to Lexington, Kentucky to play the undefeated Kentucky Wildcats (4-0, 0-0) at 6 PM on ESPN. Florida leads the series 53-18 (29-5 in Gainesville, 22-10 in Lexington) and has won 33 of the last 34 meetings since 1987. The Gators won the match last time 34-10 when they were ranked #6 in the nation. The last time Kentucky won was in 2018, when they defeated the Gators in the Swamp 34-10. The Gators are 7.5-point favorites and the over/under is 56. I would take the under but not the points.

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1443573797899030532

The Gators have the nation's #9 offense (540.8 YPG/F); the Cats have the nation's #9 defense (260.0 YPG/A). The Gators have the #3 rushing offense facing the Cats #21 rushing defense. Florida is the only SEC school and one of 14 FBS programs overall with 2,000-plus total yards this season. Florida’s 1,290 rushing yards through four games is its highest total through four games of a season in the last 56 years (since at least 1965). For the Gators to win this game, they must absolutely win the line of scrimmage and get the rushing game going. I believe the Gators will slowly dominate the line of scrimmage and win 21-14.

---

Kentucky’s week 5 depth chart looks like this:

Quarterback

1. Will Levis
2. Beau Allen

Running Back

1. Chris Rodriguez
2. Kavosiey Smoke

Wide Receiver (X)

1. Josh Ali
2. Tae Tae Crumes

Wide Receiver (Z)

1. Isaiah Epps
2. DeMarcus Harris

Wide Receiver (F)

1. Wan’Dale Robinson
2. Chauncey Magwood

Tight End

1. Justin Rigg
2. Brenden Bates
3. Izayah Cummings

Left Tackle

1. Dare Rosenthal
2. Deondre Buford

Left Guard

1. Kenneth Horsey
2. Austin Dotson

Center

1. Luke Fortner
2. Quintin Wilson

Right Guard

1. Eli Cox
2. Jager Burton

Right Tackle

1. Darian Kinnard
2. Jeremy Flax

Jack Linebacker

1. Jordan Wright
2. J.J. Weaver

Defensive End

1. Josh Paschal
2. Tre’vonn Rybka

Nose Guard

1. Marquan McCall
2. Josiah Hayes
3. Justin Rogers

Defensive Tackle

1. Octavious Oxendine
2. Abule Abadi-Fitzgerald
3. Kahlil Saunders

Middle Linebacker

1. Jacquez Jones
2. Trevin Wallace

Weakside Linebacker

1. DeAndre Square
2. Jared Casey OR Martez Thrower

Nickel/Sam Linebacker

1. Davonte Robinson
2. Marquez Bembry

Cornerback

1. Cedrick Dort
2. Quandre Mosely

Cornerback

1. Carrington Valentine
2. Quandre Mosely

Strong Safety

1. Tyrell Ajian
2. Jalen Geiger

Free Safety

1. Yusuf Corker
2. Taj Dodson
3. Moses Douglass

Here it comes—and this tine we better be ready...No more “slow starts”: We’ll be in their house, with a raucous Wildcat home-crowd—This “improved UK Team” won’t NEED a whole lot more “edge” than that!
Have you seen that “Hype Video” they released earlier today? I’m not sure how to take it: Who are they trying to convince? My hope is that deep down they don’t really “EXPECT” to win—that this is all more like our run up to the Alabama game, in which to a certain extent both Gator team AND fans came in mostly hoping just to “acquit ourselves well”—only once we fell behind early and had to just stop thinking, wake UP and PLAY, not EMBARRASS ourselves!
And play we did—and from there we climbed out of our self-dug hole and not only proved we belonged there in the FIRST place, we DAMN near pulled off the big win!
However, a handful of crucially bad-timed letdowns and outright mistakes cost us bigtime in the end, and I believe we doomed ourselves going INTO that one with that very “let’s not embarrass ourselves”, “EXPECT to lose”-attitude.
Is this where UK and fans are at as WE come into THEIR place? If so, it is an opportunity for US—but WE must forget all that and just go in there and TAKE IT!
I still say we definitely have enough of the talent AND experience advantage here to do just that, but in a hostile house against a not UNtalented team we MUST assert ourselves from the beginning.
Is that even IN us? We haven’t’t seen it as of yet; In fact, I can’t recall the last time we’ve done that, just come in and SEIZED CONTROL of a game in someone ELSE’S place RIGHT FROM THE START.
Well, this would be a very good place and time to start.

 

[DRU2012]

Well, pre-dawn Saturday, GameDay Week 5 2021:
Heading into Lexington to face the UK Wildcats, and it’s “contender vs PREtender time”!
The one thing this B-ball school has going for it this time is that they ARE new at this...
They just don’t know how hard this sh*t is! This isn’t just another day in a long schedule where the eventual stakes are just a place in a 64-team tournament they happen to already have a practically reserved spot in.
Now that they have some talent and a little past success, they really THINK their time is HERE.
OUR job, as a team is to disabuse them of that notion—early and thoroughly. We need to just come in and EXECUTE, basically: As in “do our jobs”, sure—but in a wider sense, “EXECUTE THEM!”
Frankly, THAT would be very satisfying precisely BECAUSE I cannot remember the last time we did that to a conference rival who not just aspired to more, but actually felt they were finally on the brink of “breaking through”, as this Kentucky program, team AND fans, apparently now truly believe is the case.
Let’s shut them down: wrap them up and slam the door as we leave!
Go GATORS!

 

[DRU2012]

(Later Saturday morning...)
“Saturday Down South”, among others, picking UK to win this one.
Supposedly their “superior passing game” will be the difference (?!!). I suppose IF Emory doesn’t continue to progress, IF AR15 weren’t available or didn’t do his thing if/when given a chance to do so, IF we were to revert to the porous D of last year, IF UK were to totally tighten up its tendency so far to turn the ball over—well, of COURSE it could happen,
BUT:
IF we are in fact the team we aspire to be, have been working so hard to achieve and have so far in fact at least “well-impersonated” most of the time ONFIELD AT GAMETIME, this SHOULD be just another step in “building our resume”: We NEED to become the kind of team that “takes care of our BUSINESS” in games like this. It’s time to start simply HANDLING these kind of “situations”—to go out and win when we are “supposed” to.
Evidently we are not there yet.
At least few OTHERS see us in those terms...I await today’s performance and outcome in order to see how our team sees ITSELF, anyway.
That ALONE would be a huge step forward, were we to manage it in strong and confident fashion.
If we are to even CHALLENGE UGA in Jacksonville in a month or so, the Tide in a rematch, WHOMEVER we’d face in an eventual spot in the CFP—to even GET there will demand we take games like THIS one IN STRIDE: It is simply time to WIN THE GAMES WE ARE SUPPOSED TO.
Period.
End of story.

(Clearly I’ve got to get out, get away from these “screens” for some hours—it is still something like 8 HOURS til kickoff! Didn’t expect to even BE sweating this game out this way—NOT a good “sign”.
Is it just me, or is there REASON to worry?
What do Y’ALL think?
I’ll leave it to YOU until game time...but at this point I’m curious:
How do you SEE this one now, going INTO our first real “road challenge” in a while?
Does UK, after so many (weird) Gator wins, even rate the word “challenge”, even given the various aforementioned “extenuating circumstances”?
Obviously I am not so sure either way by now.

 

[DRU2012]

Mid-afternoon now, and SOME of “Today’s Questions” are already being answered here I suppose:
Arkansas getting drubbed by UGA—outright SHUT OUT 34-0 late in that one, boding darkly for ANYONE facing them the rest of THIS season, anyway.
Just have to cross that one when we COME to it, right?
The way Tennessee is dismantling Mizzou on the other hand is DOUBLY encouraging to our future, though: whatever the mixture of “Tennessee not so BAD” and/or “Missouri definitely WEAK” would seem to forecast some amount of success for US the rest of the way against much of the balance of OUR schedule.
Of course, aside from needing to make sure we DO “take care of BUSINESS”, our meetings with more “elite” teams in our conference HAS to be our main focus now...We have to beat the teams we SHOULD while still fully preparing and pacing ourselves for those “BIGTIME RIVALS” ahead!
By everything we have seen so far today, we SHOULD at least “hold serve” today—and simply take things as they come to US: Build towards the tougher tests ahead in the game-by-game challenges that each week inevitably presents.
If we can do that, with our Coach, staff and team-leaders’ plans, guidance and execution we might just begin to realize our aspirations, moving into that competition among the very best of college football this season and beyond.
But it starts right here and now: We MUST win games like this one today. Look smoothly confident in doing so, one would hope—but taking control AT SOME POINT and WINNING IT.

 

[DRU2012]

So far, based on what I’ve seen so far TODAY, WE REALLY ARE currently the 3rd best team overall in our Conference (and NATION, by the way)—and (at least before seeing us play THIS WEEK yet) have shown steady, strong, clear and accelerating improvement on BOTH sides of the ball, game-by-game thus far.
Tide just stuffed ‘em on 4th down AGAIN—this time at Rebels’ own end of field.
You’d have thought Lane might have LEARNED by now in this one. THREE FAILED 4TH DOWN TRIES...Now winding down towards a score that MIGHT just almost put this one away EARLY. Pass complete in endzone...and so far this Mississippi team doesn’t appear to have the “comeback” edge WE showed from the late first quarter in OUR game; In fact, Rebels fumble the return on the kick, Bama grabs it for another short field.
I’m gonna move on here—Now THIS one REALLY starting to “go south”.
Wish we could just get to OUR game now. I don’t care to keep thinking, dwelling on our game still to come—and don’t want our guys doing so EITHER!
This is the perfect example of “the danger of doing too much THINKING”. Just wanna see us go out there and EXECUTE (again: In every sense of that word!).

 

[DRU2012]

This one NOT going how I’d hoped...We started slow again, damnit.
Anyone know why we don’t have Elam back yet?
I’m getting tired of how Mullen’s plays with the injury info: He SAID “probable”; and Richardson not much of the plan yet either, it seems—and we need SOMETHING on offense, apparently.
Do we go for it here?

 

[DRU2012]

Whew! Made that 51 yarder even after all those screw ups.
Still, I don’t like it.
WHERE IS RICHARDSON?
Look: We need a spark, clearly, and he is AT LEAST that.

 

[DRU2012]

I may just have to go back to stewing quietly and chewing my nails!

 

[DRU2012]

(And I HATE all these shots of happy Wildcat fans in the mid-2nd quarter...and ANOTHER Gator penalty)

 

[DRU2012]

We need to assert ourselves and SOON—or this one could eszily slip away.
Emory ISN’T the problem here:
The defense hasn’t done enough so far—so we do need a spark: They are getting these chunk plays to stay close.
REALLY need a turnover!
(Announcers say “Elam didn’t practice enough to play...
Say WHAT??! I mean, Mullen’s knew THAT all week—and STILL talked as if he’d “probably” play)

 

[DRU2012]

Good sack.
Now let’s get a TD and go in with a solid lead, at least.

 

[DRU2012]

Again:
What ever happened to “Bring in Richardson for HIS series”?

 

[DRU2012]

They are really just burning clock here. This ISN’T Mullens’ normal style.
You’d have thought he’d at least have given Emory a shot at a “2 minute drill”.
But he seems to have given up on AR15 for now entirely.
If we lose this game in a close one at the end, it is on Dan Mullen’s’ new found weak-ass, seemingly fear-motivated over-caution, in my opinion.
So far he has really let us down so far today.
WTF is going on??!
It’s as if there are details we are not privy to: Late-week re-injuries? Locker room misbehavior? Something else?
But that drive to run out the lock there at the end of the half, barely up a field goal...
That just isn’t how our Coach usually does things.
Too much is riding on this game to go soft, cautious now.

 

[DRU2012]

The silence here is DEAFENING.
Y’all just watching this one in a “tension stupor”?
Not that I blame ya, if so.
Some Gators I know have dropped me emails with the same bewildered and frustrated questions as I have been asking here. I am gonna try and settle back, maybe “change the vibe”—at the very least “WAIT AND SEE”.
I’ll tell you THIS: It is high time we started doing some “ball-hawking”. Either this Gator team starts getting its share of turnovers or you can FORGET whatever hopes we have for progress THIS season!

 

[DRU2012]

OKWe get the ball back.
But GEEZ—almost got stuck on our one...but no.
Our ball out at the 20.
Now a 10 yardstick to Shorter. Another 1st down to Copeland.
Emory sharp now.
We are driving by throwing now.
This announcer is a real UK homer, btw. Tough crap!

 

[DRU2012]

Damn. Another missed opportunity after a good partial drive...I THOUGHT we might score there—and now a 2” yd punt!
Um, the mistakes are piling up now: I think we might well LOSE this one, boys...
Too much like that LSU game last season. Dan picked the wrong time to get too careful and cute.
“WHERE OH WHERE IS AR15?
THE WORLD WONDERS.”
(Those of you familiar with WWII History and the Battle of Leyte Gulf will recognize that)...
All on our D and 3rd down now.

 

[DRU2012]

Yes! Now what about the penalty flag?!!

 

[DRU2012]

I think INT counts regardless.
Stupid penalty on run back though—we WERE in red zone for a second.
Now a longer drive: Back where we sensed the last drive at least.
At back in there. Not getting anywhere though...What is with Dan’s play-calling today?

 

[DRU2012]

Alright: Richardson not the answer here either.
Another penalty??? Holding on that big play! We are KILLING OURSELVES.