LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- This is a game that can put the University of Kentucky football team in the Associated Press Top 25. The Wildcats only need to gain two spots.
This is a game that can bump the Wildcats to 5-0 and send them juiced into a prime-time trip to No. 1 Georgia on Oct. 7.
But most of all, this is game against the University of Florida that the Wildcats are favored to win.
The Time: Saturday, Noon, Kroger Field, Lexington.
How to Watch/Listen: TV — ESPN Joe Tessitore, play by play; Jesse Palmer, analyst; Katie George, sidelines; UK Sports Network Tom Leach, play by play; Jeff Piecoro, analyst; Dick Gabriel, sidelines.
The Line: Point spread Kentucky favored by 1.5 points; Over/under 44.5 total points.
The Last Time: The Wildcats outscored the Gators 13-0 in the second half and won, 26-16, in Gainesville last season.
The Series: Florida leads, 53-20, but Kentucky has won two straight and three of the last five.
The Records: Florida sits at 3-1, losing at Utah before rolling to wins over McNeese State, Tennessee and Charlotte. Kentucky is 4-0, defeating Ball State, Eastern Kentucky, Akron and Vanderbilt.
Player to Watch Florida: Gators quarterback Graham Mertz is a fifth-year senior who transferred from Wisconsin. Although he's completed 78% of his passes, Mertz ranks eighth in QB rating in the SEC because he averages only nine yards per attempt with just four TD passes in four games. He's more of a game manager than a playmaker.
Player to Watch UK: Devin Leary has a higher upside than Mertz, but he's also been more prone to mistakes. Leary ranks 10th in the SEC in QB rating, in part because he's thrown five interceptions (with nine TD passes) in four games. Leary also ranks 13th among SEC quarterbacks in completion percentage at 59.3%.
Sideline Storylines:
- Facing criticism after last season, Florida head coach Billy Napier changed defensive coordinators, recruiting Austin Armstrong from Southern Miss. A year ago, Florida allowed 28.8 points per game as well as 411 yards. The numbers this season are 13.5 points and 245 yards.
- The Gators have scored in 440 consecutive games, the longest streak among all FBS programs.
- Florida halfback Trevor Etienne ranks third in the SEC in average yards per carry at 6.7. He ran for 172 yards on 23 carries in the Gators' 29-16 victory over Tennessee. Etienne is the younger brother of former Clemson star Travis Etienne, who plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
- The Gators offensive line has allowed only four sacks.
- A victory would give Kentucky its first three-game winning streak over the Gators since 1951.
- The Wildcats have five Florida high school products on their roster, but there are no former Kentucky high school players on the Florida roster.
- Halfback Ray Davis is the first UK runner to score at least one touchdown in the first four games of his career since La'Rod King in 2011. With 2,811 yards during his career at UK and Vanderbilt, Davis ranks eighth in rushing among FBS backs, 32 behind Blake Corum of Michigan.
- The Wildcats have scored 28 or more points in their first four games for the first time since 2007.
- With three defensive touchdowns, one fumble recover and two interceptions, Kentucky is tied with Coastal Carolina for the national lead in that category.
The Quote: Florida coach Billy Napier, expressing respect for Kentucky's passing game, even if he did not mention their names:
"I think they've got a good group. The two true sophomores from last that played in [inaudible] last year, they've taken a good step forward. You throw the Virginia Tech transfer in there, you know, they've got some speed and got some wiggle. And the quarterback can throw it all over the park, right?"
The Pick: Kentucky 24, Florida 21.
Copyright 2023 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
