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The Kentucky Wildcats beat the Florida Gators on Saturday night by a score of 20-13!
It was a defensive battle as both offensives got off to a slow start, leading to a 10-7 halftime score in favor of the Gators. Need I remind you, it was the same half score as the 2018 Cats win in Gainesville.
After the break, Kentucky blocked a field goal and sent it back for a touchdown to take a 13-10 lead after the extra point was blocked. After a fielding in Florida, the Cats held on to fend off the Gators.
What a victory! 5-0, baby! The cats beat the Gators at home for the first time since 1986!
Next, the Cats face the LSU Tigers in Keeneland’s sold-out opening weekend.
Blue has entered … and white
The Big Blue Nation was swaying in Lexington tonight. It was one of the loudest crowds I’ve EVER heard at Kroger Field, and they gave the Cats a huge boost tonight. Take a look yourself.
Will Levis said the other day that the British crowd, while strong against Mizzou, were disappointing in the first and second downs, but that was not the case tonight. Florida made five (!) False starts on the third down and one in a big quarter and two to six minutes to go. It’s huge.
The Blues and Whites went wild in Lexington and ready to play an important role in the game. That’s exactly what they did, and they helped win this game !!
McCall injured
Marquan “Bully” McCall was injured early in the first quarter of tonight’s game and was unable to return. Kentucky’s defense has been solid throughout, but they missed the big man’s penetration and presence on the defensive line.
Contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t former five-star defensive tackle Justin Rogers who replaced Bully, it was former blue-chipper Josiah Hayes. Hayes has made his presence known this season on limited occasions.
While Rogers is the biggest name, Hayes is the guy to watch. If McCall is forced to miss a significant time, Hayes will be the one to step in and take the forward tackle position.
Pascal dominates
Josh Paschal is perhaps Kentucky’s best-known defensive player, and he made that status known tonight. There were questions about Paschal’s abilities after being diagnosed with skin cancer and missing an entire season, but talent was never the issue.
Paschal was a defensive leader and he absolutely dominated tonight. He was getting tackles everywhere for losses and disrupting the Florida offensive. He also blocked a field goal, which resulted in six as real freshman Trevin Wallace returned the ball for a 76-yard touchdown, the UK’s first blocked goal for a touchdown since 2008.
Paschal is not only the heart and soul of this defense, he is the heart and soul of this whole team.
Wan’Dale Robinson … need I say more?
On Monday, media asked Gator head coach Dan Mullen about Wan’dale Robinson. His response: “What number is it?” Mullen may not have known his name until tonight (which is inexplicable), but he does now.
The Cats’ first scoring play of the night was a 41-yard screen pass to Robinson. He broke several tackles and pushed his way through the Florida defense for the score.
The All-SEC wideout was absolutely electric all night long.
Weaver keeps playing
JJ Weaver entered this season with his fair share of questions after tearing his ACL against… the Gators last season. But that didn’t slow him down.
Six-fingered mini Josh Allen had four sacks tonight which was the only semblance of a pass rush in the UK. Although he didn’t register a sack, he came back into the cover a 2nd and long to record a big interception in the fourth quarter.
Paschal is the talented All-Star leader in this defense, but there might be no one on the Kentucky squad with Weaver’s intangible assets. He’s been amazing so far.
The workaholic shows again
Chris Rodriguez is perhaps Kentucky’s most important player and he showed why tonight. C-Rod ran for almost 100 yards again, including a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
When the offense stalls or Levis fails to hit Wan’Dale or Josh Ali on a deep ball, UK can give Rodriguez the ball without hesitation and get the job done.
Kentucky wins! 5-0! Let’s party like it’s 1986 !!!
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