Kentucky vs. Florida football game first look: Story lines, key players, odds and more
LEXINGTON — Kentucky is 4-0 for the third time in as many seasons. The Wildcats didn't make it to 5-0 last year, however, losing on the road in a battle of unbeatens against Ole Miss.
UK tries to keep its undefeated season alive Saturday in its SEC home opener, when longtime tormentor Florida comes to town. The Gators won 31 straight games against the Wildcats from 1987 through 2017. But Kentucky enters this season's matchup having won the last two meetings.
The last time Kentucky beat Florida three consecutive times was during a four-game run from 1948 through 1951, when Bear Bryant coached the Wildcats.
Kentucky (4-0, 1-0 SEC) heads into Saturday fresh off a 45-28 victory in its league and road opener, topping Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tennessee. Florida, ranked No. 22 in the latest Associated Press poll and No. 23 in the US LBM Coaches Poll, beat Charlotte 22-7 last week. The Gators are 3-1 overall and 1-0 in conference play, with their lone loss coming in the opener at Utah, which is 4-0 and ranked among the top 10.
Here are three story lines to watch ahead of the Week 5 contest:
How will Kentucky offense fare against Florida defense?
Florida will offer the stiffest test — by far — Kentucky's offense has faced this season.
The Gators are allowing just 244.8 yards per game, which is fifth nationally and No. 1 in the SEC. And they're giving up only 13.5 points per game, which is tied for 17th in the FBS alongside Alabama. Georgia (11.3) is the only team in the league permitting fewer points than the Gators and Crimson Tide.
The most points Florida has allowed this season is 24 (to Utah), while the most yardage an opponent has gained against the Gators is 387 (by Tennessee).
Kentucky has scored 28 or more points in every game; it marks the first time since the 2007 campaign the Wildcats have accomplished that feat in their first four contests.
What will the Kentucky offensive line look like?
Kentucky switched up the look of its offensive line against Vanderbilt, with Jager Burton and Eli Cox swapping spots. Burton moved to right guard, while Cox flipped to center, where he started all 13 of UK's games last season.
The new-look line gave up a sack and three quarterback hurries to the Commodores.
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops did not commit to keeping Cox at center going forward.
"I do think we felt better about it as we worked through it last week at practice," Stoops said. "(He was) a little bit more decisive and the continuity of it — he’s done it. We’ll see how Jager played at guard and we’ll have that flexibility."
Kenneth Horsey could also return this week. The Wildcats' starting left guard at the outset of the season, Horsey suffered an injury in the opener and hasn't played since.
Can Kentucky defense keep creating turnovers?
The UK defense is wreaking havoc on opponents this season, with eight takeaways already. (Kentucky forced 17 turnovers in 13 games last season). The Wildcats' eight takeaways is tied with Arkansas, Auburn and Vanderbilt for the top total among SEC clubs.
Where UK has distanced itself from its peers is what it's done with those turnovers: immediate points. The Wildcats have scored a nation-leading three defensive touchdowns — two pick-six interceptions from cornerback Maxwell Hairston against Vanderbilt, and a fumble return by fellow defensive back Jalen Geiger in the opener against Ball State.
Coastal Carolina is the only other FBS school with three defensive touchdowns.
"Turnover margin is a big deal," Stoops said after Saturday's win. "I want to continue to be on the plus side of that. It’s super important as we get into SEC play. It’s an area we needed to improve. ... A year ago, we were on the negative side of that.
"We needed to flip the script and be on the positive side of that."
Three Kentucky players to watch
Devin Leary, sixth-year senior quarterback: Leary keeps plugging along, throwing for 241 yards and a touchdown in the win over Vanderbilt. He'll be looking to cut down on his turnovers — after tossing two interceptions against the Commodores, he's up to five on the season, with at least one in all four games — and brush up on his accuracy. His completion percentage (59.4.) is next-to-last among qualified SEC quarterbacks.
Ray Davis, fifth-year senior running back: Davis is trying to keep up a notable streak this week: He's scored at least one touchdown in each of the Wildcats' first four games. He's the first UK player to accomplish that feat since La'Rod King in 2011. Davis has 314 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He's also been a reliable option in the passing game, with 10 receptions for 137 yards and two scores.
Andru Phillips, fourth-year junior defensive back: Phillips has taken a backseat so far to his fellow starting corner, Hairston. But that's selling Phillips short. According to Pro Football Focus, Phillips has been the SEC's second-best cornerback (82.0 PFF grade), just behind Hairston (85.8 PFF grade).
Three Florida players to watch
Graham Mertz, redshirt junior quarterback: Mertz's overall numbers (951 yards, four touchdowns) are among the bottom half of the conference's starting signal-callers. Mertz rarely makes mistakes, though. He has just one interception (in 108 attempts) and owns the league's best completion percentage (77.8, 84 for 108), which ranks fourth nationally.
Trevor Etienne, sophomore running back: Etienne is an explosive back, as his 329 rushing yards this season are third best in the SEC (just ahead of Davis). More than half of that total came in Florida's victory over Tennessee, when he ran for a career-high 172 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. His 6.71 yards per carry (on 49 attempts) also ranks third in the league, though the two players ahead of him (the Tennessee duo of Dylan Sampson and Jaylen Wright) have fewer carries this fall.
Shemar James, sophomore linebacker: James has 27 tackles this season, tied for eighth most among SEC defenders. He tallied nearly half of those (13) in Game 1 against Utah. After registering just three tackles against Tennessee earlier this month, James will look to be a bigger factor Saturday.
Kentucky vs. Florida odds
Kentucky is a 3-point favorite at home against Florida, according to the DraftKings college football odds.
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How to watch Kentucky vs. Florida football game
Who: No. 22 Florida (3-1, 1-0 SEC) at Kentucky (4-0, 1-0)
When: Noon Saturday, Sept. 30
Where: Kroger Field; Lexington
TV: ESPN
Radio: Tom Leach (play-by-play), Jeff Piecoro (analyst) and Dick Gabriel (sideline) will have the UK radio network call on 840 AM in Louisville and both 630 AM and 98.1 FM in Lexington and online at UKAthletics.com. The game also will be carried on satellite radio: Sirius (Channel 138), XM (Channel 190) and the SiriusXM app (Channel 961).
Streaming: Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN via TV-connected devices or by going to WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+.
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Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
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This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Kentucky football, Mark Stoops host Florida Gators in Week 5 SEC game
