Football POSTGAME NOTES: Kentucky vs. Florida

[Jeff Drummond]

KENTUCKY FOOTBALL POSTGAME QUOTES

KENTUCKY VS. FLORIDA

KROGER FIELD – LEXINGTON, KY.

OCT. 2, 2021



FINAL SCORE: No. RV/23 Kentucky 20, No. 10/9 Florida 13



Team Records and Series Information

• Kentucky is 5-0 overall, 3-0 in the Southeastern Conference. Florida is 3-2, 1-2 in the SEC.
• Florida leads the series, 53-19.
  • Kentucky defeated Florida in Lexington for the first time since 1986. UF had won the last 16 meetings in Lexington.
  • 13 points is the fewest allowed by UK vs. Florida since the 10-3 win in 1986.
• Next for Kentucky: on Saturday, Oct. 9, UK has its Homecoming game against LSU. Game time is 7:30 p.m. and it will be televised on the SEC Network.

What the Win Means for Kentucky

• Kentucky is 5-0 for the fourth time in the last 70 years (also 1984, 2007, 2018) and the 13th time in school history.
• Kentucky is 3-0 in the SEC for the fifth time in school history (also 1949, 1950, 1977, 2018).
• Dating back to last season, Kentucky has won its last seven games. It is the fifth-longest win streak in school history.
• Longest win streaks in Kentucky history:
  • 12 in a row in 1909-10
  • 10 in a row in 1950
  • 9 in a row in 1977
  • 9 in a row in 1898-99
  • 7 in a row in 2020-21
• It is Kentucky’s first win over an Associated Press top-10 team since a 31-28 win over South Carolina in 2010.
  • It is UK ‘s 14th all-time win vs. an AP Poll top-10 opponent, fifth time at Kroger Field/Commonwealth Stadium.
  • Second win over a top-10 ranked Florida team, also 1974 when the Gators were No. 9.
• Since 2016, UK is 19-7 in games decided by seven points or less. UK has won its last six in a row in this category, including the last four games this season.
  • This is the first time in school history that UK has played and won four straight games by seven points or less.
• Kentucky has won six in a row at home, longest since the 2006-07 teams won eight in a row at home.
• UK is 12-2 in its last 14 home night games.

Coach Mark Stoops

• This was Stoops’ 54th win as UK head coach. Paul “Bear” Bryant holds the school record with 60 victories.
• This was Stoops’ eighth win over an opponent ranked in the Associated Press poll, one away from tying Bryant and Fran Curci for most AP poll wins.
• Stoops becomes the first Wildcat coach since Curci to win at Tennessee and Florida.
• Stoops is now 54-50 at Kentucky. After two games of the 2016 season, his record was 12-26 but has gone 42-24 (.636) since.
• Stoops extended his school records for most home wins (39), total SEC wins (27) and total games coached at UK (104).
• Coach Stoops is in his ninth season as head coach of the Wildcats, tying Fran Curci (1973-81) for most seasons as head coach at UK.

Team Notes

• UK ran 47 offensive plays tonight, the fewest plays in a win since running only 42 plays in the 2019 victory over Louisville.
• UK had 224 total offensive yards tonight, the fewest yards in a win since 157 vs. Mississippi State in 2020.
  • It is UK’s fewest total offensive yards in a win over an AP ranked opponent since the Wildcats had 210 yards in 1976 vs. No. 16 LSU.
• UK had 23:42 in time of possession tonight, the least time of possession since the 2017 win over Tennessee, when the Wildcats held the ball only 21:35.
• UK made 1 of 9 on third-down conversions tonight. The last time UK won with a worst conversion percentage was 2014 vs. ULM when the Wildcats converted only 1 of 12 on third downs.

Player Notes

· Junior quarterback Will Levis completed 7 of 17 passes for 87 yards and one touchdown.

• He had six rushes for a net 21 yards.
• With starting lineups available since 1993, he is the second quarterback since that time to win his first five starts – also Terry Wilson (2018).

· Junior running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. rushed 19 times for 99 yards and one touchdown.

• He had a nine-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, his fourth rushing TD of the season and 21st of his career.
• It is the most rushing yards for a Wildcat vs. Florida in Lexington since Moe Williams in 1993 (109 yards).
• He has 1,982 career rushing yards, moving past former teammate A.J. Rose for 10th place in school history.

· Junior running back Kavosiey Smoke rushed four times for 17 yards.

• He has 1,049 career rushing yards, moving past Dicky Lyons Sr. and Roger Gann for 36th place in school history.

· Junior wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson led the receivers with four catches for 65 yards and a touchdown.

• In the first quarter, he caught a wide receiver screen, and with the help of a springing block by Kavosiey Smoke, weaved his way through traffic for a 41-yard touchdown.

· Senior linebacker DeAndre Square had a career-high 13 tackles, the second double-figure tackle game of his career.

· Senior linebacker Jacquez Jones made nine tackles, including one for loss, a quarterback hurry, and the game-saving pass breakup on Florida’s final play.

· Senior safety Tyrell Ajian tied his career high for tackles with eight, also earlier this season vs. Missouri.

· Sophomore linebacker J.J. Weaver made his first career interception in the fourth quarter and returned it 20 yards.

• He also had two tackles, including a shared tackle for loss, and a quarterback hurry.
• He has had a tackle for loss in each of the first five games.

· Senior defensive end Josh Paschal blocked a 48-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter. Freshman Trevin Wallace caught the ball and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown to put UK ahead 13-10.

• It was Kentucky’s first blocked field goal returned for a touchdown since David Jones had a 57-yard blocked field goal return against Vanderbilt in 2008.
• It is Paschal’s third blocked kick of his career, also a blocked punt vs. Eastern Michigan in 2017 and blocked punt vs. Tennessee in 2019.
• It is Wallace’s first collegiate score.

· Paschal also totaled seven tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss.

· Senior punter Colin Goodfellow punted six times for a 42.5-yard average, including three inside the 20-yard line.

· Game captains for today were Josh Paschal, DeAndre Square, Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Luke Fortner.

 

[Usmcincy]

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