Florida quarterback DJ Lagway scrambled for a first down during Saturday's game at The Swamp. (Photo by Matt Pendleton/USA Today Sports)
QUICK TAKES: Florida 48, Kentucky 20
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor
@JDrumUK
In our regular postgame feature, the Cats Illustrated staff offers its first impressions from Kentucky's 48-20 loss to Florida on Saturday night in Gainesville, Fla.
JUSTIN ROWLAND:
When Kentucky plays its D game on defense, it's not going to be pretty. That's what happened tonight. They allowed a freshman quarterback to have far too much success. Having Hairston would help but this was their worst game of the year by far. Kentucky's offense had a couple of promising moments but the expectations were low going in on that side of the ball. There's still no identity on offense and Kentucky didn't look like a team with much of an edge in the middle of the season. This was a game they had played well in so often in recent years and it didn't look or feel at all like those games. All the energy was on the Florida side. The Cats are now 1-4 in the SEC and bowl eligibility is very much in doubt.
TRAVIS GRAF:
This is the first time of the Stoops era that I feel like the grass might possibly be greener elsewhere. Over a decade in and the offensive operation is just as bad as it was in Year 1, and it doesn’t matter who the coordinator is. The program lacks discipline and leadership in the locker room and it’s shown in the three SEC losses where Kentucky never truly even had a chance. It’s a mix of a lot of problems at this point on the field as well -- the offensive line is one of the worst of the Stoops era; Brock Vandagriff just doesn’t move the needle at quarterback; and the ‘star’ wide receivers aren’t dependable on a game to game basis. Tonight’s defensive failure felt like the Kentucky beatdowns of old within the conference. The end of the half blunders and lack of in-game coaching continue to rear their heads, and throwing Cutter Boley to the wolves at the end of the game made zero sense. Not a lot about this season has made sense.
JEFF DRUMMOND:
Where do you go from here? You're 3-4 overall and 1-4 in SEC play. The season is approaching the point -- if it's not there already -- where personal pride is all that's left to play for. Kentucky's performance has been so poor in games against pedestrian teams like South Carolina, Vanderbilt, and Florida that it baffles the mind how the Cats won at No. 6 Ole Miss and played No. 1 Georgia (who is molly-whopping No. 1 Texas tonight) within a point. The Kentucky offense continues to look utterly unprepared and utterly unable to execute in key situations seven games into the season. The Cats were in desperation mode all night long, and didn't even bother throwing to the first-down sticks on a couple of crucial plays. The Kentucky defense finally surrendered and were embarrassed by a team with multiple offensive starters out with injuries. There is clearly not enough leadership in this locker room and no life-preserver answers coming from the staff. This looks like a season and a program on the brink right now.
QUICK TAKES: Florida 48, Kentucky 20
First impressions from the Cats' blowout loss to the Gators.
