LEXINGTON, Ky. − Last week, Florida football interim coach Billy Gonzales declared no moral victories following a narrow 24-20 loss to Georgia in his head coaching debut.
In game two under Gonzales, though, the Florida Gators looked anything but competitive in a 38-7 loss to Kentucky that raises questions about how they will finish out the rest of the season.
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The loss was Florida‘s worst to Kentucky since 1950, when, with Bear Bryant patrolling the sidelines for the Wildcats, UK routed the Gators 40-7. Florida has now lost five of its last eight against Kentucky in a series it used to dominate and has lost three straight games at Kroger Field.
“It wasn’t anywhere close to what we wanted,” Gonzales said. “Not acceptable in any terms to take a loss the way we did, so we’ve got to get back, we’ve got to get back and look at the film and evaluate where we’re at, so kind of go from there.”
The lowlights included four first-half turnovers, an offense that rushed for just 104 yards on 3.2 yards and a defense that allowed Kentucky to convert 8 of 12 on third down and 2 of 2 on fourth down.
Most games, Florida could at least count on its defense to keep games competitive, but by the second half, Kentucky was gashing the Gators on the ground, finishing with 233 yards rushing on 5.3 yards per carry.
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“It’s really shocking, honestly,” Florida linebacker Myles Graham said. “It’s really embarrassing, and I did not know we were going to come out and play like that. I’m really blindsided just like everybody else is. So, we got to look in the mirror, and we got to do better. That’s completely unacceptable, and that’s not the Gator standard. We really have to shake back and just do better all around.”
How the game unraveled for Florida football
Florida actually had a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter, despite Florida quarterback DJ Lagway throwing an interception, thanks to a muffed punt and 10-yard TD pass from Lagway to running back Jadan Baugh.
But Kentucky reeled off the next 35 points, with 14 of those points coming off two turnovers — a Lagway interception and a KD Daniels fumble. A shanked punt by Tommy Doman set up another short field for Kentucky as the Wildcats scored 21 points on touchdown drives of 75, 59 and 54 yards in the second quarter to take a 24-7 halftime lead.
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“You have four turnovers in the first half, you’re not going to win the game,” Gonzales said. “You’ve lost time, especially when you’re playing a team that takes up so much time of possession early on.”
Kentucky coach Mark Stoops came out with a game plan to key on stopping running back Jadan Baugh after Baugh rushed for 5 TDs against the Wildcats last season. Baugh had the 10-yard TD catch but was held to just 64 yards on 3.8 yards per carry as he was gang-tackled throughout the game.
“We struggled with some of the movements up front, some of the backer plugs and little pressures they had brought,” Florida starting center Jake Slaughter said. “I think it’s hard when you don’t start fast to have faith. We went out there and … we didn’t execute enough. That’s ultimately what it came down to, the execution wasn’t good enough.”
The Gators, who were three-point favorites against Kentucky, will be heavy underdogs when they play their final road game of the season at No. 7 Ole Miss on Nov. 15 (7 p.m., ESPN). Florida (3-6, 2-4 SEC) needs a win to avoid failing to make a bowl for the second time in the last three seasons.
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“We’re not going to splinter,” Gonzales said. “We can’t splinter. But anything from that standpoint, like I said, as far as motivation and leadership. Leadership comes from me, and I have to do a better job.”
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida football players, coaches, react to worst loss to UK since 1950
