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Kentucky Wildcats vs. Florida Gators
- Location: Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.
- Game Time: 6:00 pm ET
- TV Channel: ESPN will have tonight’s action.
- Announcers: Bob Wischusen Dan Orlovsky and Kris Budden.
- Live Online Stream: Stream the game online and on mobile devices using WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
- Replay: ESPN+ and the SEC Network (check local listings).
- Radio: Tom Leach, Jeff Piecoro and Dick Gabriel will have the radio call on the UK Sports Network.
- Tickets
- Digital Gameday Guide
- Rosters: UK | UF
- Odds: Florida opened as an 8.5-point favorite, but the line is now down to 7.5 with an over/under of 56. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Gators a 77.4% chance of winning.
- Score Projection: TeamRankings is projecting a Florida victory, 31-25. Go here for more betting info and predictions.
- Uniform:
— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) October 1, 2021
Any time the Florida Gators come to town there is always an added layer of excitement the days leading up to the game.
When you consider the fact that Saturday’s matchup features a 4-0 Kentucky Wildcats squad battling against a top-10 SEC East foe, and that typical level of excitement quickly turns into pure adrenaline.
It’ll be an agonizing wait before the ball is finally kicked off at 6:00 pm ET under the lights inside Kroger Field, so you’ll just have to do whatever it is that you do to stay busy up until then.
The Cats are coming off a winning, yet lackluster performance on the road against South Carolina over the weekend.
Getting an SEC dub away from your home field is never anything to make an apology about. However, anybody who watches football understands that Mark Stoops’ and crew will have to clean up a lot of things if they still want to find themselves in the undefeated column this time next week.
The biggest area of concern for the Wildcats is without a doubt — turnovers.
Kentucky’s eleven turnovers on the season are an extremely concerning trend heading into the most difficult part of the schedule with Florida, LSU and Georgia in back-to-back-to back weeks.
To spell it out clearly, UK’s -9 turnover margin ranks dead last in America.
It’s hard for me to imagine a scenario where the Cats once again lose the turnover battle but ultimately emerge victorious. Not against a team as good Dan Mullen’s 10th-ranked Gators.
Florida will travel to Lexington with a 3-1 record. Their lone loss coming to SEC juggernaut Alabama by a slim two-point margin.
How many current college football programs do you think could play the Crimson Tide within two points?
Not many — that’s for sure.
The Gators will rely heavily on do-it-all quarterback Emory Jones, who can easily hurt you with his legs and his arm. On the season, he’s thrown for 668 yards and four touchdowns while also leading the team in rushing yards and attempts.
Jones is coming off an incredible performance in the Gators’ 38-14 win over Tennessee last weekend.
The sophomore junior quarterback from Lagrange, (GA) threw for 209 yards and two touchdowns while also gashing the Volunteers for 144 yards on the ground.
After the game Jones said “I’m definitely just warming up honestly.”
Making things tougher for Kentucky is Florida has a promising backup QB in Anthony Richardson, who will be good to go this week after missing last week with a hamstring injury. Before that, he was a nice spark off the bench who may ultimately surpass Jones on the depth chart.
Needlessly to say the game plan for Brad White will heavily focus on containing not one but two dual-threat signal-callers.
Maybe JJ Weaver will have something to say about it?
The UK outside linebacker continues to impress coming back from a nasty knee injury last year.
It’ll be a big moment for Weaver along with other leaders on the defense like De’Andre Square and Jacquez Jones.
The Cats held South Carolina’s respectable rushing attack to just 58 yards in Columbia. It’ll take a similar effort to pull off the upset on Saturday.
Offensively, Liam Coen and his guys will attempt to clean things up dramatically from what we saw against the Gamecocks.
But don’t get it twisted — the plan likely won’t deviate from getting the ball to the SEC’s leading rusher, Chris Rodriguez, and the leading receiver, Wan’Dale Robinson.
Saturday’s environment inside Kroger Field will be one of the best of the Mark Stoops era. The game sold out early in the week, so you can count on the Big Blue Nation to bring it against the Gators.