New faces made the biggest plays in Kentucky’s historic win over Florida

After a slugfest at Kroger Field on Saturday night, the Kentucky Wildcats are one of the remaining undefeated programs in the country.

Sitting at 5-0 (3-0 in SEC play), the Cats are now set for another name brand program this Saturday, as the LSU Tigers come to town hoping to get their season back on the right foot.

But first, let’s look at several key plays made in the thrilling victory over the Florida Gators by three new faces to the program.

The first play we need to talk about comes from Nebraska transfer Wan’Dale Robinson. After Florida marched down the field for a solid 75-yard drive to score the first points of the game, the Cats needed to get some momentum going to gain confidence that they could hang with the 10th-ranked Gators.

What better way to get that than to give the ball to your elite playmaker on the outside. With a perfectly executed tunnel screen, and one hellacious block from Kavosiey Smoke, Robinson turned on the jets and took the ball 41 yards to even up the game.

Next, we have the blocked field goal followed up by a phenomenal return by true freshman linebacker Trevin Wallace.

After a great swat by Josh Paschal, the ball couldn't have fallen into better hands than Wallace’s to make something special happen that would drastically flip momentum.

A former track star and running back in high school, Wallace showed off the elite speed that’s going to make him one of the next star defensive players to play for Mark Stoops and Brad White.

Last but not least, we have to talk about another incredible coverage play by Ole Miss transfer Jacquez Jones. Coming to Kentucky, he was known as a great run-stuffer, but there were some questions about his coverage skills.

Those questions have been answered through the first five games of the season with his biggest moment sealing Kentucky’s first win over Florida in Lexington since 1986.

On the final offensive play for the Gators, Emory Jones dropped back and looked to connect with one of his favorite targets on this day in Trent Whittemore.

Jones saved the day and ensured that Big Blue Nation would get to celebrate a historic victory on the young season.

Mark Stoops and his staff have done a great job on the recruiting trail over the last several seasons to bring in great talent on both sides of the ball from the high school ranks. And with the new rules regarding the transfer portal, they’ve done well to find players who can make an immediate impact.

In what was the biggest game to date for Kentucky this season, it’s encouraging to see that three of the biggest plays of the game were made by new faces in Lexington. If their success on the recruiting trail continues, this season could be the latest chapter in a very special run for Stoops and his program.

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