Kentucky vs. Florida time, TV channel, online stream, weather & hype video

Kentucky Wildcats vs. Florida Gators

• Game Time: 7:00 pm ET on September 10
• Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida
• TV Channel: ESPN has tonight’s TV coverage.
• Announcers: Joe Tessitore, Greg McElroy and Katie George are on the call.
• Live Online Stream: WatchESPN, ESPN+, the ESPN app, and you can watch the game with a free trial of fubo.tv.
• Radio: Tom Leach and Jeff Piecoro will have the UK radio network call on 6:30 AM, 98.1 FM in Lexington, and on the UK Sports Network.
• Digital Gameday Guide
• Replay: WatchESPN and the SEC Network (check local listings for replay schedule).
• Weather: 76 degrees with scattered thunderstorms around kickoff and cloudy skies. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 59%, per Weather.com.
• Rosters: UK | UF
• Odds: Florida opened as a 4.5 point favorite, and the line has since moved up to 6 points according to DraftKings Sportsbook. ESPN’s matchup predictor gives the Gators a 54.8% chance at victory.
• Prediction: TeamRankings projects a 28-24 victory for Florida. Go here for more game predictions and betting info.

Before the 2022 season began, Kentucky Wildcats fans knew just how important UK’s Week 2 matchup with the Florida Gators would be.

The stakes have heightened considerably since the Gators unexpectedly knocked off 7th ranked Utah last Saturday.

Now, Billy Napier has the nation’s attention just four quarters into his tenure as head coach.

It’ll be the Cats versus the Gators on Saturday featured in a 7:00 PM slot on ESPN.

From a high-level perspective, Georgia is more often used as the measuring stick, but it’s key to remember that winning the SEC East generally comes at the price of beating the Gators as well.

With UF likely still riding the high of their thrilling 29-26 victory over Utah, the Cats on the other hand will travel to Gainesville looking to add some juice in comparison to what they showed in week one.

I use the word juice because in my opinion, it’s not really fair to classify UK’s 24 point win as anything less than acceptable.

Sure, there was much left to be desired, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

But all things considered, Will Levis still passed for over 300 yards and the newly added weapons around him showed what they can bring to the table.

It’s also very crucial to keep in mind that first year offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello intentionally kept the approach very vanilla to ensure that Florida will have to do some guessing on Saturday night when trying to defend his offense.

One thing the Gators will know for sure is that Kentucky is now thin at the running-back position.

It’ll essentially be up to the tandem of Kavosiey Smoke and La’Vell Wright to handle all of the carries after injuries to Ramon Jefferson and Jutahn McClain in Week 1.

The Cats’ running game was nonexistent against Miami (Ohio) and that’ll have to change if UK has a chance as underdogs in the swamp. I’d expect a much more concentrated effort to run the ball in Gainesville.

Coaches have raved about Louisville native La’Vell Wright’s abilities since camp started this fall. He’ll now get the chance to show me what he can do behind a recently shuffled offensive line who’s also looking to correct some inefficiencies from last week.

Defensively, Kentucky will see a heavy dose of of the dynamic Anthony Richardson, who became a household name overnight after his electric performance against the Utes.

The 6-foot-4, 232-pound sophomore quarterback dazzled the crowd by rushing for over 100 yards and three scores. But it was really his clutch play during the final minutes of the game that will be remembered.

If UK can’t throttle Richardson by keeping him contained in the pocket, it’s going to be a long night for Brad White’s defense.

If Richardson can somehow replicate a similar performance during another primetime ESPN game, then he’ll wake up on Sunday morning as a legitimate Heisman candidate to watch out for.

UK will also have to game plan for another sophomore, running back Montreal Johnson Jr, who carried the ball 12 times against Utah tallying 75 yards and a touchdown.

Kentucky must also be aware of true freshman Trevor Etienne, the younger brother of former Clemson star Travis Etienne. In Week 1, Trevor burned Utah for 64 yards on just five carries while catching two balls for nine yards.

As for Richardson’s top targets, Arizona State transfer Ricky Pearsall was the talk of fall camp, and he did well in Week 1 with four grabs for 67 yards. The junior wideout had 48 grabs for 580 yards and four scores in 2021 with the Sun Devils.

Fellow junior receiver Justin Shorter hauled in two grabs for 25 yards, while sophomore Xavier Henderson grabbed six passes for 41 yards.

It goes without saying that Kentucky’s strategy will center around keeping Anthony Richardson in the pocket forcing him to beat them with his arm.

Make sure you have all your chores done early on Saturday, because there’s some big boy SEC football to be played with major implications on the line.

Follow A Sea of Blue for all the updates throughout the weekend as Kentucky looks to score the big upset in Gainesville.