Week 13: #6 Florida 34, Kentucky Wildcats 10 - 11/28/2020

[DRU2012]

It’s less than 9 hours to kick-off in this one, I’m up anyway so I figured I’d put up the “Gameday Thread” for this game, since it isn’t up already.
It’s Thanksgiving weekend, after all—who KNOWS who’s busy with family, etc or what; I figure E- has had other duties and/or responsibilities, for eg...if/when he awakens in a few hours and quickly mounts his usual thorough (if this time a little rushed) pregame “set-up”/framework for our in-game discussions, I thought it might be a good idea to at LEAST have something “BASIC” here for him (and/or ANYONE ELSE) to work with if it IS just before kickoff, and “something, ANYTHING” here ready-to-GO in the event that we ALL cut things even closer than THAT ...I mean, it’s after 2am Central, I woke up a little while ago with the sudden thoughts shared above here, and signed in long enough to set up something rudimentary here AT LEAST: I’ll be back for kickoff, regardless, but more than that I clearly cannot promise—and now we ALL have an “easy starting point” ready and waiting here.
Anyway, see you all later this morn’!

 

[DRU2012]

Good morning and a belated Thanksgiving to y’all—to ALL of GATOR NATION, while we’re at it!
Fun to find Dan Mullens yukking it up with the ESPN “Gameday” crew from the Gator Home Field (I won’t bother typing out the whole “OFFICIAL” name of the place even WE all generally just shorten and refer to as “The Swamp”) upon tuning in a moment ago today...
In fact, it’d be JUST FINE WITH ME if we were to finally find ourselves in a “laugher” against clearly lesser squads like THIS ONE—an obviously short-handed Kentucky team!!!
Would really prefer to see the “BACKUPS’ BACKUPS” getting reps by the 4th qrtr in this one!
“Broadway Joe” the “celebrity picker” here today??! OK! Here we GO!
Gators by 3, 4 Trask TD passes??!
“Smart money” says Pitts more a “decoy” than an actual target in the early going, I figure—but he’ll get his touches eventually: The whole TEAM will need and DO some “fine tuning” as the game progresses...
How “worried” are any of YOU about the state of our “high flying offense” at this point? How will Mullens and his people approach such “concerns”?
Then of course there’s Grantham’s “so far much-maligned” DEFENSE:
We all know and understand HOW and WHY they have garnered those adjectives...will they continue to be “deserving” of the various criticisms?
Time to put all that aside, am I RIGHT?

 

[Escambia94]

The #6 Florida Gators (6-1) host the Kentucky Wildcats (3-5) on November 28, 2020 at 12:00 PM EST. The Gators are favored by 23.5. Dan Mullen enters the contest in his third season with an overall coaching record of 96-52, 27-6 at Florida (17-6 SEC). His overall record versus Kentucky is 9-2, or 1-1 with Florida. Mark Stoops limps his team into the Swamp with a 3-5 record after a 3-63 beatdown by the Alabama Crimson Tide. Kentucky's season to this point features victories over Mississippi State (24-2), #18 Tennessee (34-7), and Vanderbilt (38-35). Their losses to common opponents include a 179-yard output against Alabama in that 3-63 loss (120 yards passing, 59 yards rushing to Alabama's 283 yards passing, 226 yards rushing), a 229-yard output in their 3-14 loss to Georgia (91 yards passing, 138 yards rushing), 458-yard output in their 38-35 victory over Vandy (150 yards passing, 308 yards rushing), and a 559-yard output against Ole Miss (151 yards passing, 408 yards rushing) in a 41-42 loss. The key to a Wildcat victory will be to keep the ball on the ground, because their passing game is downright atrocious. The Cats will probably get a few chunk yards against this porous Gator secondary, but the Gators should be able to limit those explosive plays whether they come via air or ground. WR Josh Ali will be the Cats' only formidable weapon by air, as he is the only Kentucky receiver with more than 15 catches. On the ground, RB Chris Rodriguez has shown flashes of brilliance against lesser competition despite top billing from Asim Rose and Kavoisiey Smoke. QB Terry Wilson has been their most consistent runner, and I expect him to be the leading rusher against the Gators' front seven. This game features the return of Kyle Pitts, so we can can expect to see Kyle Trask work in that Kyle-to-Kyle connection until Pitts feels he is at 100%.

Florida leads the all-time series 52-18. In Hogtown, the Gators lead the series 28-5. In Lexington, Florida leads 22-10. The 2020 Gators are the #3 team in Gator history in terms of total points through 7 games with 313. The 1996 Gators had 366 and the 1994 Gators had 339. Florida has scored 35+ points in 9 consecutive games, breaking the record set in 2008 and 1996. The Gators have beaten 3 SEC opponents by 20+ points for the first time since 2009. With a win today, Dan Mullen would surpass Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer for the best 34-game start by a Gator head coach.

Kyle Trask is on pace to shatter several SEC and Gator records, and I expect him to toss 5+ touchdowns today for 350+ yards passing on the way to a 42-20 victory.

 

[Escambia94]

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

 

[DRU2012]

Y’all might have made the right choice in not showing up early for this one:
UK driving with their first possession, damnit. Let’s stop this right here and now!

 

[DRU2012]

Finally! A stop on 3rd down.

 

[DRU2012]

And we give up the 4th down try...
Trouble lining up again!! That’s on Grantham, damnit all to HELL.
They have had ALL SEASON to solve that problem—and certainly it SHOUKD have been a goal THIS PAST WEEK.
FINALLY: a 3rd down sack!

 

[DRU2012]

So: Took their best (scripted) shot—Bent some, but didn’t break.

 

[DRU2012]

Quick strike here?
Or long, determined drive? Either one would have its place now.
Surprisingly “careful” on the play-calling.
BITE MY TONGUE!
Fake punt!
First down!

 

[Escambia94]

That was a nice fake punt!

 

[Escambia94]

Kyle to Kyle connection for 56 yards!

 

[DRU2012]

I just don’t really TRUST Malik...
But here’s Pitts with it in the open—
TOUCHDOWN PITTS, KYLE-to-KYLE!!

 

[Escambia94]

I guess Pitts is at 100 percent. He beat his man with a skinny post.

 

[Escambia94]

The defense was able to take some risk with a heavy run blitz. They might be in a modified 46 Bear front, or they are finally clicking on their base 3-4 defense.

 

[DRU2012]

HA!
Stop them again, drive the field and we can begin to “work on other things” here!
Oh, I’m getting ahead of myself, I know:
But allow me to ENJOY US getting the “early jump” for a change!

 

[DRU2012]

I guess Pitts is at 100 percent. He beat his man with a skinny post.

Exactly. It isn’t just “what happened”, it’s “how he did it”!

 

[Escambia94]

2:24 85 yards, six plays on that offensive drive.

 

[Escambia94]

10th drive this season over 80 yards.

 

[Escambia94]

That does look like a Bear under formation. Watch for Kentucky to adjust with some quick throws, perhaps screen passes.

 

[Escambia94]

Or run Wilson up the A-gap away from the rush end.