Kentucky crushes Florida, 38-7 inside Kroger Field

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky football hosted Florida Saturday night in Kroger Field, and there's officially a new streak in town. The Cats outplayed the Gators in every facet of the game, running up the score to 38-7 for UK's second SEC win in as many weeks.

Big Blue Nation was formally introduced to then-true freshman Cutter Boley in Gainesville more than a calendar year ago. Then, he was thrust into the spotlight at an inopportune time, finishing 0-6 through the air with one interception. The lights seemed too bright.

Tonight, he was the star.

After securing his team a 31-point lead, Boley hit the sideline midway through the fourth quarter, with understudy Beau Allen ready waiting in the wings. Boley ended the evening 18-23 for 168 yards, two passing touchdowns and one interception, along with 11 additional yards on the ground. The Cats posted 401 yards of total offense.

Kentucky's defense was spectacular, highlighted by a trio of interceptions by Ty Bryant, Daveren Rayner and Quay'sheed Scott.

With the win, Kentucky improves to 4-5 overall and 2-5 against SEC competition. Tonight marks UK's first league win at Kroger Field since the Cats beat Florida, 33-14 on September 30, 2023. Kentucky has now won three of the last four matchups against Florida.

The Gators, currently led by interim head coach/wide receiver coach Billy Gonzales, move to 3-6 on the season, 2-4 in league action.

Kentucky's defense once again got off to a strong start, securing an interception in the game's opening drive for the third time this season. This time, it was Rayner with the tip and Bryant who secured the takeaway.

Boley and the offense took over at midfield. The drive ended with redshirt freshman kicker Jacob Kauwe connecting on a 39-yard field goal to get the Cats on the board first, 3-0.

On the following possession, Florida's offense stalled and the Gators were forced to punt on fourth down. A muffed punt by Ja'Mori Maclin immediately gave the Gators the ball back inside the red zone. Florida's first scoring drive of the night started on the 13-yard line, as the visitors claimed the game's first touchdown with a three-play drive, which took just 70 seconds.

The 10-yard touchdown pass from DJ Lagway to Jadan Baugh gave Florida its first lead of the evening, 7-3.

It was also their last.

The Cats found their way to the end zone on the following drive, with Boley leading the offense 75 yards down the field across nine plays. On lucky number 9, he connected with graduate senior JJ Hester for the 29-yard score. It was the Oklahoma transfer's third touchdown of the season, with the first two both coming in a losing effort to Tennessee.

Kauwe's point-after was good, and the Cats retook the lead, 10-7.

The defense came up big, again, on the following drive. The Cats forced a fumble and sophomore defensive back Cam Dooley secured his first career recovery, handing the ball back to Boley on the 41 yard line.

He struck quickly. A 12-yard pass to running back Jason Patterson crossed the goal line unobstructed, and the Cats took a 10-point lead, 17-7, with 3:32 remaining in the half.

It was Patterson's second touchdown of the season and the first receiving touchdown of his collegiate career.

The Gators failed to convert a third-and-five on the resulting drive, giving Kentucky's offense another possession with fewer than three minutes remaining in the half. The punt traveled only 23 yards, putting the Cats on the 46 yard line with 2:38 to play before the break.

Seth McGowan took advantage, running the rock the final two yards for his first touchdown of the night and eighth of the season, his first since the South Carolina game in late September.

After the extra point, Kentucky led 24-7.

A wild end to the first half tested the agility of both teams: three interceptions and a fumble had the respective offenses and defenses running on and off the field at lightning speed. Ultimately, Lagway ended it by taking a knee with seven seconds remaining.

And after all of that, the same score persisted: 24-7, Kentucky.

The Wildcats capitalized on a methodical start to the second half. 13 plays, 75 yards and 7:26 of game time later, McGowan found the end zone for the second time of the evening. In addition to his scores, McGowan finished the night with 22 carries for 92 yards.

His five-yard rush put six points on the board for the Cats, Kauwe added another, and Kentucky led 31-7 with 7:34 to play in the third quarter.

Florida had possession for the next 14 plays but came up empty, draining more than seven minutes off the clock in the process.

Kentucky needed fewer than four to return to the end zone. This time, the score came courtesy of Dante Dowdell, who turned on the jets for the 65-yard touchdown. The explosive play propelled him into the top of the box score, finishing with 104 yards on seven carries.

His would be the final score of the night for either team, as the Cats leave Kroger Field with an SEC victory, 38-7. The Gators did not score after the first quarter, while Kentucky punched in 21 points worth of offense in the second quarter alone.

It was Kentucky's first 30-point win over an SEC opponent since 1998.

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Kentucky will return to Kroger Field next Saturday for its final home game of the season. The Cats will kick off for a senior day game against Tennessee Tech at 1:30 p.m. on the SEC Network+, followed by back-to-back road trips to Vanderbilt and Louisville to end the regular season.

Tennessee Tech improved to 10-0 Saturday night, with a 21-9 win over Eastern Illinois. The Golden Eagles are currently ranked fifth overall in FCS. The Wildcats will serve as Tech's first test against an FBS opponent this season, as well as the first matchup between the Cats and the Golden Eagles since 1951.

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