LEXINGTON, Ky. — The No. 11 Kentucky football team falls to Florida at home, 21-14. The first back-to-back losses on the season for the Wildcats.
The first half had very little fireworks with the play. On the Wildcats first possession, they mixed in nine runs and six pass plays to move it downfield. Many of the rushing plays happened to be Kenny Minchey tucking and running it for positive yards. The drive was capped off by a five yard touchdown on a pass from Minchey to C.J. Baxter. Kentucky would quickly lead 7-0.
Florida never got it across the 50 yard line in the first half and punted on all five drives. Their only score came when Kentucky was backed up to its own eight yard line. Minchey completed a pass downfield for the first down. However, a holding call in the endzone went for a safety and two points to Florida.
Kentucky would take that 7-2 lead into the half. Kentucky had 136 total yards to 121 for Florida. The Gators doing more damage on the ground with 63. The Wildcats doing more through the air with 92.
The Wildcats received the second half kick and just two plays into their drive Minchey fumbled the ball and the Gators took over on the Kentucky 30 yard line. The Gators would turn that into points. It took seven plays before Jadan Baugh crossed the goal line for the touchdown. Florida would go for two and convert as Aaron Philo ran the quarterback keeper up the middle. Florida would take the 10-7 lead.
The Gators went for an onside kick but Brock Coffman would recover for the Wildcats. Kentucky would put together a 6 play, 2:42 drive to score on a Kenny Minchey run. The tush push would push the Cats back in front 14-10 with 7:20 to go in the third quarter.
The Gators would finally get over the 50 yard line for the first time in the game with their offense. They'd have to settle for a Patrick Durkin field goal from 37 yards out to cut the UK lead to 14-13 with 3:16 to go in the third quarter.
Florida would answer with a time-consuming drive that ended with an Aaron Philo two yard touchdown. The Gators would go for two and convert to take the 21-14 lead over UK with 9:08 to go in the game. It was a 14 play drive over 67 yards that ate up 7:30 on the clock.
On Kentucky's ensuing drive, the Wildcats would drive down to the Gators 25 yard line and go for it on 4th and 9. Minchey was pressured and his pass to Kenny Darby fell incomplete. Wildcats turned the ball over on downs with 5:29 to go.
Florida would go for it on 4th down at Kentucky's 46 and the Cats would make the stop with 1:43 to go int he game. Bu, the Wildcats couldn't make anything happen and for the first time this season lose back-to-back games. It also, most certainly, takes them out of any College Football Playoff conversation. The Wildcats are still bowl eligible with a 7-3 overall record, 5-3 in the SEC.
