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RECAP: Three Takeaways from Kentucky’s Historic Win Over Florida

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Kentucky Wildcats running back Ray Davis (1) celebrates during the fourth quarter against the Florida Gators at Kroger Field.
© Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Saturday was a fun day in Lexington, Kentucky. The BBN was up and early, energized and ready to go as the Florida Gators came to town. However, Mark Stoops’ team was just as ready for the game. The Cats took a big lead early and never looked back as they won 33-14.

To start the game, Ray Davis set the tone early with a 22 yard run, a receiving touchdown, and then a massive 75 yard dash to the house. Kentucky would lead 16-0 after fifteen minutes of play.

The 2nd quarter was pretty uneventful for the most part, but Ray Davis would score his third touchdown of the day, and Florida would answer with their own touchdown via Graham Mertz finding Hayden Hansen in the end zone. UK led 23-7 at the break.

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To begin the 2nd half, Ray Davis would score his fourth touchdown of the day. Then, Mertz would find superstar receiver Ricky Pearsall for a 33 yard touchdown. Heading into the 4th quarter, Kentucky was up 30-14.

Brad White and the defense would stop Florida again and again, and Alex Raynor would put the icing on the cake to make the final score 33-14. Kentucky would end up beating Florida for the third consecutive season.

Execution on Defense

Other than a couple of big plays, Kentucky held their own against the Florida Gators offense. Coming into the game, everyone knew that Florida was a run heavy team fueled by a two headed monster in the backfield in Trevor Etienne and Montrell Johnson Jr.

All week long, Brad White and Coach Stoops preached that it was imperative for Kentucky to execute. They noted that physicality and technique were going to be key in this game.

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From making open field tackles to getting pressure in the backfield, Kentucky did everything they needed to do on the defensive side of the ball. Very impressive game from Coach White and his unit.

Big Blue Wall Finally In Gear

One of the biggest surprises of the day was that Kentucky’s o-line really dominated against Florida. The Gators have a very big, strong, and rather athletic front seven, but they were no match for Kentucky.

Suddenly, all of those costly holding calls were nonexistent. There were no bad snaps, and of course, they paved the way to Ray Davis’ historic game. Despite finishing with 280 rushing yards and four total touchdowns, Davis had to give credit to the guys up front.

“I didn’t make history. Our o-line made history… As a collective unit, we made history.” The offensive line did all the small things right. However, they did the big things right too, and it resulted in making history.

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This Team Can be Special

Now, time for the news that the BBN wants to hear: the 2023 Kentucky Wildcats can be special. Kentucky is 5-0 for only the third time in school history. The first two times? 2018 and 2021.

It won’t be an easy road for Kentucky from here on out. The brutal gauntlet of the SEC schedule is here, and the Cats will face the toughest team they will all season, the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs in Athens.

We’ve already seen some special stuff from Kentucky over the last several seasons. 10-win seasons and Citrus Bowl wins are cool, but maybe this is the year UK takes the next step. For that to happen, Kentucky must do the impossible next week.


You can view the full box score from UK’s 33-14 win below:

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Louisville Football Player Charged With First-Degree Strangulation, Days After Committing Game Losing Personal Foul

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Louisville Cardinals defensive back Tayon Holloway (20) reacts to his defensive play.
Eric Canha | Imagn

On Monday, Louisville football defensive back Tayon Holloway was detained and charged with first-degree strangulation and fourth-degree assault.

This comes just days after the former four-star prospect committed a costly personal foul to put a 2-7 Stanford team in field goal range and upset Louosillve 38-35 with a walk-off field goal.

As expected, Holloway has been indefinitely suspended from the team.

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“The University of Louisville is aware of the arrest of football student-athlete Tayon Holloway,” the university said in a statement. “As we gather more information, Tayon has been suspended indefinitely from all team activities.”

Things Cardinals seem to be in a downward trend as the Commonwealth Cup nears, November 30th.

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Kentucky snaps four game losing streak defeats Murray State 48-6

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops talking to Murray State football coach Jody Wright.
Jordan Prather | Imagn

Kentucky gets a much-needed victory over Murray St 48-6 to snap its four-game losing Streak. Brock Vandagriff led the way for the Cats, going 12-19 for 183 passing yards and two touchdown passes to Hardley Gilmore IV and Ja’Mori Maclin. 48 Points is the most points Kentucky has scored in a game since 2021 when the Cats scored 51 points against Louisville.

The defense held Murray St. without a touchdown. For the second time this season, Kentucky’s defense has held an opponent without a touchdown.

Freshman Standout today:

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For the second time this season, Kentucky breaks the 40-point mark as three freshmen make impacts for Kentucky. Jamarion Wilcox had 13 carries and 124 yards with a touchdown in the 3rd quarter.

Receiver Hardley Gilmore IV had two receptions for 72 yards and caught the 52-yard touchdown pass from Brock Vandagriff on the game-opening drive.

Four-star quarterback Cutter Boley started the second half for the Cats, going 10-14 and passing for 130 yards with two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, both touchdown passes to sophomore receiver Anthony Brown-Stephens.

Defense Bounces Back:

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After giving up over 475 yards of total offense each of the last three games, Kentucky’s defense holds Murray State to 256 total yards of offense while also having three takeaways from the Murray State offense

Defensive Lineman Tre’vonn Rybka led the way for the defense with five tackles and the only sack of the game for Kentucky’s defense. Jordan Lovett had two takeaways in the first half for Kentucky and one in the red zone in the second quarter. Jackson Schultz had the final takeaway, picking off Jim Ogle’s pass late in the fourth quarter.

Box Score

With the win today over Murray St., Kentucky moves to 4-6 (1-6 SEC) with two games remaining. They look to keep their bowl eligibility alive as they travel to Austin, Texas, and face the No. 3 ranked Texas Longhorns at 3:30 pm on ABC. 

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Mark Stoops Responds to Retirement Rumors, “Zero Percent Chance I Do That”

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Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops responds to retirement rumors amidst disappointing season. "Zero percent chance I do that."
Jordan Prather | Imagn

To say there is unrest in the Kentucky Football fanbase would be an understatement. With a 3-6 record overall, and 1-6 in the SEC (15th out of 16) things look bleak, and there is still a quarter of the season to go. Considering the regression from the previous two seasons as well, it’s difficult to be optimistic about the future.

Over the last few weeks, rumors have circled that head coach Mark Stoops has considered retiring at the end of the season. Optics wise it makes sense, his older brother Bob Stoops surprisingly retired from Oklahoma at just 56, and Mark, now 57, has expressed a desire to spend more time with his children.

At his weekly press conference, Stoops was asked directly if there is any chance that he would walk away from Kentucky and retire at the season. To which he responded, bluntly:

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“Zero percent chance I do that. Next question.”

Mark Stoops is still owed more than $44 million on his contract. That’s A LOT of money to leave on the table and is the reason that the decision will be Stoops’ to make, as Kentucky cannot afford the buyout.

If Stoops holds true to his word and returns next season, NIL fundraising efforts may be the most difficult it has been for him. However, he hopes it sparks motivation to donate.

“I’ve seen it at other SEC schools,” Stoops said. “I want to stay away from that. I really get tired of — I don’t want to be like I am whining, I am crying. It is reality. You have to have dollars.”

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