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.

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.

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.

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: