When you’re the No. 11 team in the nation and battling for a crack at the College Football Playoff like the Kentucky Wildcats, you’d normally be licking your chops at the prospect of a 5-4 team paying you a visit.
However, that team happened to be the Florida Gators. They’ve been struggling as of late, but still have a pair of shocking upset wins on their resume this season, taking down both Ole Miss and Texas.
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So, there was nothing they’d like more than playing spoiler and maybe getting their season back on track.
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Florida running back Jadan Baugh (13) runs for a gain during the second quarter against Kentucky at Kroger Field. (Jordan Prather-Imagn Images)
But before we get to the game, we must take a moment to acknowledge Kentucky’s drone show.
Drones are way better than fireworks. I will die on that hill.
Anyway, it took a while for anyone to put points on the board. Kentucky struck first when QB Kenny Minchey found running back CJ Baxter for a touchdown with under two minutes to go in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Florida got rid of its goose egg thanks to an offensive holding penalty in the end zone, which resulted in a safety.
As rough as it has been for Florida, they had to have been happy heading to the locker room at halftime trailing just 7-2.
And what they had to have liked even more was scoring a touchdown in the third quarter to take their first lead in several weeks. Running back Jadan Baugh took matters into his own hands and punched it into the end zone.
Kentucky answered back with a Kenny Minchey 1-yard keeper for a touchdown, while the Gators settled for a field goal to make it 14-13 going into the fourth quarter.
Gators quarterback Aaron Philo led the team on an impressive 14-play drive that ended with him using his legs to retake the lead.
Jon Sumrall took a bit of a gamble by keeping his offense on the field for a two-point conversion attempt, and that proved to be a good call. Phylo rolled out and lobbed a pass to a wide-open Dallas Wilson to extend the lead to 21-14.
But, of course, what would this be without a little drama?
Florida decided to go for it on 4th-and-1 just past midfield. A first down would’ve ended the game as Kentucky was out of timeouts. However, the Wildcats’ defense did their job and stopped the Gators about an inch short.
That meant the offense got one more crack at it.
Unfortunately, for Will Stein’s offense, they couldn’t get anything going. Minchey threw three straight incomplete passes, then left the offense on the field to go for it on 4th-and-10.
The Gators might be the definition of feast or famine this season. That’s a third upset win over a ranked opponent… and they’re still 6-4 on the year.
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Florida linebacker Aaron Chiles (8) celebrates during the fourth quarter against Kentucky. (Jordan Prather-Imagn Images)
Talk about some ups and downs.
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The loss puts a huge dent in Kentucky’s playoff hopes. They’ll face Missouri next week, while Florida heads back to the Swamp to take on Vanderbilt.
