Florida football at Kentucky Wildcats: drive-by-drive updates, recap

Kentucky ran out the clock to close out the win. That’s four losses in five years for Florida in this rivalry. The Gators won 31 straight games before the 2018 team ended that streak. It’s been all downhill since then.

Tramell Jones had a couple of nice passes, but he couldn’t get the Gators into the end zone. At this point, Florida isn’t looking for field goals. Jones made the rookie mistake of hitting his checkdown on fourth-and-9. Turnover on downs.

The clock should just tick out now, assuming Kentucky doesn’t break another big run.

Florida hasn’t thrown in the towel, but this game is virtually unwinnable with under seven minutes to go. A turnover on downs at midfield all but sealed things up.

Kentucky has put in its backups, including Beau Allen at quarterback. Allen was sacked by Kamran James on fourth down and fumbled. George Gumbs picked up the ball and returned it to the Florida 47. Maybe Jones can get a score here.

Kentucky is trying to run out the clock, but Florida insists on giving up more points.

Former Gator Josh Braun delivered a key block, and Dante Dowdell broke a 65-yard touchdown run. The Wildcats lead by 31 after 35 unanswered points.

DJ Lagway’s day is done. Tramell Jones Jr. took over at quarterback to start the second half. The true freshman had a couple of deer-in-the-headlights moments, but he showed some poise by converting on fourth down. Jada Baugh also made a nice play on fourth down to move the chains.

Ultimately, a personal foul stalled the drive, and Florida punted for a third time. If that number seems low, consider that the Gators have four turnovers and kneeled out the final drive of the first half.

Kentucky ate up half of the third quarter with a 13-play touchdown drive, putting the Wildcats up by 24.

Things started slow and steady with Florida forcing two third downs. Cutter Boley converted both of those with chunk gains, though, and then the run game started rolling. Seth McGowan and Dante Dowell combined for 44 yards on seven straight carries. McGowan finished it off with a five-yard run.

At least they’re bleeding the clock.

Devin Moore forced a fumble, preventing what looked like guaranteed points for Kentucky. It took a review to overturn the call on the field, but the officials got it right. Unfortunately, DJ Lagway couldn’t do anything with the turnover. Jadan Baugh ripped a decent run and a defensive holding tacked on 10 more yards.

Lagway then threw his third interception of the game. He threw behind his receiver and gave up another tip pick. Brutal.

Just in case six turnovers weren’t enough for one half of football, Boley launched a deep ball right to Florida safety Bryce Thornton. Billy Gonzales called for a kneeldown to avoid any more chaos.

Something just isn’t right with Lagway. He’s overthrowing everyone and just threw his second interception of the game. It wasn’t close. Kentucky took it back 55 yards, and Lagway had to push the returner out of bounds to avoid a pick-six.

At this point, it’s time to start thinking about running Tramell Jones out there for the second half. Whether it’s physical or mental, Lagway isn’t putting Florida in a position to win.

Cutter Boley is carving up the secondary. It’s the same location every time, about 20 yards downfield on the right sideline. He’s looking off veteran defensive backs such as Devin Moore, and the Gators aren’t making any adjustments.

A 25-yard completion to Kendrick Law — that’s twice now — and a 17-yard catch by Ja’Mori Maclin set up an easy two-yard rushing touchdown from Seth McGowan.

DJ Lagway plays like he’s wearing the weight of the world on his shoulders.

Two incomplete passes and a six-yard connection with Jadan Baugh led to a quick three-and-out.

Kentucky took over on its own 46 thanks to a friendly bounce on Tommy Doman’s 23-yard punt. Another score coming out of the two-minute warning might put this game out of reach early for the Gators.

The Gators can’t stop this offense. Kentucky moved down the field easily, running nine times for 31 yards and converting on fourth-and-1 twice. Boley hit another wide-open receiver for a 15-yard score, but the run game set up the pass.

Florida’s defense isn’t playing terribly as a whole, but the secondary is breaking down in crucial moments. Kamran James had a few nice tackles, but he can’t do it all by himself.

Florida’s second turnover of the game was self-inflicted. KD Daniels checked in for Jadan Baugh — who opened the drive with an eight-yard rush — and ran into his own lineman’s leg. The Wildcats scooped up the loose ball and took over on their own 41-yard line.

It didn’t take long for Kentucky to answer with a touchdown of its own. Florida set up a potential stop on third down as the first quarter came to a close, but Cutter Boley was electric in the second. He started with an eight-yard completion to move the chains and followed with two more first downs over the next three plays.

A pair of five-yard rushes set up the big play — a 29-yard touchdown to J.J. Hester. Florida’s secondary is banged up, and the man in coverage got burned a bit, but this was a very nice over-the-shoulder play by Boley and Hester. Some quick thinking from Hunter secured the score, as he reached the ball into the pylon.

Florida stalled out at the end of a 10-play drive, but the football gods gave the Gators a gift. Tom Doman punted to the Kentucky 14, and the ball went off returner Ja’Mori Maclin. Longsnapper Roco Underwood sprinted down the field after letting go of the ball and found it for the recovery.

Just 13 yards out from the end zone, DJ Lagway quickly found Jadan Baugh for a touchdown. Kentucky is making it a point to contain Baugh on the ground — after all, he scored five touchdowns against the Wildcats a year ago — but they forgot he’s one of the best pass catchers in the SEC.

Lagway is also getting mobile. During that 10-play sequence before the punt, he broke a couple of keepers and welcomed contact. Health is a priority for Lagway, but it looks like winning means more to him today. His run success (4 rushes, 19 yards) is opening the door for Baugh, too.

Kentucky took over a yard short of midfield, so holding the Wildcats to a field goal is a small win for the Florida defense.

Florida could have made things more difficult by making a stop on third-and-11, but Cutter Boley hit his mark on the opening drive. Most of those players were scripted, and the Gators adjusted well. The secondary did its job after the conversion.

Now, DJ Lagway needs to respond for the offense.

Despite a pair of third-down conversions, DJ Lagway threw his 10th interception of the year to end Florida’s first drive of the game.

Lagway looked good to start. He found Vernell Brown III for a 22-yard conversion on third-and-10 and bulldozed through a pile of defenders for another. The pick came on a tipped pass intended for Brown. It wasn’t a great pass look, with multiple Wildcats in the area. However, Florida doesn’t have a ton of depth at receiver, and Jadan Baugh got stuffed three times on the drive.

It makes sense for Lagway to take the chance, but he needs to be more careful moving forward.

With Auburn vs. Vanderbilt running long on the SEC Network, Florida-Kentucky was moved to ESPN News.