Gainesville, FL (Best E Casino) - The Florida Gators have not lost to the Kentucky Wildcats since 1986, and the two SEC clubs will square off this weekend in Gainesville.
Kentucky is 5-2 overall and needs just one more victory to earn bowl eligibility. The Wildcats lost two in a row after opening the season with four straight victories, but they were able to get back on track with a come-from- behind, 21-20 victory over Arkansas last Saturday. The remaining schedule will be challenging for coach Rich Brooks and company, as three of the final five regular season tilts, including this weekend's clash, will take place on the road.
As for Florida, it has been idle since a 51-21 thrashing of LSU on October 11th. The Gators are 5-1 overall and have won back-to-back decisions since suffering their lone loss to Ole Miss by one point. Next week, the team will take on rival Georgia in Jacksonville, so it will be important not to look past this dangerous group of 'Cats.
History says that won't happen, as Florida owns a commanding 41-17 series lead over Kentucky, including 21 consecutive victories over the Wildcats.
The Kentucky offense has some injury issues to deal with. Dicky Lyons, arguably the club's best receiver, was lost for the season with a knee injury two weeks ago. Now, tailback Derrick Locke is listed as questionable after injuring his knee against Arkansas last weekend. Speaking of that game against the Razorbacks, the Wildcats trailed 20-7 in the fourth quarter and looked lifeless. That's when freshman Randall Cobb took over, scoring a pair of touchdowns in a span of less than two minutes on passes from Mike Hartline. "I don't think there has been a young quarterback that has been able to come back and do this at Kentucky in a long time," said Kentucky coach Rich Brooks when asked to comment on the play of Hartline. "In a game where the only way we can win it is to throw it and he made the plays necessary to win the game. I hope this does a lot for his confidence and other's confidence in him."
The Wildcats are averaging 25.4 ppg and 324.9 total ypg this season. Hartline has been a bit inconsistent, as he has completed 55 percent of his passes for 1,265 yards and eight touchdowns with six interceptions. Still, for a first- year starter in the SEC, the sophomore deserves credit. Locke is a dual threat out of the backfield and will be missed if he is inactive or significantly slowed.
Give the Kentucky defense a great deal of credit for its play against Arkansas last weekend. The Razorbacks scored their only two touchdowns in the first half, and those scores were the culmination of drives that spanned 24 and 18 yards, respectively. Also, one of Arkansas' two field goals finished off a four-play, five-yard drive. Kentucky came up with four takeaways and limited the Hogs to 94 passing yards. While Arkansas did put up big rushing totals, the overall effort of the defense was strong. "Our red zone defense has been pretty good all year long," said Brooks. "We haven't allowed too many teams to score down there, but Arkansas was down there many times. I'm very proud of the way the defense sucked it up and made the plays down there."
Quietly, Kentucky has been one of the elite defensive teams in the SEC this season, limiting opponents to 11.9 ppg and 282.1 total ypg. The Wildcats have yielded only seven touchdowns to opposing offenses in seven outings.
Last season, Florida quarterback Tim Tebow was posting huge numbers en route to capturing the Heisman Trophy. This season, the Gators' signal caller's statistics aren't nearly as gaudy, but his club is in contention for the SEC title. Tebow has completed 62.4 percent of his passes for 1,235 yards and 10 touchdowns against one interception. He has also rushed for three scores, continuing to pound away at the opposition's defensive front with his bruising running style. Fortunately, there are enough playmakers in place to take pressure off Tebow. Percy Harvin is a sensational athlete who has caught five touchdown passes while rushing for two scores. Jeffery Demps and Chris Rainey are the team's top two rushers, and both possess outstanding speed.
Florida is averaging 38.5 ppg and 404.3 total ypg overall, and the team put up 51 points and 475 total yards against LSU last time out. The Gators finished with 265 rushing yards and scored three times on the ground, as Demps finished with 129 yards and one score. Tebow completed 14-of-21 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns -- both going to Harvin.
While Tebow and the offense garner most of the headlines, the Florida defense has been outstanding as well, limiting foes to 13.0 ppg and 274.3 total ypg. The Gators are holding opponents to 3.2 yards per rushing attempt and 9.8 yards per pass completion, as they have had success against both means of attack. With 15 takeaways and 15 sacks to its credit, Florida has certainly made its fair share of big plays. Also worthy of mention is the fact that foes are making good on only 33 percent of their third down conversion attempts against the Gators.
Florida wasn't dominant defensively against LSU last time out, as the Tigers put together three solid drives that resulted in touchdowns. Still, the Gators did come up with three takeaways and permitted just 3.1 yards per rushing attempt and 9.6 yards per pass completion.
