UK Dominates Florida 38-7

By Hayden Kennedy 

The Kentucky Wildcats secured a massive 38-7 win over Florida at Kroger Field Saturday night, the largest margin of victory in a conference game since 1998.

Kentucky improved to 4-5 on the season and 2-5 in conference play. It's UK’s second straight SEC win and first home SEC victory in two years.

UK's Cutter Boley continued to show promise at the quarterback position, completing 18 of 23 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns along with one interception. 

Kentucky QB Cutter Boley throws a pass against Florida Saturday night. (Photo by Danny Vaughn)

On Boley’s growth over the last few weeks, Coach Mark Stoops said, “Again, I’ve said that, I’ve acknowledged that.  We are playing better. Guys are playing better around him, but definitely he has something to do with that. The way he is seeing things, the way he’s buying time, the vision that he has distributing the football, he’s making us better, and there is no question.”

Other impressive performances included running backs Seth McGowan and Dante Dowdell, combining for 196 yards rushing and three touchdowns, along with wide receiver Kendrick Law bringing in six receptions for 44 yards.

The Kentucky defense was the star of the show, forcing four turnovers, including three interceptions and one fumble recovery. 

Kentucky defensive back Ty Bryant accounted for six total tackles and one interception. After the game, he was asked about the team's defensive performance.

“Our intensity has been very high," he said. "Our practices are going great, and we come to work every day ready to bring that intensity. Then it shows up on Saturdays. We talk about it in the meeting rooms. The way you practice translates.”

Over the last few weeks, a significant portion of the fan base has loudly expressed their desire to move on from Stoops and hire a new coach. Now with four wins on the season, and assuming they beat Tennessee Tech on Saturday, Kentucky will only need to beat Vanderbilt or Louisville to qualify for a bowl game, the first since 2023.

With a postseason appearance, it would be difficult for the UK administration to justify making a change at head coach, especially with a hefty buyout looming. 

Kentucky will face Tennessee Tech at Kroger Field on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. ET. The game can be seen on SEC Network+.

Hayden Kennedy, a recent UK graduate, is a contributing writer from Lexington.