LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Freddie Swain caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Luke Del Rio with 43 seconds remaining to cap No. 20 Florida's rally from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit to beat Kentucky 28-27 on Saturday night.
The Gators extended their winning streak over the Wildcats to 31 games, the nation's longest streak in FBS, and took early control of the SEC's Eastern Division. It came a week after a last-second, 63-yard Hail Mary TD pass earned a 26-20 victory over Tennessee, and this comeback required everything they had after trailing most of the night.
"Well, that was fun," Florida Coach Jim McElwain said of his team's escape. "You could feel it on the sideline that they didn't have any quit in them."
Down 27-14 in the fourth quarter, Florida (2-1, 2-0 SEC) got within a touchdown on Brandon Powell's 6-yard TD run with 7:58 left. Del Rio then marched the Gators 58 yards for the winning score to stun a blue-clad sellout crowd of 61,000 hungry to see Kentucky (3-1, 0-1) end a generation of frustration against the Gators.
Kentucky's last chance to win ended when Austin MacGinnis' 57-yard field goal fell short as time expired.
Del Rio, who relieved Feleipe Franks in the second half, completed 9 of 14 passes for 74 yards.
Kadarius Toney rushed for a 36-yard TD and Tyrie Cleveland caught a 45-yard TD pass from Franks for a 14-14 tie at halftime.
Sports on 09/24/2017