KENTUCKY 27, NO. 25 FLORIDA 16
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Kentucky ended one of college football's longest losing streaks by upsetting No. 25 Florida 27-16 on Saturday night in the Swamp.
Terry Wilson accounted for three touchdowns, Benny Snell ran for 175 yards and the Wildcats beat the Gators for the first time since 1986. Kentucky hadn't won in Gainesville since 1979.
The 31-game streak was the fourth-longest in NCAA history in an uninterrupted series, behind Notre Dame over Navy (43 games, 1964-2006), Nebraska over Kansas (36, 1969-2004) and Oklahoma over Kansas State (32, 1937-68).
The Wildcats had lost three of the last four meetings by six points or less, a strong indication they were closing the gap.
It probably should have ended sooner, too. Florida needed triple overtime to escape in 2014 and had to overcome a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter last year in Lexington, a game in which the Gators scored twice because receivers were left uncovered.
Coach Mark Stoops' team did it again Saturday, but that was about all that went wrong for the Wildcats.
In fact, the Cats even got a break when SEC officials ruled Evan McPherson's 36-yard field goal attempt was wide right. Replays showed the kick hooking and appearing to cross inside the upright. Instead of trimming the lead to 21-13, the Gators trailed by two scores heading into the final 15 minutes.
Feleipe Franks connected with Freddie Swain for a 4-yard score with 3:43 remaining that made it 21-16. But Franks missed a wide-open receiver for the 2-point conversion.
Kentucky couldn't run out the clock, giving Florida one final shot. But Franks fumbled on a play the Gators thought was an incomplete pass, and it was returned for a touchdown on the final play.
Snell and Wilson staked Kentucky to the 11-point lead, running wild as the Cats controlled both lines of scrimmage.
Snell patiently waited for holes to open and averaged 6.5 yards a carry. Wilson added 105 yards on the ground, including a 24-yard scoring run.
Wilson also completed 11 of 16 passes for 151 yards, with two TDs and an interception.
The victory was Stoops' first in six tries in the series, a signature win in conference play for sure. Stoops' biggest win: Upsetting rival and then-No. 11 Louisville in 2016.
For Florida and first-year Coach Dan Mullen, it was a reality check after roughing up Charleston Southern 53-6 in the opener.
All the problems the Gators endured late last season -- inability to stop the run, indecision at quarterback and an inconsistent offensive line -- were evident again.
The Gators also lost an SEC opener for the first time since 2004, a 13-year streak that had been the longest in school history.
Kentucky could have been up big early had Wilson not had two first-half turnovers. The sophomore also had three turnovers in the first half in the opener, a 35-20 victory against Central Michigan. Against Florida, Wilson fumbled close to field-goal range and threw an interception near the goal line. He regrouped and rebounded from both.
Florida could be in for another long year. Mullen thought he could depend on defense and a running game, but both let him down and looked like they could be issues again.
In other SEC games Saturday, Kelly Bryant threw for 205 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score to help No. 2 Clemson escape with a 28-26 victory over Kellen Mond and Texas A&M. ... Quarterback Jake Fromm threw for 194 yards and a touchdown, all three of the Bulldogs' latest running combos scored touchdowns and No. 3 Georgia turned an expected SEC showdown into a 41-17 rout of No. 24 South Carolina. ... JaTarvious Whitlow ran for 122 yards and receiver Anthony Schwartz accounted for 117 total yards and two touchdowns to help No. 7 Auburn rout Alabama State 63-9. ... Joe Burrow passed for two touchdowns and ran for a short score, and No. 11 LSU rode an opportunistic defensive performance to a 31-0 victory over Southeastern Louisiana. ... Nick Fitzgerald returned from a suspension to throw two touchdown passes, Kylin Hill ran for 211 yards and accounted for three scores, and No. 18 Mississippi State's swarming defense shut down Kansas State in a 31-10 rout. ... Missouri quarterback Drew Lock threw four touchdown passes and ran for another TD as the Tigers beat Wyoming 40-13. ... Jeremy Banks and Madre London each rushed for two touchdowns and Tennessee followed a weather delay with a second-quarter scoring flurry to trounce Football Championship Subdivision program East Tennessee State 59-3. ... Jordan Ta'amu threw for 448 yards and five touchdowns, Scottie Phillips ran for 107 yards and two more scores, and Mississippi survived an upset scare by beating Southern Illinois 76-41. ... Vanderbilt overcame two early red-zone disappointments and bottled up a high-scoring Nevada offense, winning a critical early-season nonconference game 41-10 with a dominant second-half performance.
Sports on 09/09/2018