Florida Gators
Kentucky
Gators Defense Badgers Kentucky in 14-9 Road Win
Saturday, September 19, 2015 | Football, Chris Harry
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- For the jacked-up Big Blue Nation, it wasn't as deflating as, say, a certain night against Wisconsin earlier this year.
But they sure were a lot more excited about Kentucky football before Saturday night's game against Florida than after it.
Sophomore cornerback Quincy Wilson intercepted Kentucky's Patrick Towles' fourth-down "Hail Mary" heave with 33 seconds remaining, allowing the Gators to hold off the Wildcats for a 14-9 win Saturday night before a sold-out crowd at Commonwealth Stadium.
Quarterback Will Grier and tailback Kelvin Taylor each had short touchdown runs in the first half for UF (3-0, 1-0), which opened its Southeastern Conference season with a 29th consecutive defeat of UK (2-1, 1-1), the longest such active streak by one FBS program over another.
"To see those young guys jumping up and down … ," Florida coach Jim McElwain said of his team that numbered 28 true or redshirt freshman in uniform for their first league road game. "They know that was a quality opponent, a team that's going to win games in this conference. So to come into this place ..."
He paused.
"It looked full, right? And I don't think it was basketball season."
No, but the Gators' defense certainly was in full-court press mode against Towles and the Cats offense all night, limiting them to just three field goals and 241 total yards, forcing a pair of turnovers and ringing up six sacks for minus-50 yards. Towles, who passed for 369 yards and three TDs in Florida's triple-overtime win last season, completed only eight of 24 throws for 126 yards and was intercepted twice.
"When we needed big plays, we stepped up," senior defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard said.
They needed to do it nearly the entire second half because the Florida offense mostly spun its collective wheels. After churning out 165 yards and a couple TDs in the first half, the Gators gained just 80 yards, punted five times and threw in an interception on the first six possessions of the second half.
The seventh was a kneel-down by Grier after Wilson's game-sealing interception.
"It just shows we don't let adversity hit us," Taylor said. "We keep fighting until the clock says zero."
Grier, the redshirt freshman making his first road and SEC start, played the entire game, with sophomore incumbent Treon Harris, who played half of the first two games and started the opener, sitting this one out. Grier finished 13 of 22 for 125 yards, no touchdowns and one interception, while taking a few hits from an aggressive, blitzing UK defense. He also rushed seven times for 36 yards, showing some elusiveness in the process.
But Grier had just 21 yards passing in the second half and also threw an interception in the end zone on a first-and-goal from the UK 5 when the Gators had a shot really to put the game out of reach.
"Obviously, he has a lot of growing to do," McElwain said. "He left some big plays on the field, but that being said, for the most part, he did a decent job of taking care of the football, except for that throw into the end zone."
The Gators got on top early when cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III intercepted a tipped Towles pass on Kentucky's first possession and took it back 53 yards to the UK 19. After missing last week's win against East Carolina with a leg injury, Hargreaves was back in the starting lineup and making things happen. His second pick of the season and long return put the Gators in business, but fourplays later UF faced and fourth-and-goal at the 1.
McElwain gambled and went for it.
Grier play-action faked to Taylor, but his first throwing option to the left was covered. Under pressure, Grier tucked the ball away, raced to his right and beat the Kentucky defense to the pylon for the second rushing TD of his young career.
The Wildcats answered the UF score with a 14-play, 64-yard march that stalled at the UF 11, where Aaron MacGinnis came on to kick a 29-yard field goal.
The Gators had a chance to stretch the lead out in the second quarter when Grier led a drive to the Kentucky 12. That's where Austin Hardin booted a 29-yard field goal, but only after a whistle and delay-of-game penalty.
On the next play, Hardin's 34-yard attempt was blocked.
Taylor scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 14 seconds to go in the first half for a 14-3 lead, capping a 10-play, 57-yard drive engineered by Grier, who was assisted by some nice catches by his receivers.
UF had another excellent opportunity to stretch out the lead in the third quarter, moving to the UK 5-yard line, but Grier underthrew McGee on a play-action pass on first down and the ball was intercepted by cornerback J.D. Harmon in the end zone for a touchback.
That play turned the momentum in UK's favor.
The turnover, Florida's lone giveaway of the night, awakened a silenced crowd that cheered on the Wildcats offense during a 14-play, 75-yard drive that ended at the UF 5. A McGinnis 22-yard field goal made it a one-possession game less than a minute into the final period.
After a Florida three-and-out, Towles -- with just 43 yards passing to that point in the game -- hit wideout Jeff Badet for a 45-yard completion over cornerback Brian Poole down to the UF 27. A third-down sack by defensive end Alex McCalister, though, forced the Wildcats to settle for another field goal, this one from 45 yards that made it 14-9 with 10:31 left in the game.
The Cats had two more cracks on offense. The first ended with a punt after seven plays.
With 2:26 to go, the Gators punted the ball back and UK started on its 20.
On fourth-and-3, Towles hit Badet for a 20-yard completion down the middle, with UF safety Marcus Maye diving to make a shoestring tackle and a prevent a really big gain. After two incompletions, Bullard bull-rushed the UK line and smothered Towles for a 12-yard sack.
On fourth-and-27, Wilson came down with his interception.
The streak -- the one dating to 1986 -- was intact.
"Give a lot of credit to our defense for pulling it out," McGee said. "You only have to score one more than the other guy, but it would have been nice to get a few more down there."
