The Good, the Bad and the Ugly From Florida's Fall From Grace Against Kentucky

The good, the bad and the ugly from the Florida Gators difficult 26-16 loss to Kentucky.

Photo: Gators' Gervon Dexter and Trey Dean sack Wildcats' Will Levis; Credit: Alex Shepherd

The Florida Gators' two games to begin the Billy Napier era have resulted in polar opposite outcomes.

This time last week, the Gators were fresh off a top-ten victory and I was writing about the good, the great and the ugly from that promising performance. Now, I revert back to the roots of the series with the good, the bad and the ugly, with plenty of topics to choose from for the latter category.

Without further ado, to recap a rough outing to open the SEC schedule in 2022, All Gators looks at the good, the bad and the ugly from a forgettable night in The Swamp for Florida.

Good: Patrick Toney’s Defense

The bright spot of the night for the Gators in their tough loss to SEC foe Kentucky was undoubtedly the defensive effort the unit displayed.

Performing at a high level during a back-and-forth defensive affair that spanned through the first 15 minutes, the defense showcased a stout presence against the run to stymie the Wildcats to two total rushing yards in the first 30 minutes of play.

While the second half once again began with a steep drop-off, the unit rallied to present a tough matchup for the Cats. 

Through the air, Florida continued to be exploited by opposing tight ends, but embraced a bend don’t break mentality by finding ways to overcome the gains the Kentucky offense did make through the air to get off the field.

They held quarterback Will Levis — who has earned billings as a first-round NFL talent in the upcoming NFL Draft — to just 13-for-24, 202 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

In reflection, defensive play caller Patrick Toney dialed up a near-perfect game plan to hold the Kentucky offense to minimal success when operating without limitations. However, there was only so much the stout unit could accomplish when forced to defend short fields gifted to the Wildcats by offensive miscues.

The lone touchdown they allowed was a deep heave from Levis to Dane Key, who went up and over defensive back Jalen Kimber for the snag despite Kimber being in a position to make a play on the ball.

Sixteen of Kentucky’s 26 points came directly off turnovers or turnover on downs by the Florida offense.

It’s a drastic change of pace for Florida fans who have dealt with historically bad defense over the past few seasons. Nonetheless, a defense that mildly struggled in week one provided a breath of fresh air to keep the Gators in the contest as long as possible on Saturday.

Bad: Offensive Play Calling

While the Gators' defense put on a show to maintain any hope Florida had at overcoming the Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday, the offense ultimately led to the epic collapse of the No. 12 team in the country.

The play calling exhibited by head coach Billy Napier displayed an evident lack of trust in the quarterback he raved about in crunch time of week one against Utah.

Oddly enough, his apparent lack of faith in Richardson to push the ball downfield didn’t deter him from attempting to win through the air. He utilized a mixture of quick hitters, screen passes and other short to intermediate routes in an attempt to get his QB going.

However, the accuracy issues early on resulted in Richardson spiraling. In most instances, the play caller would turn to the rushing unit that’s just a week removed from churning out 283 yards and four scores.

That wasn’t the case, but it wasn’t because of a lack of production in the sample size that facet of the game received.

The ground game, which is a staple of the Napier scheme, was virtually nonexistent at points. When the Gators did rush the football, it worked.

Their lone touchdown of the night came on a drive in which running back Trevor Etienne shined with carries of 15 and 11, Montrell Johnson broke off on a 40-yard rush in one of his seven touches and the unit as a whole amassed 136 yards on 30 total carries.

But, for some reason, despite facing a defense clearly susceptible to big plays on the ground with a struggling quarterback, the Gators elected to throw the ball more often than not.

It didn’t work, and, the early game trends suggested it wasn’t going to work. But, no adjustments were made, resulting in an unfavorable outcome for Florida.

As little as Napier did to help the Gators' signal-caller, Richardson's performance was ultimately worse than the calls he heard through his helmet on the night.

Ugly: Anthony Richardson

Well, this is a change of pace from last week.

Just seven days removed from an outing that earned him glowing player of the week honors and touted him in Heisman candidacy, the player who is always in contention to be the best on the field proved to be the worst.

His 143 yards on 40% completion and two interceptions (one pick-six) stat line showcases that without even watching the game. He still hasn’t recorded a touchdown pass this season.

He failed to throw with anticipation, looked lost when working through progressions and missed open men in every way imaginable. Whether it was a byproduct of his inability to use touch on short routes — resulting in balls ricocheting off intended receivers — throwing high, skipping it low or outright throwing to Kentucky’s defense, Richardson's meltdown was catastrophic.

Many Florida fans likely got flashbacks to last season.

Richardson’s inability to rush the football took away the most valuable dimension at Florida’s offense's disposal. Why that was the case is still undisclosed, but the early twist of his ankle after he unloaded a ball from the pocket could potentially explain his lack of attempts and production.

Just as he elevated Florida in week one to knock off the then No. 7 ranked program in the country, he depreciated the Gators squad with his poor performance.

Florida needs more from QB1 moving forward.

It isn’t time to panic regarding who stands behind center. His talents are evident. But, his inexperience will require more significant growing pains than previously envisioned.

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