Game Balls: Kentucky-Florida

The Wildcats pull off a wild upset in Gainesville

After battling through special teams miscues, defensive mistakes and lack of an offensive presence in the first half, the No. 20 Kentucky Wildcats managed to rally the troops and pickup a crucial 26-16 victory over No. 12 Florida in Gainesville. 

Here are our game balls for the gutsy win: 

Offense: Kavosiey Smoke

No Chris Rodriguez, Ramon Jefferson or JuTahn McClain, and a weak offensive line to boot. Yet somehow, the senior running back Smoke finished the night with 80 yards on 14 carries, 71 of which came in the second half. Once Kentucky finally got some substance of a run game going, Will Levis and Co. opened up the field and eventually put away the Gators. If not for Smoke's persistence, Kentucky likely doesn't score as much in the second half. 

Defense: Jordan Wright

While it was Keidron Smith who delivered the big 65-yard pick-six, Jordan Wright kept the Wildcats afloat entering halftime. If not for his tremendous one-handed grab on an Anthony Richardson pass, Kentucky doesn't earn its second touchdown of the game, keeping it down by just a field goal following 30 minutes. 

Wright finished with six tackles—all of them important—in his return to the Kentucky defense. After missing the season-opener against Miami (OH), the linebacker core seemed fine, as it still possessed three future-pro LB's in Jacquez Jones, DeAndre Square and J.J. Weaver. It turned out that the room didn't know what it was missing, as Wright really played the spark plug role that the defense lacked. 

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