Roman Harper Predicts Florida to Defeat Kentucky, Calls Wildcats "Soft"

The SEC Network analyst didn't mince words on Tuesday

The SEC Network's Roman Harper made a bold statement on Wednesday, regarding the upcoming matchup between No. 20 Kentucky and No. 12 Florida. 

Both teams will enter the weekend 1-0, thought the Gators win over then-No. 7 Utah looked much more impressive than UK's victory over Miami (OH). Kentucky was picked to finish above Florida in the SEC East before the season, but Harper sees UF taking it to the Wildcats on Saturday:

“Going into the season everybody had Kentucky above Florida. I probably did too, but after one game I’m completely off of that. I’m completely off of that,” Harper said on the Paul Finebaum show. “Florida is going to win this game, and I think they’re going to win it pretty handily too. It’s going to look dominant. I’m not trending toward a blowout, but it is in The Swamp and they do play better, they do play differently.”

Florida was unranked entering the season, but skyrocketed to nearly the top-10 after its 29-26 win over the Utes. As of Sept. 7, the Gators are 5.5-point favorites at home. As game day inches closer, the public opinion is clearly in favor of Florida pulling out the victory. 

“Use me as ammo. I’m the ammo guy. If you need it, I’m feeding you right now, Kentucky Wildcats,” Harper said. “But if you want to win this game, you gotta stop Florida up front. Kentucky looked a little bit softer, I hate using the word softer, but they were not as physical up front running the football. You can’t run for 50 yards.”

Kentucky's offensive line was a clear issue in the win over Miami, though its since made changes, moving veteran Kenneth Horsey over to the left tackle spot in favor of freshman David Wohlabaugh Jr. 

If there's anyone who loves to keep tabs on bulletin board material, it is UK tight ends coach Vince Marrow. The big dog had this to say about Harper's comments:

Calling our guys soft lol @UKFootball will never be soft trust me on that partner.

— CoachMarrowUK (@vincemarrow) September 7, 2022

Wildcats Today will have updates on injuries, game notes and more throughout the week as Kentucky prepares for its matchup against the Florida Gators.

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