Takeaways: The Kentucky Wildcats take down the #22 Florida Gators in front of a rowdy Kroger Field

Ray Davis and the Kentucky Wildcats got their biggest win of the season over #22 Florida.

Author:
Andrew Stefaniak
Publish date:
Sep 30, 2023 3:17 PM EDT

In this story:

The Kentucky Wildcats hosted the ranked Florida Gators in a game many in the national media thought the Gators would win.

Well, the Wildcats don't care about any of that, as they came out and whooped up on the Florida Gators.

This win will have the Wildcats ranked next week when they make the trip to play the Georgia Bulldogs in a game that might be College Gameday.

What can we take away from Kentucky's 33-14 win over #22 Florida?

Ray Davis is really good

Ray Davis had a historic day for the Cats, rushing for 280 yards on 26 carries to go with three touchdowns on the ground. He also caught one pass for nine yards and scored through the air. Davis might be leading the SEC in rushing after this game and all but secured a 1,000-yard season. The Kentucky tailback is one of the best in the SEC, and he showed why in this game against the Florida Gators.

The offensive line was dominant

Of course, Davis was great running the football, but wow, did the Big Blue Wall give him lots of space. The offensive line absolutely dominated all game long, which is great to see with a game against a physical Georgia Bulldog team on deck. If the offensive line is this good for the rest of the season, the Cats will win a lot of football games.

The defense shut down the run

Sep 23, 2023; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Kentucky Wildcats defensive back Maxwell Hairston (31) celebrates after returning an interception for a touchdown against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports — © Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Heading into this football game, one of the big talking points was, could the Kentucky defense stop Florida's rushing attack? Well, they sure did answer the call. The Gators only had 69 yards on the ground, giving them an average of 2.4 yards per carry. Kudos to this Kentucky defense for stopping the talented rushing attack and just being more physical than the Florida O-Line. Kentucky has one of the best defenses in the SEC.

The atmosphere was electric

Sep 9, 2023; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats fans cheer after a touchdown during the second quarter against the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports — © Jordan Prather-USA TODAY Sports

Coach Mark Stoops asked for Big Blue Nation to wake up early and pound some beers, and man, did Cats fans show up. The atmosphere at this ball game was electric from the opening kick until the clock hit triple zeros. Kroger Field is becoming one of the better atmospheres in the SEC, thanks to all the amazing fans Kentucky has.

What's next?

The Cats game next week against the Georgia Bulldogs will be on ESPN and will kick off at 7 pm est. We will have all the coverage you need from this game right here at Wildcats Today.