Homecoming for the Florida football program was punctuated with a 48-20 win over the Kentucky Wildcats inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday night. The Gators came in amped behind a raucous crowd and did not disappoint the loyal fans.
Billy Napier’s squad controlled things from the get-go, scoring a field goal in the red zone on the game-opening drive that soaked up almost five minutes. They would add 24 more points in the second half against UK’s baker’s dozen to take a 27-13 lead into the locker room.
The Gators Wire staff convened to offer their respective instant reactions in a good, bad and ugly format after the final horn. Take a look below at what we had to say.
The true freshmen shine on offense
GOOD: The true freshmen shine on offense. Quarterback DJ Lagway and running back Jadan Baugh were the motors that kept the Gators’ offense up and running. Lagway’s deep ball accuracy was on full display as he was slinging it all over, what’s regarded as, a good Kentucky defense.
He also did a good job in utilizing his legs and ran with ease against the Wildcats.
As for Baugh, I mean, what a performance. With Montrell Johnson Jr. out due to injury, Baugh served as Florida’s lead running back and had a total of five rushing touchdowns.
BAD: There weren’t a whole lot of “bad” things to look at from the Gators’ performance against Kentucky. I guess you’d like to see the offense be more consistent, especially in the second half. It’s been an ongoing trend for Florida.
hey played almost flawlessly in the first half and in the second, there were some hiccups and not a lot of movement down the field. But again, it’s tough to look at something that was “bad” from what seemed like one of Florida’s best all-around performances of the year.
UGLY: Gators star cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. left the game due to an injury in the third quarter. Marshall, arguably Florida’s best player in their secondary, got hurt diving to the ground while trying to prevent a Kentucky touchdown.
Marshall was looked at on the sidelines by trainers before walking over to the locker room in significant pain. Unfortunately, Marshall came out of the locker room with a sling on his arm and while we don’t know the severity of the injury as of now, it’s going to be a major blow for Florida’s defense. — Aidan Gallardo
Pretty much a perfect performance for a homecoming game
GOOD: An SEC win in front of a homecoming crowd against a school the Gators once dominated but have lost three in a row to? Yeah, I would say that is very good.
Lagway’s completion percentage left something to be desired but his results spoke for themselves, throwing five completions of over 40 yards in this one. Then Baugh’s breakout performance was a beautiful thing to behold.
Shout out to the receiving corps as well for grabbing those DJ throws as well as the three interceptions by the defense. Dare I say this was a well-rounded effort?
BAD: Florida’s run defense gave up almost seven yards a carry at one point in the first half and looked for a while like it was going to let the ‘Cats have their way on the ground. Of course, things turned around in the second half.
UGLY: Lagway’s INT and UK’s punt return for a touchdown were both the low points of this game, but other than those two nadirs, this was a clean win for the Orange and Blue. The penalties were minimal, the turnovers were limited and the boneheaded errors were absent.
Pretty much a perfect performance for a homecoming game. — Adam Dubbin
DJ Lagway exceeded all expectations
GOOD: DJ Lagway exceeded all expectations in his first start against an FBS opponent, and the future is incredibly bright for this offense moving forward. With Lagway under center, defenses are going to have a hard time figuring out what coverage to run.
He can extend plays with his legs and move around to find time for the deep man. He can scramble when no one is open. And both of those factors distract the defense from the fact that Florida has a solid run game without leaning on the QB.
The playbook has opened up with Lagway at the helm, and he doesn’t need to throw touchdowns for the Gators to win games (more on that in a moment).
GOOD: Jadan Baugh is the future at running back in Gainesville, and he made a LOUD statement rushing for 106 yards and five touchdowns, tying a school record, in his second start — it’s the first time Florida has started a true freshman at both quarterback and running back.
Sure, some of those came right after big gains from Lagway through the air, but no one is upset once the ball crosses the goal line. More importantly, it tells us that selfishness isn’t a problem for this team. When you have two “rookies” put on a show like that together, it’s hard not to be optimistic about the future of the program.
GOOD: Allowing 20 points isn’t usually indicative of an excellent defensive night, but the Gators only allowed the Wildcats to score one touchdown on offense.
The math is simple. Three takeaways — including a pick-six from Cormani McClain — trumps one bad drive. Let’s not forget the early stop on 4th and 1 just a few yards out from the end zone. Something changed with this defense a few weeks ago, and it’s going to give Florida a chance to win at least one game against four ranked opponents over the next five weeks.
I’m not worried about losing Jason Marshall Jr. if his injury is serious. McClain is going to keep getting better as he sees the field more, and Devin Moore is a solid corner when he’s healthy.
Florida’s next game details
The Gators are off next week due to their bye week. The next matchup for Florida will be against the Georgia Bulldogs on Nov. 2 in Jacksonville. That game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET and can be seen on ABC.
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