September 09, 2018
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- Kentucky ended one of college football's longest losing streaks by upsetting No. 25 Florida 27-16 on Saturday night in the Swamp.
Kentucky ends 31-game losing streak to Florida
Terry Wilson accounted for three touchdowns, Benny Snell ran for 175 yards, and the Wildcats beat the Gators for the first time since 1986. Kentucky hadn't won in Gainesville since 1979.
The 31-game streak was the fourth-longest in NCAA history in an uninterrupted series, behind Notre Dame over Navy (43 games, 1964-2006), Nebraska over Kansas (36, 1969-2004) and Oklahoma over Kansas State (32, 1937-68).
The Wildcats had lost three of the past four meetings by six points or fewer, a strong indication that they were closing the gap.
It probably should have ended sooner. Florida needed triple-overtime to escape in 2014 and had to overcome a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter last year in Lexington, in a game in which the Gators scored twice because receivers were left uncovered.
Coach Mark Stoops' team did that again Saturday, but that was about all that went wrong for the Wildcats.
In fact, the Cats even got a break when Southeastern Conference officials ruled that Evan McPherson's 36-yard field goal attempt was wide right. Replays showed the kick hooking and appearing to cross inside the upright. Instead of trimming the lead to 21-13, the Gators trailed by two scores heading into the final 15 minutes.
Feleipe Franks connected with Freddie Swain for a 4-yard score with 3:43 remaining that made it 21-16. But Franks missed a wide-open receiver for the 2-point conversion.
Kentucky couldn't run out the clock, giving Florida one final shot. But Franks fumbled on a play the Gators thought was an incomplete pass, and it was returned for a touchdown on the final play.
Snell and Wilson staked Kentucky to an 11-point lead, running wild as the Cats controlled both lines of scrimmage.
Snell patiently waited for holes to open and averaged 6.5 yards per carry. Wilson added 105 yards on the ground, including a 24-yard scoring run. Wilson completed 11 of 16 passes for 151 yards, with two TDs and an interception.
The victory was Stoops' first in six tries in the series and a signature win in conference play. Stoops' biggest win: Upsetting rival and then-No. 11 Louisville in 2016.
For Florida and first-year coach Dan Mullen, it was a reality check after they roughed up Charleston Southern 53-6 in the opener.
All the problems the Gators endured late last season -- inability to stop the run, indecision at quarterback, inconsistent offensive line -- were evident again.
The Gators lost an SEC opener for the first time since 2004, a 13-year streak that was the longest in school history.
THE TAKEAWAY
Kentucky could have been up big early had Wilson not had two first-half turnovers. The sophomore also had three turnovers in the first half in the opener, a 35-20 victory against Central Michigan. Against Florida, Wilson fumbled close to field goal range and threw an interception near the goal line. He regrouped and rebounded from both, a sign of potential growth.
Florida could be in for another long year. Mullen thought he could depend on defense and a running game, but both let him down and looked like they could be issues again.
POLL IMPLICATIONS
The Gators will have a short stay in the AP Top 25 college football poll.
STILL SUSPENDED
Florida defensive end Cece Jefferson was suspended for the second consecutive game for academic issues.
The Gators did, however, get a number of players back who were suspended for the opener for "not living up to the Gator standard." Receiver Kadarius Toney, defensive lineman Kyree Campbell, defensive tackle Luke Ancrum, cornerback Brian Edwards, running back Adarius Lemons and walk-on offensive lineman James Washington were available against the Wildcats.
UP NEXT
Kentucky hosts Murray State of the Football Championship Subdivision on Saturday.
Florida hosts Colorado State in a somewhat awkward matchup. The Gators will pay ex-coach Jim McElwain's former team $2 million for the trip. It was part of McElwain's buyout from the Rams.
Latest News
Top news around the world
Academy Awards

‘Oppenheimer’ Reigns at Oscars With Seven Wins, Including Best Picture and Director

Get the latest news about the 2024 Oscars, including nominations, winners, predictions and red carpet fashion at 96th Academy Awards

Around the World

Celebrity News

> Latest News in Media

Watch It
Olivia Munn Reveals Breast Cancer Diagnosis and Double Mastectomy Procedure | E! News
March 13, 2024
kUaEV1Kd3S0
Travis Kelce Shares Details From His Trip to Singapore With Taylor Swift | E! News
March 13, 2024
3YXi-Dgf4eg
Kate Middleton VIRAL Photo: Agency Addresses Photoshop Claims | E! News
March 13, 2024
S4VkO0TpkCY
Da'Vine Joy Randolph Plays 'Smash or Pass' With Iconic Moments From Her Career
March 13, 2024
vkPdJEF2BX4
Jean Smart Wears a Hotel Bathrobe to Present an Award to Hannah Einbinder l Power of Comedy SxSW
March 12, 2024
Bw7uVEYQev4
Lenny Kravitz Walk of Fame Ceremony
March 12, 2024
MlWq8BcnwhE
Dak Prescott Extortion Plot & Steph Curry for President? | TMZ Sports Full Ep - 3/12/24
March 13, 2024
jHFsrjs7OFY
A Japanese space rocket blew up after takeoff Tuesday, turning the sky into a fireball of smoke.
March 13, 2024
YkfJ3Qg8B7c
#KimKardashian and #BiancaCensori hung out at #KanyeWest's listening party Tuesday night!
March 13, 2024
EfwLLq6bx9k
‘Pioneer Woman’ Ree Drummond denies using Ozempic to lose 60 pounds
March 13, 2024
Omfjk1AlZ3A
Chrissy Teigen reveals her ‘boob lift scars’ in daring dress at Jay-Z & Beyoncé’s Oscars 2024 party
March 13, 2024
VxZ2qXAlpmU
Zoë Kravitz pokes fun at dad Lenny Kravitz's style during Hollywood Walk of Fame speech
March 13, 2024
j3-lcFu_1sQ
TV Schedule
Late Night Show
Watch the latest shows of U.S. top comedians

Sports

Latest sport results, news, videos, interviews and comments
Latest Events
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Atletico Madrid - Barcelona
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester United - Liverpool
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Inter Milan - Napoli
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Borussia Dortmund - Eintracht Frankfurt
17
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Chelsea - Leicester City
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Roma - Sassuolo
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Verona - AC Milan
17
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Genoa
17
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
SC Freiburg - Bayer Leverkusen
17
Mar
USA: Major League Soccer
Atlanta United - Orlando City
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
West Ham United - Aston Villa
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Rayo Vallecano - Real Betis
17
Mar
ENGLAND: Championship
Leeds - Millwall
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Las Palmas - Almeria
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Villarreal - Valencia
17
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Sevilla - Celta Vigo
16
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Darmstadt - Bayern Munich
16
Mar
ENGLAND: FA Cup
Manchester City - Newcastle United
16
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Fulham - Tottenham Hotspur
16
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Osasuna - Real Madrid
13
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Atletico Madrid - Inter Milan
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Barcelona - Napoli
12
Mar
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: 1/8 Final
Arsenal - Porto
11
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Chelsea - Newcastle United
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Liverpool - Manchester City
10
Mar
SPAIN: La Liga
Real Madrid - Celta Vigo
10
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Aston Villa - Tottenham Hotspur
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Juventus - Atalanta
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Fiorentina - Roma
10
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
AC Milan - Empoli
09
Mar
GERMANY: Bundesliga
Werder Bremen - Borussia Dortmund
09
Mar
ENGLAND: Premier League
Arsenal - Brentford
09
Mar
ITALY: Serie A
Bologna - Inter Milan
Find us on Instagram
at @feedimo to stay up to date with the latest.
Featured Video You Might Like
zWJ3MxW_HWA L1eLanNeZKg i1XRgbyUtOo -g9Qziqbif8 0vmRhiLHE2U JFCZUoa6MYE UfN5PCF5EUo 2PV55f3-UAg W3y9zuI_F64 -7qCxIccihU pQ9gcOoH9R8 g5MRDEXRk4k
Copyright © 2020 Feedimo. All Rights Reserved.