Storyline: The Florida Gators have beaten the Kentucky Wildcats thirty consecutive times. Will this be the year the ‘Cats prevail?
Kentucky-Florida football game, 1974 (photo, kdl.kyvl.org
When you hear the word “rivalry” the first thing that probably comes to mind is fierce competition.
Well, in SEC football, Kentucky and Florida is considered a divisional rivalry–at least in theory. It has been something less in reality.
The Gators have dominated the Wildcats since UK won on a blustery cold day in Lexington. The year was 1986. UK hasn’t won since.
That means UF has a 30-game winning streak in the series. That’s right, 30 straight!
The two teams meet again this Saturday afternoon at “The Swamp” in Gainesville, FL.
And, while there have been lopsided games in the series, the Gators haven’t always dominated the ‘Cats as they do currently. Let’s look at both sides of the coin in this rivalry.
Lopsided Losses
November 17, 1990: The Gators came into Lexington ranked #6 in the AP poll and definitely showed why. Florida 47, Kentucky 15.
Courtesy: al.com
September 10, 1994: Most people view The Sunshine State as a dream place to be. Well, for the ‘Cats, it was a nightmare in 1994. Florida 73, Kentucky 7.
September 28, 1996: Steve Spurrier’s Gators would eventually be crowned consensus national champion, while UK finished a subpar 4-7. Florida 65, Kentucky 0.
October 25, 2008: This trip to Gainesville was an epic failure. Florida led 28-0 before the ‘Cats even managed to move the 1st Down marker. Florida 63, Kentucky 5.
September 26, 2009: The top-ranked Gators raced out to a 31-0 1st Quarter lead. The only noteworthy thing UK did that day was send Tim Tibow to the hospital. (Wildcat DE, Taylor Wyndham, laid a vicious–but clean–hit on Tebow in the 3rd Quarter). But, even without its star, the Gators embarrassed the Cats. Florida 41, Kentucky 7.
Before the Streak….
Florida hasn’t always dominated this series.
Courtesy: bigbluefans4uk.com
UK won the first meeting–back in 1917–52-0. Kentucky was in steady control through 1951, owning a nice 9-2 advantage over the Gators.
Then two things happened–one at UK, the other at UF. Feeling underappreciated in Lexington, legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant left the Wildcats in 1954 for the head coaching job at Texas A&M. A few years later Ray Graves began his coaching tenure at Florida. His hiring is considered to be the dividing line between ‘irrelevant Florida’ and powerhouse Gators.
But, even after that, UK still managed to keep pace with UF. The ‘Cats held a 16-14 advantage in the series after routing the Gators in Gainesville, 31-3, in 1979.
But while the ‘Cats haven’t won in “The Swamp” since then, UK has come close a number of times.
“Oh, So Close!”
November 12, 1988: This loss really hurt! After dropping a nailbiter to the Gators, Kentucky lost a close game to another rival–keeping a second embarrassing streak going (v. Tennessee). Florida 24, Kentucky 19.
Chris Doering catches a pass from Danny Wuerffel to beat UK (photo, Kentucky.com)
September 11, 1993: Florida matched their ranking in the AP Poll, throwing seven interceptions in this game. It looked like the streak was coming to an end! The Cats led 20-17 with seconds remaining. Then walk-on WR Chris Doering made an impressive, 28-yard TD grab with 8 seconds left. Florida 24, Kentucky 20.
September 27, 2003: This should have been the streak-ender! Kentucky led 21-3 entering the 4th Quarter, but the Gators outscored the Wildcats, 21-0, after that. UK kicker, Taylor Begley, missed a 49-yard field goal that would have tied the game with 44 ticks left on the clock. Florida 24, Kentucky 21.
October 20, 2007: The Gators were coming off back-to-back losses to Auburn and LSU. Meanwhile, the Cats had momentum, fresh off an upset win against top-ranked and eventual national champion, LSU. Kentucky came into the as the favorite: the ‘Cats were ranked #8, the Gators #14. But the Gators prevailed once again. Florida 45, Kentucky 37.
September 13, 2014: Wildcat kicker, Austin MacGinnis, tied the game with a 51-yard field goal late in the 4th Quarter. Then, Stanley “Boom” Williams ran for a 25-yard touchdown on the first play of overtime. UK was just one play away from ending the streak: Florida faced a 4th-and-7 from the 9-yard line. But Jeff Driskel found Demarcus Robinson in the corner of the end zone for the game-tying score. The Gators eventually pulled out the game in the 3rd overtime. Florida 36, Kentucky 30.
September 19, 2015: Kentucky’s defense certainly stepped up to the plate last year, holding the Gators (and standout QB Will Grier) to just 14 points. But UK’s offense was non-existent. The Gators recorded six sacks, two interceptions, and held the Wildcats to three field goals. Florida 14, Kentucky 9.
How About 2016?
Saturday’s game will be played at Florida Field, “The Swam
On Saturday Kentucky has an opportunity to end the embarrassment. But the ‘Cats are coming off a bad loss to Southern Miss at home.
Kentucky led USM 35-10 late in the 1st Half, but then gave up 34 unanswered points. The Golden Eagles hadn’t beaten a SEC school since 2000 (against Alabama, of all teams), and even with the win USM is a paltry 32-102-3 all-time against SEC teams.
Will the Cats bounce back? Or will the Gators emerge as victors … yet again?
We’ll know Saturday.
