The ninth-ranked Florida Gators defeated the Kentucky Wildcats 48-14, delivering head coach Urban Meyer his 100th career win. Freshman quarterback Trey Burton (Venice, Fla.) led the way with a school-record six touchdowns, the most by an SEC player since 2003.
Burton had five touchdowns on five carries, and also added his first career touchdown reception to propel a Gator offense that finished with 466 yards in its most productive outing of the season. Burton's six touchdowns broke Tim Tebow's school-record of five touchdowns set in 2007. He became just the fourth player in SEC history to have six or more touchdowns in a game.
In front of a crowd of 90,547 Florida notched its 24th straight win against Kentucky, the second longest active streak for a major Division I school against a major opponent. The win also extends a series of winning streaks for the Gators, 24 regular-season games, 14 home games and 16 regular-season SEC games.
Redshirt junior quarterback John Brantley (Ocala, Fla.) threw for a career high 248 yards, connecting on 24-of-35 passes to eight different Florida receivers.
Leading the Florida receiving corps was redshirt junior wide receiver Deonte Thompson (Belle Glade, Fla.) with 5 receptions for 86 yards. Freshman Andre Debose (Sanford, Fla.) made his first appearance, catching four passes for 36 yards, while senior Carl Moore (Roseville, Calif.) also had four catches for 72 yards.
After a three-and-out for Kentucky, a miffed punt by junior place kicker Ryan Tydlacka led to great field position for Florida and set up for the first score of the game, an 11-yard touchdown run by Burton to put the Gators up 7-0.
The Gators marched 85 yards down the field and after a series of penalties on the Wildcats, Brantley connected with Burton for an 11-yard touchdown, the first touchdown catch of his career, to extend the Gator lead to 14-0. Over the last three games the Gators have outscored the Wildcats 73-0 in the opening quarter of play.
At the beginning of the second quarter Kentucky sophomore linebacker Ridge Wilson intercepted Brantley. The pick was Brantley's first interception in 156 passes and the first of the season. Brantley's interception was quickly redeemed by an interception by sophomore linebacker Jon Bostic (Wellington, Fla.), the interception was Bostic's third of the season.
Florida extended its lead to 21 points after redshirt sophomore Jeremy Brown (Orlando, Fla.) picked off senior quarterback Mark Hartline and drove it home for a touchdown. The interception was a 52-yard return and was the third of Brown's career and the first touchdown of his career. The touchdown was the third interception return for a touchdown by the Gators and the 12th interception on the season.
The Wildcats answered the Gators interception by faking a field goal and putting some points on the board with an 11-yard touchdown pass from Randall Cobb to senior wide receiver Chris Matthews, 21-7.
The third quarter brought about the third touchdown by Burton on the night. The freshman pounded it in the end zone for six points on a 10-yard touchdown run. A blocked extra point kept the score at 27-7.
A 77-yard drive by the Wildcats led to a 27-yard touchdown pass by Hartline to Matthews making the score 27-14.
For a fourth time in the game Burton saw the end zone. Burton found the end zone on an eight-yard touchdown run to move the Gators in front, 34-14. With the touchdown Burton tied the Gators record for most touchdowns by a true freshman in one game. The record was set by DeShawn Wynn in 2003 versus Florida A&M.
A 38-yard kick return by junior cornerback Janoris Jenkins (Pahokee, Fla.), a career high kick return, gave the Gators possession at the 49-yard-line. The return paved the way for a fifth touchdown by Burton, a three-yard rush up the middle. Junior kicker Caleb Sturgis (St. Augustine, Fla.) split the uprights on the extra point to make the score 41-14. Burton's five-touchdown game tied former Florida quarterback Tim Tebow's record for most touchdowns in a game, which was set at South Carolina in 2007.
Redshirt sophomore Omar Hunter (Buford, Ga.) accounted for Florida's first blocked field goal of the season. The blocked kick was the sixth blocked kick against Kentucky and the 29th blocked kick in coach Urban Meyer's tenure. With great field position Burton took over as quarterback and connected on a 42-yard passing play to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Omarius Hines (Coriscana, Texas). Burton capped his amazing night with his sixth touchdown of the game, racing 7 yards and sneaking into the end zone.
The Gators will hit the road for the second time this year to face long time rival the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, Ala. The game will begin at 8 p.m. and will air on CBS. A rematch of the last two SEC Championship games and featuring the last two national champions, the two teams have combined to win 52 consecutive regular season games – 28 by Alabama, 24 by Florida.
