GAINESVILLE -- Florida has won 24 consecutive games against Kentucky, a streak not likely to end Saturday in Lexington.
The No. 15 Gators will enter Commonwealth Stadium a 20-point favorite over the Wildcats, thanks in large part to a do-everything Heisman candidate at running back and a top-ranked rush defense.
Chris Rainey has rushed for 306 yards and hauled in another 214 through the air. He leads Florida in both categories and accounts for more than a third of the team’s total offense.
On defense, the Gators are leading the nation against the run, allowing just 92 yards on the ground through three games — highlighted by last week’s effort, in which Tennessee was held to minus-9 yards.
Under first-year coach Will Muschamp, Florida is back to basics: run the ball and stop the run. Muschamp said he’s a firm believer in the latter.
“We’re talented up front and have good players up front,” he said. “They have a lot of pride and dominate the line of scrimmage. We have to make it a one-dimensional game in this league. If you can make an offense one-dimensional, it’ll give you a chance to win a lot of football games.”
Against Tennessee, linebacker Jon Bostic said stopping senior running back Tauren Poole (nine rushes, 18 yards) definitely “changed the game,” allowing the defense to key on quarterback Tyler Bray and the passing attack.
“All throughout two-a-days and even this summer, even when the coaches first got here in the spring, that was an emphasis we wanted to make,” Bostic said. “We want to stop the run. We want to be one of the most physical defenses in the country.”
Coupled with their top-ranked run defense, the Gators are averaging 210 yards of rushing offense — fourth in the Southeastern Conference and 30th in the nation.
On the other side, Kentucky is averaging just 119 yards per game on the ground — 10th in the SEC and a distant 92nd nationally. The Wildcats offense struggled against its in-state rival Louisville last week, and coach Joker Phillips said he wants to see improvement across the board.
“Every area, starting up front; our quarterback needs to play better, our receivers need to play better, our running backs, tight ends,” he said. “First thing we have to do is establish the run. We ran for only 35 yards last week, which is atrocious at any level of football.”
Hurting the cause, multiple offensive linemen have gone down with injuries. Right tackle Billy Joe Murphy missed the past two weeks because of a knee injury, and center Matt Smith missed the team’s first two games with an ankle injury. Murphy is doubtful for Saturday’s game and right guard Larry Warford is questionable with an ankle injury he sustained late in the loss to Louisville.
Giving up 14 plays for negative yardage last week, Kentucky struggled to find a rhythm on offense. But Phillips might have to wait another week to see progress, as UF’s defensive line has given opponents fits. Phillips called the unit “physical” and “very violent.”
Defensive tackle Dominique Easley has been a force along the line, with three tackles for loss. UF’s front seven has combined for 19 1/2 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of 105 yards.
Making matters worse for Kentucky, the Florida pass rush started to come alive against Tennessee. Bostic and fellow linebacker Jelani Jenkins sacked the quarterback once apiece, and Jaye Howard and Ronald Powell combined for another. Powell also hurried Bray into throwing two interceptions.
Kentucky gave up six sacks against Louisville, bringing its season total to 12. Only three teams in the nation have yielded more.
“We only gave up 14 the whole year last year with pretty much the same group,” Phillips said. “We’ve got to get it corrected because these guys that we have are all we got.”
Phillips knows what the Wildcats have to do — it’s just a matter of making it happen against a team they haven’t beaten in more than two decades.
