The Florida Gators (6-1) are set to take on the Kentucky Wildcats (3-5) in The Swamp Saturday at noon EST. The game will air on ESPN.
Dan Mullen's squad enters the contest coming off of a 38-17 victory over the Vanderbilt Commodores on the road. Mark Stoops' Wildcats come in after a brutal 63-3 loss at the mercy of Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide. The Gators will look to avoid another slow start and stay on the track to compete in Atlanta at the SEC Championship game.
The Wildcats find themselves still battling some COVID-19 related issues, missing a total of 18 players and 10 staff members, as reported by ESPNWednesday. On the other hand, the Gators reported no positive tests as of Tuesday afternoon.
Kyle Trask and the Gators‘ offense will have their work cut out for them against the conferences best passing defense. On the season, the Wildcats have only allowed 223 passing yards a game. In addition, the Wildcats have forced 12 interceptions, with standout sophomore Kelvin Joseph leading the pack individually with 4. However, Kentucky could have its hands full as Kyle Pitts is set to make his return to action after missing two games with a concussion.
Still, even if the Wildcats' defense is able slow down the Kyle-to-Kyle connection, a plethora of other Gators have stepped up in the absence of Pitts. Since going down in the second quarter of the UGA game, players Kemore Gamble, Keon Zipperer, Justin Shorter and Xzavier Henderson have caught six total touchdowns while Trevon Grimes, Jacob Copeland and Kadarius Toney have all continued their production. Kyle Trask has continued his success as well, averaging 364 passing yards a game and 4.4 touchdowns a game. It's safe to say the Gators' offense can make a defense struggle from anywhere on the field. Look for Mullen to dial up some looks for Pitts early and we could even see some two tight end sets with Zipperer or Gamble.
In the series, the Gators have won 32 of the last 33 games. Its worth noting, however, the lone loss came in Mullen's season opener in 2018. Last year, the Wildcats led by 11 heading in to the final quarter before an injury to quarterback Feleipe Franks gave the reins to Trask. Trask went on to lead the Gators to 19 unanswered points and a 29-21 victory in Lexington, KY. The Heisman frontrunner never looked back since his name was called that game and will look to continue his 2020 campaign.
Give me the Gators handling business against a Wildcats team missing some key players, 48-10.
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