Kentucky are a -2.5 home favorite when they host SEC rival Florida on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. ET at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky.
Stoops Happy With Victory over Vanderbilt
Wildcats Head Coach Mark Stoops was happy his Wildcats came through with an important home victory and told reporters after the game,
“Getting off to a fast start on the road for an 11 o’clock kickoff was important for us, and we stressed that, and it was great to see,” Stoops said. “There were obviously some moments in there that are just kind of sloppy … It gets very, I don’t want to say concerning, it gets frustrating at times.”
Robust Kentucky Defense
The Wildcats defense scored 21 points off of Vandy turnovers, and its three defensive TDs rank second in the nation behind Coastal Carolina in defensive TDs scored. Dating back to last season, Kentucky has held opponents to 24 or fewer points in nine of their last 11 games. Stoops commented about his defense against Vandy earlier this week,
Love the way the defense played really all night. We gave up the one play early. Lonnie (Johnson) kind of lost his footing, got beat in a one-on-one situation. Really played a good game the rest of the game. Just appreciate their effort.
Kentucky has made a defensive effort this entire season. The Wildcats’ defense is 21st in the nation in total yards allowed and scoring, but they’ll face a stiff challenge at home this Saturday against a Florida offense ranked 77th in scoring.
Leary is 29th in the Nation in Passing Yards
Wildcats senior QB Devin Leary has thrown for over 1000 yards this season, but he’s coming off a two-interception day to Vanderbilt and has already thrown five picks this season.
He’ll have a difficult task against the 15th-best passing defense in the country, allowing only three passing TDs but with only one interception.
Davis Five Rushing Touchdowns
Senior RB Ray Davis has been terrific this season for the Wildcats.
He’s rushed for 314 yards with five TDs on just 50 attempts, and he, along with senior RB JuHtan McClain, have a battle on their hands against the 15th-best rushing defense in the country.
Florida vs. Kentucky Betting Analysis
This contest will feature two robust defenses, and my best bet is Under 46 (-110) at Caesars Sportsbook Kentucky.
Both defenses are much better than the respective offenses. Florida is one of just 11 teams to play two AP Top 25 teams and win at least one game.
They accomplished this with their defense, and we should expect Florida to pressure Leary. The Wildcats QB has been sacked four times this season, has thrown five picks, and he’ll be up against a Gators defense, allowing just 168 passing yards and 82.3 rushing yards per game.
Kentucky prides itself on its defense, and this is the second consecutive season where that defense allowed just 17 points or fewer through its first three games.
They are opportunistic and know how to make the big play, and I expect the Wildcats’ defense to slow down an already inconsistent Gators’ offense. Play the Under 46 (-110) at Caesars.
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