The Kentucky Wildcats have emerged as a surprise team this college football season and supplied further evidence of this in their victory over 12th-ranked Florida in Week 2. This was a statement win for Kentucky in front of the Florida home crowd at The Swamp. The Wildcats have improved their record to 2-0 on the season with the victory, and are making quite the national impact. Kentucky held Florida scoreless in the second half and forced Anthony Richardson to have a great deal of trouble throwing the ball in the matchup. With the victory now finalized here are the three biggest takeaways from the upset win by the Wildcats.
Kentucky Football Takeaways From Win Over Florida
3. Kentucky Building a Playoff Resume?
It is a difficult task to make the college football playoffs. While the sport will soon be shifting to a 12-team playoff format, there will still only be four teams that make the cut this year. Given the strong state of several schools around the country, this is a difficult list to crack. Kentucky is doing its best to secure a spot so far this season and the win over Florida is a major help with this.
So far in 2022, Kentucky has beaten Miami (Ohio) 37-13 and has now knocked off ranked Florida by a score of 26-16. After coming into the matchup as the 20th ranked team, Kentucky has climbed to 9th in the national rankings ahead of Week 3. This type of victory on the road in a difficult environment is exactly what it takes to continue shooting up the rankings. You can only beat who is in front of you and the Wildcats are sure to be tested moving forward. Matchups with Georgia, Tennessee, and Ole Miss await and will further challenge them. If Kentucky can maintain their high level of play and carry this type of effort against these opponents in the coming weeks, they have a chance to punch their tickets into the playoffs although admittedly there is little room for error.
2. Will Levis Climbing College Football Ranks
One storyline that will continue to be watched is the production of Will Levis. The NFL prospect has a number of eyes on him but has lived up to the pressure thus far. In the matchup with Florida, Levis completed 13 of his 24 pass attempts. He threw for 202 yards along with one touchdown and one interception. While it was not a performance that shined on the stat sheet, the 23-year-old showed grit and determination. It was a game that was once in doubt but Levis maintained composure and his rushing touchdown was a turning point in the matchup.
This is not to say Levis' performance was flawless. The interception was especially costly as it led to a Florida touchdown just five plays after the change in possession and put the Gators up 14-7. However, when it came down to crunch time it was Will Levis who showed the poise and confidence to get the win. He will continue to build up his stats but steering the team to victory against a ranked opponent in front of their home crowd is a terrific feather in Will Levis' cap moving forward.
1. Kentucky's Defense is Legit
The biggest takeaway from the matchup is certainly the strong play of the Kentucky Wildcats' defense. Senior linebacker Jordan Wright returned for the matchup after missing the start of the season and made a huge impact with an impressive interception that led to a Kentucky touchdown. Keidron Smith also had a pick-six in the third quarter which gave the Wildcats the lead.
JORDAN WRIGHT WITH A WILD INT https://t.co/kV5gmTcPEM
— PFF College (@PFF_College) September 11, 2022
Despite Anthony Richardson carrying a great deal of buzz heading into the matchup, he managed just 143 yards through the air. He also was ineffective with his legs as he ended the game with six carries for four yards. The team consistently found ways to put pressure on the quarterback and their ability to hold Florida scoreless in the second half ultimately made the difference in the victory. It was clear the Wildcats had a game plan in place against the dark horse Heisman candidate, and they succeeded in keeping him controlled.
As Kentucky looks to continue to build success this season, the defense is sure to grow as a part of its identity. It is extremely impressive the way they were able to bottle up the Florida offense especially considering the 29 points they scored against 7th ranked Utah last week. While you cannot put too much stock in one victory, this is a season-altering type of win for Kentucky. If this level of play continues they could find themselves in the mix with College Football's top programs and may even climb into the conversation for being a football school.
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