Behind Enemy Lines: Kentucky

The Florida Gators open up SEC play with the Kentucky Wildcats and put their 27-consecutive game winning streak over the Wildcats on the line this Saturday. Kentucky running back JoJo Kemp got things going with some smack talk and Mike Taylor shot back on social media.

We caught up with Kyle Tucker, who covers the game Wildcats for the Courier-Journal. Kyle was nice enough to answer five questions to help Gator fans get to know their opponent a little bit better. Courier-JournalCourier-Journal

The Florida coaching staff keeps mentioning Alvin Dupree and Za’Darius Smith as two players who are sticking out to them on film. With Florida starting a redshirt freshman right tackle, how important is it for Dupree and Smith to pressure the quarterback this week?

Very. While he’s been somewhat quiet so far this season, in part because he’s often double-teamed, Dupree is a freak athlete coming off the edge (either as an end in the 4-3 look or outside linebacker in the 3-4) who Stoops has said is every bit as good as his great players at Florida State and he’d be “shocked” if Dupree isn’t a first-round pick. Smith is a huge, powerful guy on the other side, the kind of player Kentucky just rarely ever had before. The stats don’t show it so far, but this is probably one of the best pairs of pass rushers in the program’s history and they need to take advantage of a this matchup.

Patrick Towles rushing attempts went from three in the first game to 22 against Ohio in week two. How much does Kentucky want to utilize him as a runner this week?

Stoops made it clear the Cats don’t want to “get into the business” of running him that often against a defense like Florida’s. That’s begging for injury. But he’s quicker than he looks and built to take some pounding at about 245 pounds. So Towles will run when it makes sense – or when the offensive line breaks down and he has to for self-preservation. It’s a weapon that UK would be foolish not to utilize, within reason.

Last season, 2-10 (0-8 SEC) was rough for Kentucky. Are the Wildcats still in a honeymoon phase with Mark Stoops?

Amazingly, yes, I think they still are. There are just so many reasons to point to the future and say, “See, it’s getting better. Just give us a little time.” The $120 million stadium renovation is under way. Designs for a $45 million practice facility are being drawn. Stoops and his staff have lured more top talent to Lexington that any point in recent memory (ever?) and have a very good shot at landing the top player in the state, who also happens to be the No. 1 running back recruit in the country. It’s already quite apparent that most of the best players on this team are guys Stoops brought in, and most of those are only freshmen or sophomores. So plenty of people here – and most importantly his bosses – still very much believe in Stoops.

Who is the X-factor for Kentucky on offense?

I’ll give you two.
1) Does Braylon Heard play and play as effectively as he did in the opener when his only two touches were 43- and 73-yard touchdown runs? The Nebraska transfer is a major home-run threat if healthy, but he missed last week’s game with an ankle sprain. He got some work Thursday and is making the trip.
2) Ryan Timmons. Gators fans might remember that name as a former Florida recruit. That was one of Stoops’ big early wins, and he looks like a good one. With some guys hurt last week, offensive coordinator Neal Brown went to him early and often. He was targeted 12 times, caught 10 of them for 95 yards. He’s electric with the ball in his hands, averaging a TD every third time he touched it as a senior in high school.

The Gators avoid talking about the winning streak. Given that there isn’t a player on either team that was alive the last time Kentucky beat Florida, is Florida’s streak even something that the coaching staff brings up as motivation?

Stoops said he wouldn’t bring it up, but he doesn’t mind if individually some of the players use it. The veteran guys, who’ve lost two or three of those games to the Gators, do seem to care quite a bit. And the younger guys – as this year’s slogan is “Change the Game” – realize what a program-building win it would be to squash such an ugly streak. I’m sure Stoops is also plenty aware of how much an upset at The Swamp, to end almost three decades of futility, would truly usher in a new era for Kentucky.

Thank you again to Kyle for joining us for the series this week. You can follow him on Twitter @KyleTucker_CJ.