The streak lives on, Florida Gators comeback to beat Kentucky

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Losing to one opponent for three decades isn’t easy. If you’re the Kentucky Wildcats you have to believe some point during a 30-game losing streak you figure a ball will bounce your way at least one time and you’ll beat the Florida Gators.

Then you don’t cover Tyrie Cleveland and the Gators score.

Then you don’t learn your lesson and you don’t cover another receiver when you’re up six with less than a minute left.

Plays like that are how you lose to a team 31 times in a row and the main reason the Florida Gators were able to knock off the Wildcats 28-27 on Saturday night.

“The breakdown in communication defensively on the two plays are really a sore spot because they stick out,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “It takes away from the great passion and energy that the team, that our team played with.”

All week long the Gators were told that this would be the year that the Wildcats would end the streak. Florida was a 1.5-point favorite on the road, but it seemed as if they were the underdog based on how most national media members were picking the game. For most of the night Saturday, those people that predicted it would be the year the streak ended looked right.

“We beat ourselves,’ Kentucky running back Benny Snell said. “We’re the better team, period.”

Kentucky got on the board first when quarterback Stephen Johnson found a wide open Blake Bone in the end zone for six. They led 7-0 after the first quarter. Florida tied the game on a Kadarius Toney wildcat play. The freshman scored from 36-yards out, the first rushing touchdown the Gators have scored since receiver Antonio Callaway scored on a jet sweep October 29th of last year against Georgia. Kentucky scored again to re-take the lead and then the first blown coverage happened.

The Gators drive stalled and Jim McElwain called a timeout on fourth and three. When Florida came out to the field Tyrie Cleveland ran out wide towards the Kentucky sideline and nobody followed him. Cleveland turned and motioned to Franks, who quickly got under center to get the ball over to his best receiver. Cleveland caught it and just snuck the ball inside the pylon to tie the game.

Kentucky missed a field goal before the half and the Gators received the ball in the second half. This turn of events should have swung momentum in Florida’s favor. Instead, on the very first play of the second half Florida was called for a false start. Three plays later Johnny Townsend was on the field.

“We had a guy go the wrong way on the first play, which you kind of scratch your head. because you chalked it up, you called what it is, you did it on the sideline and you recalled it on the field,” McElwain said. “He went north when he should have gone south. It’s a bit of a head scratcher.”

Four plays and 62 yards later Kentucky scored to take a 21-14 lead. Two field goals later they had a 27-14 lead and it seemed as if Florida was done.

“You could feel it on the sideline that there was, just didn’t have a quit in them,” McElwain said.

McElwain turned to Luke Del Rio with 5:45 left in the third quarter, Del Rio threw an interception, one that he says was a miscommunication between him and the receiver and his fault, but played well after. He helped lead a 7-play 80-yard touchdown drive to make the score 27-21 and then the Gators defense gave Del Rio and the offense one more chance.

The drive was handed over to the Gators’ offensive line and freshman running back Malik Davis. Kentucky was allowing just 57 yards on the ground coming into this game but Davis started Florida’s last offensive drive with runs of six and three. A false start pushed Florida back but Del Rio connected with Brandon Powell for a gain of seven and a first down. Davis picked up seven more yards on two carried but Del Rio needed to find Mark Thompson on fourth and three to extend the drive again.

“I thought that fourth-down play obviously was a veteran move, a guy keeping the play alive,” McElwain said. “They had good coverage on. That was a good play. It’s one of those that you never throw across your body late inside, right? But it worked.”

The Gators matriculated the ball down to the Kentucky five. Just like they did in the second quarter, Florida called a timeout on third and one.

Del Rio and the offense walked to the ball, Freddie Swain stayed out wide by Florida’s sideline.

Kentucky didn’t send anyone over.

Swain looked frantically in, waiting for Del Rio to look over and notice what was happening, but paralyzed not wanting to wave his hands and draw attention to himself. Del Rio got all the way under center before he noticed.

“It was going to be the same run play we had run about five times up to that point. We ran it on fourth and 6 inches, it was when they measured it and it was short — same play. Just kind of a dive,” said Del Rio. “I got under center and I looked to my right to make sure that Freddie was set so we didn’t get a penalty, and he kind of gave me like a wide-eyed look and kind of put his arms up. He didn’t want to scream it. I didn’t look to see if the corner was out there because I was already under center, and I knew if I popped up and then went back down they would cover it. So completely trusted him, threw it.
Swain caught it. Eddy Pineiro kicked the extra point and Florida went up.

Credit Kentucky for driving down the field and getting a chance to kick a game winning field goal. A holding call negated a 10-yard run that would have given the Wildcats a much shorter field goal than the 57-yard one that fell just short.

Two plays. That’s what kept the Gators in this game. Two plays will haunt Kentucky just like Chris Doering does.

Nick de la Torre
A South Florida native, Nick developed a passion for all things sports at a very young age. His love for baseball was solidified when he saw Al Leiter’s no-hitter for the Marlins live in May of 1996. He was able to play baseball in college but quickly realized there isn’t much of a market for short, slow outfielders that hit around the Mendoza line. Wanting to continue with sports in some capacity he studied journalism at the University of Central Florida. Nick got his first start in the business as an intern for a website covering all things related to the NFL draft before spending two seasons covering the Florida football team at Bleacher Report. That job led him to GatorCountry. When he isn’t covering Gator sports, Nick enjoys hitting way too many shots on the golf course, attempting to keep up with his favorite t.v. shows and watching the Heat, Dolphins and Marlins. Follow him on twitter @NickdelatorreGC