Florida survives against Kentucky 36-30 in 3OT

The Florida Gators (2-0, 1-0 SEC) kicked off their hunt for the SEC East title at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium against the Kentucky Wildcats (2-1, 0-1 SEC) Saturday night. Coming into the contest, the Gators had won 27 consecutive games against Kentucky, the longest active winning streak over a major opponent in an annual series. Florida put on a dominant performance against Eastern Michigan last week, winning 65-0, while the Wildcats defeated Ohio 20-3.

Both teams had big plays in the first quarter, but a combined seven punts would leave the period scoreless.

Second Quarter

FLORIDA 3, KENTUCKY 0- 35-yard field goal by Frankie Velez with 7:47 left in the quarter.
Scoring drive: 11 plays, 68 yards, 4:38 time of possession.

KENTUCKY 3, FLORIDA 3- 35-yard field goal by Austin MacGinnis with no time remaining in the quarter.
Scoring drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 2:16 time of possession.

 

Halftime Score: FLORIDA 3, KENTUCKY 3

 

Halftime Superlatives: Jeff Driskel- 7-20, 116 yards, Interception; Matt Jones- 10 carries, 63 yards; Kelvin Taylor- 10 carries, 53 yards; Demarcus Robinson- 6 receptions, 107 yards.

 

Third Quarter

FLORIDA 6, KENTUCKY 3- 22-yard field goal by Frankie Velez with 7:32 left in the quarter.
Scoring drive: 12 plays, 34 yards, 5:09 time of possession.

KENTUCKY 10, FLORIDA 6- Patrick Towles 60-yard touchdown pass to Garrett Johnson with 5:32 left in the quarter. Austin MacGinnis’ point after attempt was successful.
Scoring drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:00 time of possession.

FLORIDA 13, KENTUCKY 10- Jeff Driskel 10-yard touchdown pass to Tevin Westbrook with 4:27 left in the quarter. Frankie Velez’s point after attempt was successful.
Scoring drive: 3 plays, 44 yards, 1:05 time of possession.

KENTUCKY 17, FLORIDA 13- Patrick Towles 33 yard touchdown pass to Garrett Johnson with 3:21 left in the quarter. Austin MacGinnis’ point after attempt was successful.
Scoring drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 1:06 time of possession.

FLORIDA 20, KENTUCKY 17- Jeff Driskel 9-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson with 0:25 left in the quarter. Frankie Velez’s point after attempt was successful.
Scoring drive: 8 plays, 62 yards, 2:56 time of possession.

Fourth Quarter

KENTUCKY 20, FLORIDA 20- 51-yard field goal by Austin MacGinnis with 3:52 left in he quarter.
Scoring drive: 12 plays, 43 yards, 5:10 time of possession.

Overtime

KENTUCKY 27, FLORIDA 20- Patrick Towles 25-yard touchdown pass to Williams. Austin MacGinnis point after attempt is successful.
Scoring drive: 1 play, 25 yards.

FLORIDA 27, KENTUCKY 27- Jeff Driskel 9-yard touchdown pass to Demarcus Robinson. Frankie Velez point after attempt is successful.
Scoring drive: 6 plays, 25 yards.

FLORIDA 30, KENTUCKY 27- 20-yard field goal by Frankie Velez.
Scoring drive: 4 plays, 22 yards.

KENTUCKY 30, FLORIDA 30- 26-yard field goal by Austin MacGinnis.
Scoring drive: 6 plays, 16 yards.

FLORIDA 36, KENTUCKY 30- 1-yard touchdown run by Matt Jones.
Scoring drive: 4 plays, 25 yards.

Final Score: FLORIDA 36, KENTUCKY 30

Final Superlatives: Jeff Driskel- 25-43, 295 yards, 3 TD, INT; Matt Jones- 29 carries, 156 yards, TD; Kelvin Taylor- 15 carries, 64 yards; Demarcus Robinson- 15 catches, 216 yards, 2 TD.

Andrew Spivey
Andrew always knew he wanted to be involved with sports in some capacity. He began by coaching high school football for six years before deciding to pursue a career in journalism. While coaching, he was a part of two state semifinal teams in the state of Alabama. Given his past coaching experience, he figured covering recruiting would be a perfect fit. He began his career as an intern for Rivals.com, covering University of Florida football recruiting. After interning with Rivals for six months, he joined the Gator Country family as a recruiting analyst. Andrew enjoys spending his free time on the golf course and watching his beloved Atlanta Braves. Follow him on Twitter at @AndrewSpiveyGC.