Notable Florida Gators-Kentucky Wildcats games in Lexington

Because Florida once won 31 straight games over Kentucky, one tends to forget that victories for the Gators in Lexington, Ky., haven’t always come easy.

All told, Florida is 22-11 there.

Many of the wins on Kentucky soil were close. And to be sure, the Gators have had disappointing setbacks there. But there also have been great triumphs and memorable comebacks.

Here are some notable Florida-Kentucky games in Lexington, site of Saturday’s game.

1974: Kentucky 41, No. 9 Florida 24: The Gators started 7-1 and were an early invitee to the Sugar Bowl. But after beating No. 5 Auburn at home on Nov. 2, they fell to Georgia 17-16 the following week when their 2-point conversion at game’s end failed. With the potential for the school’s first 10-win season still on the table, Florida fell flat. Kentucky, without injured star running back Sonny Collins, rushed for 334 yards.

1976: Kentucky 28, No. 15 Florida 9: After starting 6-1, the Gators needed only to beat Georgia or Kentucky to win the school’s first SEC title. But then they blew a two-touchdown lead in Jacksonville. And the following week, a still-stunned Gators squad collapsed against a Wildcats team that finished 8-4. Florida’s vaunted wishbone attack was limited to 114 rushing yards while the ‘Cats rushed for 333 yards and had 26 first downs to only 9 for the Gators. 

1984 win gave Florida it’s first SEC title (for a few months anyway)

1984: No. 5 Florida 25, Kentucky 17: The fifth-ranked Gators had won seven straight that season, but needed a victory to claim the school’s first-ever SEC title. On a cold day in Lexington, Florida got six Bobby Raymond field goals to pull out a narrow win. And interception by safety Adrian White in the final minute ended a Kentucky threat. The Gators tied for the SEC championship with that victory. Later they won it outright when No. 9 LSU was stunned at Mississippi State, 16-14. Florida president Marshall Criser named Galen Hall permanent Gators coach after Florida win’s. He had replaced the fired Charley Pell heading into Week 4. The next summer, Florida was stripped of the title.

1993: No. 7 Florida 24, Kentucky 20: Having thrown a staggering seven interceptions, Florida trialed 20-17 after a 25-yard field goal from Juha Leonoff with 1:23 remaining. But backup quarterback Danny Wuerffel, who had three of the Gators’ picks, cooly led Steve Spurrier’s team down the field to set up one of the great finishes in Florida history. With time winding down, he found wide-open Chris Doering with a 28-yard touchdown strike over the middle of the field to give Florida a thrilling win. Excited Gators radio broadcaster Mick Hubert screamed “Doering’s got a touchdown!” — a call that lives in Florida lore.

Ron Zook’s Gators produced an epic comeback

2003: No. 25 Florida 24, Kentucky 21: The ‘Cats dominated for three quarters in building a 21-3 lead before the Gators produced the biggest road comeback in school history. Freshman quarterback Chris Leak made his first career start and completed 20 of 35 passes for 268 yards with two touchdowns. A late Gators interception led to Ron Carthon’s 1-yard touchdown run with 3:15 left to provide the final margin.

2007: No. 14 Florida 45. No. 8 Kentucky 37: Coming off a 3-OT win over No. 1 LSU, Kentucky was 6-1 and had soared into the top 10. Many considered this among the biggest Wildcat home games  ever and even ESPN’s College Gameday came to town. But Gators quarterback Tim Tebow threw for 256 yards and four touchdown passes to give Florida its 21st straight win over the ‘Cats. Kentucky’s season went sideways and it lost three more times. The Gators went 9-4 and Tebow won the Heisman Trophy.

2019: No. 9 Florida 29, Kentucky 21: Quarterback Kyle Trask relieved an injured Feleipe Franks and the Gators rallied from a 21-10 fourth-quarter hole. Franks left the game with Florida down 11, but Trask  rallied the Gators with three fourth-quarter touchdown drives. He would become the team’s full-time starter and ended up as one of the best quarterbacks in program history.