'It got to us': Kroger Field crowd makes impact in upset win

Life on the road in the SEC can be difficult. Fan bases are rabid, student sections are full, and it can be hard for offenses to communicate pre-snap due to the sheer noise of the crowd.

For Kentucky, the Wildcats can be at a disadvantage when compared to the rest of the Southeastern Conference. Kroger Field has a seating capacity of 61,000, and only Vanderbilt has a smaller home venue in the league.

Despite that number, the Big Blue Nation delivered in Kentucky’s 20-13 upset win over Florida. The Gators had numerous pre-snap penalties and had a very hard time communicating on the field.

It sounded like there were 80,000 fans in attendance.

“We have to get better,” Florida head coach Dan Mullen said about the false starts. “That’s something we are going to look back at. But give their crowd credit they were loud and came with energy.

For the game, Florida had 11 penalties for 115 yards with eight of those penalties being false starts. Using a clap signal for a cadence, the Gators had a hard time hearing quarterback Emory Jones, and it led to illegal pre-snap movement throughout the game. The veteran quarterback admitted that Kentucky had a real home-field advantage on Saturday night.

“It got to us some part of the game,” said the redshirt junior who had 203 passing yards and an interception.

In the past, Kentucky had failed to rise to the occasion in the big moments at home when the house was full. The Wildcats had let many marquee moments slip away. However, this time was different.

The Kroger Field crowd played a huge part in a statement win for Mark Stoops and Kentucky football. Pat yourselves on the back, Big Blue Nation.

Do it again next weekend for LSU?