KSR GAMEDAY: A Rare Top 25 Kentucky Football Showdown with Florida in The Swamp

For just the second time ever, No. 20 Kentucky will face off against No. 12 Florida with each team ranked in the Top 25 of the AP Poll. The Wildcats are seeking a sixth victory in Gainesville to give Mark Stoops more wins than any other coach in Kentucky football history. The action begins at 7 pm EST on ESPN.

If you polled college football analysts a week ago, most would have picked Kentucky to take down Florida. Now you will be hard-pressed to find one person in the national media who believes in the Wildcats. The reason? Florida, a small home underdog, picked off a pass in the end zone to hold off Utah, who decided to go for the win instead of a tie. A tight, one-score win and just like that, the Gators are obviously a better football team than Kentucky.

The Florida Gators have been crowned football champions of the universe thanks to Anthony Richardson, better known as the second coming of Cam Newton, Vince Young, Mike Vick and Tim Tebow, combined. A week ago many questions marks clouded projections for Richardson’s third season in Gainesville. Now it’s clear he’s the best quarterback in the history of quarterbacks. It’s a real shame. This was suppose to be a game for Will Levis to showcase his skills in front of so many NFL scouts, but it’s going to be hard for him to find any time in the limelight with Richardson soaking up all of the ways.

Apologies for the over the top sarcasm. One night of dealing with Gator fans in Gainesville is already rotting my brain. This matchup is going to be a doozy, and frankly, I can’t wait to see what the Wildcats hid from Florida in week one. After watching this week’s hype video, the anticipation for kickoff is unbearable. Go Cats. Beat Florida.

Play physical. Play fast. Play aggressive.#22OnMe x #ForTheTeam 😼🏈 pic.twitter.com/0aQ1OzuPE8

— Kentucky Football (@UKFootball) September 9, 2022

How to Watch (and Listen) to Kentucky vs. Florida

Kentucky is back in on action on the Worldwide Leader. The Wildcats will headline ESPN’s primetime coverage at 7 pm EST with Joe Tessitore, Greg McElroy and Kentucky native Katie George on the call. If tonight’s game is anything like that crew’s first (Florida State-LSU), prepare for the BBN’s blood pressure to soar.

If it’s too difficult to watch , you can always listen to the Voice of the Wildcats, Tom Leach, and Jeff Piecoro on the UK Sports Network.

• AM: 840 WHAS, 630 WLAP
• FM: 98.1 WBUL
• Satellite: Sirius 138/190, SXM App: 961
• Online: iHeart Radio

Details for the Cat Walk & KSR Pregame Show

Are you ready to watch the Wildcats in The Swamp? You can welcome Mark Stoops and the Kentucky Football team to Ben Hill Griffin by gathering near the south end zone at approximately 4:45 pm EST.

Ryan Lemond and Drew Franklin are taking the weekend off. Max Duffy and Freddie Maggard will be subbing in with Matt Jones at KSBar and Grille. You can hear all of the action on 630 WLAP and iHeart Radio beginning at 4 pm EST.

Jordan Wright is In, Chris Rodriguez is Out

The Kentucky football program received some good news, but not all of the good news they wanted to hear. The Wildcat defense will have “all hands on deck” with outside linebacker Jordan Wright back in the fold for week two. The Cats have one playmaking super senior back, but will to continue playing the waiting on another superstar. ESPN reports Chris Rodriguez will remain sidelined when the Wildcats play in The Swamp. After only rushing for about 50 yards in week one, Kentucky could certainly use him.

Without Chris Rodriguez, Kentucky will turn to Kavosiey Smoke, La’Vell Wright and… Tayvion Robinson? Max Duffy shared a little scoop Friday morning on KSR, saying the Virginia Tech wide receiver transfer could be utilized in the run game against the Gators. “Don’t be surprised if you see Tayvion Robinson line up a little bit at running back in the kind of Deebo Samuel/49ers kind of operation,” Duffy said. Interesting. Interesting.

Point Spread, Total for Kentucky vs. Florida

After opening as a 4.5-point underdog, the line moved up to Kentucky +6 against Florida. The total is 51. Kentucky is 4-0-1 ATS in its last five games against the Gators and 7-2-1 in its last 10 games as an underdog. Florida is 0-6 ATS in last six games as a favorite.

Today’s Kentucky Football Uniforms

The Kentucky football team is bringing out the uniforms they wore for their last win in The Swamp in 2018. The Wildcats will rock white helmets, jerseys and pants at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

A Preview from the Florida Viewpoint

You’ve heard us talk about this game on a variety of platforms. 11 Personnel gave you a detailed look at how the game might unfold through a few Big Blue lenses. Now see the perspective from Gainesville with Nick de la Torre from Gators Online.

College Football on TV

• Noon: #1 Alabama at Texas on Fox
• Noon: South Carolina at #16 Arkansas on ESPN
• Noon: Missouri at Kansas State on ESPN2
• Noon: #23 Wake Forest at Vanderbilt on SECN
• 3:30: #24 Tennessee at #17 Pitt on ABC
• 3:30: Washington State at #19 Wisconsin on Fox
• 3:30: App. State at #6 Texas A&M on ESPN2
• 4:00: Iowa State at Iowa on BTN
• 7:30: #10 USC at Stanford on ABC
• 10:15: No. 9 Baylor at #21 BYU on ESPN