Kentucky @ Florida preview
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Last Meeting ( Sep 24, 2011 ) Florida 48, Kentucky 10
No. 14 Florida looks to start 4-0 for the second straight season under head coach Will Muschamp when it plays its SEC home opener against Kentucky. The Gators scored an impressive road victory over conference rival Tennessee last week, riding 24 unanswered points to a 37-20 decision. Kentucky is fresh off a heartbreaking loss to Western Kentucky. The Wildcats fell in overtime to the Hilltoppers on a two-point conversion after a tenacious second-half comeback.
TV: 12 p.m. ET, SEC Network, ESPN3.com. LINE: Florida -24
ABOUT KENTUCKY (1-2, 0-0 SEC): In three seasons under head coach Joker Phillips, Kentucky is 9-1 when it wins the turnover battle and just 1-11 on the other side of the turnover ledger. Sophomore Maxwell Smith threw for 332 yards and a pair of touchdowns against Western Kentucky but was also intercepted four times in the loss. Smith's 966 passing yards lead the SEC and his eight touchdown passes are tied for first. Senior wideout La'Rod King, who had a career-best 10 catches against the Hilltoppers, leads the conference with 23 receptions.
ABOUT FLORIDA (3-0, 2-0 SEC): The Gators' win over Tennessee, which came after they trailed by a touchdown in the third quarter, was fueled by Mike Gillislee's 115-yard rushing effort. Gillislee comes into the Kentucky game as the SEC's leading rusher, earning 346 yards on the ground in Florida's first three games. Kentucky's conference-best passing attack, averaging 322 yards per game, should be a big test for the Gators, who rank near the bottom of the conference in pass defense.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Florida is 45-17 all-time against Kentucky, 25-4 in Gainesville and on a 25-game win streak in the series.
2. The Wildcats last beat a ranked team in 2010, knocking off No. 10 South Carolina, and their last road win against a ranked opponent came in a 2002 upset over No. 17 Louisville.
3. The Gators have won eight straight SEC home openers and haven't lost in Gainesville to open their home conference schedule since 2003.
PREDICTION: Florida 31, Kentucky 21