LEXINGTON – November 14, 2026 – Evan Miller
The Kentucky Wildcats (7-3) lose two straight in SEC play, as the Florida Gators (5-4) claim victory in Kroger. The #11 Wildcats came off a tough loss in Rocky Top and took another one in the tail half of their season. Read on to get details of the offense, defense, and the crystal ball ranking predictions as we march closer to the CFP.
Offense
The offense for the Wildcats opened the way that many had hoped they would in Knoxville. Kentucky put on a well sustained drive where they mixed passes and runs well, gained multiple first downs, and hit paydirt with a CJ Baxter touchdown catch. For the remainder of the half, the Wildcat offense was stagnant and could not find a way to survive third downs.
The offensive woes followed the Cats into the second half, as a strip sack put the Gator’s well into Kentucky territory and allowed the first Florida touchdown via Jadan Baugh. Kentucky did not let an offensive misfire deter them though, as they bounced back with an efficient drive and finished with a sneak by Minchey into the endzone. Though Kentucky bounced back in that instance, the rest of the second was as messy as the first. The Cats could not create good drives and found themselves many times having to send the ball back to Florida.
Overall, the Cats struggled to find a rhythm as the game went on, and in the instances where they found some rhythm they could only complete a few drives. Though the offense looked impressive at intervals in the night, there was no consistency as the Cats only totaled 242 yards of offense to Florida’s 330. The concerning number from that total is the 61 total rushing yards. If Kentucky cannot establish the run this late into the year, then the remainder of the season may get ugly.
Defense
While the offense struggled, the defense remained a bastion for the Wildcats throughout. The Cats’ D was able to come up with big defensive plays, while allowing minimal explosive plays from the Gators’ offense. Overall, a great first half to make up for the woes of the offense.
Kentucky’s defense began to falter in the second half. After starting in their own territory, they gave up their first points of the game. Kentucky’s defense began to bend more as Florida’s offense found its stride. The Cats allowed more explosive plays, notably by the legs of Aaron Philo as he diced the defense on QB runs.
Though in the waning moments of the fourth quarter, the defense was able to force a turnover on downs. Though this effort did not lead to an effective final drive, the defense stepped up when it absolutely had to. Though there were several moments when our defense weakened, it is overall our strongest unit.
Rankings Crystal Ball
After a loss to an unranked Florida at home, chances begin to become slim. Being a three-loss team in the 12-team CFP era of college football never bodes well. I predict that Kentucky will fall into the upper 20’s to the lower teens in the rankings. Specifically, around the 23-17 range.
Closing
The main takeaway from this game is the fact that there is an execution problem on offense. Complimentary football is an important aspect of the game that can swing momentum, and the Cat’s have not had that since Vanderbilt. Though these past few weeks have been rough, as a life-long UK fan I am tickled to death by the play this season as I did not expect to be here. If this is the end of the playoff debate for Kentucky, then so be it, but the future will be bright in the Stein era.
Be sure to follow your Kentucky Wildcats as they continue their season next week against the Missouri Tigers. This looks to be a good one as both teams will be hungry for a win after losing two straight in SEC play. Kickoff is set for 7:30pm on the SEC Network.