Take Five Breakdown: Florida looks to get back on track

Please Read: Welcome to the new-look Inside the Gators

• Graham Mertz Wednesday press conference updates
• Recruit Reaction: Florida commit has official visit set elsewhere
• OTM: Is there a path to a fourth year
• September Superlatives
• Ranking UF’s commits from least to most likely to jump ship
• What names are on your Coaching Hot Board

While the Gators struggled against No. 8 Tennessee in Knoxville, the Kentucky Wildcats lost to Vandy at home. Both teams enter the game at 3-3 to begin the second half of the 2024 season. To get a better feel for the Wildcats, Inside the Gators caught up with Aaron Gershon of the Cats Pause for a full preview.

Five Kentucky Wildcats to Know

Deone Walker, Defensive Tackle, Junior

• “Any time you talk about Kentucky, it starts up front,” Gershon said. Florida’s offensive line will have their hands full with Deone Walker. The 6-foot-6, 345-pound nose tackle has 20 tackles on the season, including two tackles for loss and half a sack. Although he may not have incredible numbers, he affects every single play. “He is basically double and triple teamed… and it sets up one-on-ones for other guys in the defensive line,” Gershon said. “He’s a projected first-round draft pick.”

Jonquis “JQ” Hardaway, Cornerback, Junior

• With Kentucky’s No.1 corner battling an injury, JQ Hardaway has taken over that spot. In his second season at Kentucky, the Cincinnati transfer has stepped up and earned 23 total tackles, defended a pass, forced a fumble and caught an interception. “He was the No. 2 corner before Maxwell [Hairston] got hurt,” Gershon said. “He’s moved to the No.1 spot and has done a good job.”

Brock Vandagriff, Quarterback, Junior

• Georgia transfer Brock Vandagriff leads the Kentucky offense. Coming out of high school, the former four-star recruit was ranked lower than Quinn Ewers, Caleb Williams, and Drake May, but he was ranked above Jalen Milroe and Jaxson Dart. This season, Vandagriff has completed just under 60% of his passes, throwing for 951 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. “I think you’ve seen progression, but… as he is a first-time starter you see he holds on to the ball too long,” Gershon said. In conference play, Vandagriff had a fantastic game against No. 6 Ole Miss where he threw for 243 yards and a touchdown.

Dane Key, Wide Receiver, Junior

• Up next is the best player in this Wildcats offense: Dane Key. The wide out ranks sixth in the SEC in receiving and has had at least 80 yards in the last three games. “He’s one of the hardest working players on this team, [and] has the respect of all the coaches and all of the players,” Gershon said. You can expect Jason Marshall Jr. to cover him on Saturday.

Jalen Farmer, Offensive Guard, Sophomore

• Florida transfer Jalen Farmer has settled in nicely at Lexington. “He’s done a really solid job in pass protection, but there is a little more to be desired in the run game,” Gershon said. Depending on his play Saturday, Billy Napier and his staff might be regretting how they only played the redshirt sophomore four times in the last two years. Farmer was recruited heavily out of high school by Kentucky and decided to go where he was wanted this past spring.

Five Fast Facts

• Florida won 31 straight games over Kentucky from 1987 – 2017.
  
• The Wildcats are 4-2 over the Gators since 2018.
  
• Graham Mertz was highly recruited by Kentucky when he entered the transfer portal out of Wisconsin.
  
• Billy Napier has yet to beat the Wildcats since taking over Florida.
  
• Last time out, running back Ray Davis rushed for 280 yards and three touchdowns against Florida in a 33-14 win for Kentucky in Lexington.

Five Game Day Storylines

UF to UK

• Not only has Jalen Farmer found a home in Lexington, but so has right tackle Gerald Mincey. The senior transferred from Florida to Tennessee in 2022 and made the switch to the Wildcats for this season. While Farmer exceeds in the passing game, Mincey has performed in the running game. It will be interesting to see which offensive line performs the best on Saturday.

Kentucky Loves the Road

• In the last 10 road games Kentucky has played, the Wildcats are 6-4. This includes a win over No. 12 Florida in 2022, No. 10 Louisville in 2023 and No. 6 Ole Miss this season. Kentucky also only lost by one point to No. 1 Georgia back in September. With the third ranked defense in the SEC, it won’t be a surprise if the Wildcats can get a win in Gainesville yet again.

DJ Lagway’s Team Now

• Since Samford, fans have called on Napier to name DJ Lagway as the Gators’ starting quarterback. Now, with Graham Mertz gone, that has become a reality. Yes, no one wanted Mertz to get hurt, but now Gainesville and the country will see if 19-year-old Lagway is ready to run this Florida offense. Redshirt freshman Aidan Warner is expected to be his backup.

Running Backs Against Florida’s Poor Run Defense

• Kentucky has rushed for over 150 yards a game this season. In the SEC, Florida allows the second most rushing yards per game (168) and has allowed the second most rushing touchdowns (11). Although Kentucky doesn’t have Ray Davis anymore, the Gators must stop the run game on Saturday.

Clean up the Errors

• Too many mistakes were made last Saturday against No. 8 Tennessee, from fumbling the football on the one-yard line to calling a jet sweep on fourth and one and having too many men on the field to close out the first half on special teams. The Florida Gators need to execute on Saturday if they want any chance of finishing .500 this season.

Prediction

• Aaron Gershon: Kentucky 21-17
• Joseph Torviso: Kentucky 20-17

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