GAINESVILLE — Florida came together amid a coaching change to nearly upset No. 5 Georgia, a game the Gators and their fans circle annually on their calendar.
Rallying again Saturday night at Kentucky will require that UF dig even deeper as the season continues to slip away.
The Gators (3-5, 2-3 SEC) said the right things Monday ahead of their matchup with the struggling Wildcats, who are coming off an ugly 10-3 win at Auburn for their first SEC victory to put an end to coach Hugh Freeze’s tenure with the Tigers.
The challenge is to rise to the occasion during a night game in chilly conditions against a team equally desperate to salvage its season.
“If you’re a competitor, no matter who you’re playing, you’re going to go out and go play,” interim coach Billy Gonzales said. “If you’re playing one-on-one pick-up basketball game at the rec center, your goal is to win no matter what you’re doing. The challenge is to continue to keep pushing the guys, continue to put them in the best possible position.
“But these guys (have) done a really good job.”
Florida interim head coach Billy Gonzales talks with players during a timeout of the Gators’ 24-20 loss to No. 5 Georgia Nov. 1 in Jacksonville. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
With four regular-season games to go, six wins to earn bowl eligibility remains a priority at a program that missed the postseason in 2022 and 2023 before reaching the 2024 Gasparilla Bowl.
“This is Florida,” safety Jordan Castell said. Monday. “That’s the standard.”
Beating the Wildcats (3-5, 1-5 SEC) is imperative if the Gators are to avoid their fourth losing season in five years. UF’s final three games are a Nov. 15 trip to No. 7 Ole Miss, a Nov. 22 visit from high-powered No. 23 Tennessee and a Nov. 29 matchup with rival Florida State in the Swamp.
The Gators are favored by four points this week despite losing in Lexington in 2021 and 2023 after escaping with narrow wins in 2019 and 2017.
The Wildcats, though, had taken a major step back the past two seasons under Mark Stoops, the SEC’s longest-reigning head coach but under serious pressure in Lexington despite a buyout of around $37 million.
Since Stoops’ 2013 arrival from Florida State, where he coached defense from 2010–2012,Kentucky evolved from an SEC pushover to a model of consistency. From 2016-2023, Kentucky won at least seven games during seven of eight seasons, with the only exception a 5-6 finish in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
During his time in Lexington, Stoops has faced four Florida head coaches. The 58-year-old hopes to match wits with a fifth one in 2026.
Meanwhile, the Gators shift their focus from the biggest game on their schedule.
Florida’s roster features eight scholarship players from Jacksonville, site of this past weekend’s game, and 10 from the state of Georgia.
“We got a lot of Florida kids on the team, even Georgia kids on the team who grew up watching this game,” Castell, an Orlando native, said. “(Defensive back) Sharif Denson, a guy who’s from Jacksonville, he’s back home playing. So this game really meant a lot. That’s a game that we really wanted, and I felt like we showed it.”
The Gators aim to show similar fight Saturday night.
“It’s the same thing,” Castell said. “Another opportunity, and we got to make plays.”
Edgar Thompson can be reached at egthompson@orlandosentinel.com
Up next …
UF (3-5, 2-3 SEC) at Kentucky (3-5, 1-5)
When: 7:30 p.m., Saturday
Where: Kroger Field at Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington
TV: SEC Network
Favorite: UF by 4 points
