Out to avenge ’18 loss

Mullen hoping stunning defeat can deliver extra motivation for UF

GAINESVILLE — As much as the Florida Gators have moved on and looked ahead, last season’s historic loss in the Swamp to Kentucky is hard to shake.

Coach Dan Mullen said the stunning defeat will be irrelevant to Saturday night’s outcome in Lexington, where the No. 9 Gators (2-0) will look to avenge their first loss to the Wildcats (2-0) since 1986.

“I don’t see how it has much effect on this year’s game, to be honest with you,” he said Monday.

Yet it would be impossible for Kentucky’s dominating 27-16 win last September not to play a role in Florida’s mental preparation, even if it will not be the focal point.

After all, Mullen and longtime assistants John Hevesy and Billy Gonzales came up under Urban Meyer, who used every loss or slight — real or perceived — to his advantage.

A 42-30 loss to Georgia in 2007 became Meyer’s motivation tool during the lead-up to a national championship season. UF’s players performed 42 reps on each of their weight stations and completed 188 push-ups and sit-ups every workout — one repetition for each of Georgia tailback Knowshon Moreno’s yards in the ’07 game.

The Gators have not gone that far this time, but coaches have made sure the sting of the Kentucky loss still is being felt.

“There’s a lot of ways we can use it,” offensive coach John Hevesy said. “To sit there and say, ‘Keep pecking at it, pecking at it, pecking at it,’ there’s a certain time and place for things like that. These older kids that are playing have a good understanding of what it is.

“We don’t have to hit them with it constantly, they know. They know exactly what happened last year.”

Kentucky, loser of 31 straight to the Gators entering the 2018 game, played the role of spoiler during Mullen’s second game as new coach. Looking back, UF players realize they should have known the Wildcats were no pushover.

“It was an eye opener,” Florida quarterback Feleipe Franks said. “You should never take a team lightly.”

A year earlier, UF rallied to score 13 points during the final 11 minutes for a 28-27 win in Lexington, where the past two visits have been one-possession games. The tight 2017 game proved not to be a fluke.

“Some of these kids might look at it like it’s Kentucky of the last 40 years prior. It’s not,” said Hevesy, who faced Kentucky for each of nine season while at Mississippi State. “They’ve done a great job with their program. And for us, we’re building the same thing. We’ve got to understand it’s going to be big. “We go to their house.” The Gators now look to avoid losing back-to-back games against Kentucky for the first time since 1976 and 1977. Kickoff for this year’s matchup is set for 7 p.m. and the game will air nationally on ESPN.

The performance of Franks, as always, will be key during the SEC opener for both teams. The redshirt junior is coming off a 25-of-27 passing performance against UT-Martin and playing with a level of confidence absent during his last visit to Lexington, when he was benched during the third quarter and replaced by Luke Del Rio.

But in eight SEC road games, Franks has just eight touchdown passes and five interceptions. If UF’s run game — ranked No. 11 in the SEC with an average of 140.5 yards — continues to struggle against Kentucky, the game could fall on Franks’ shoulders.

One of the Wildcats’ strengths is a defensive front anchored by massive nose guard Quinton Bohanna (6-4, 361) and senior end Calvin Taylor (6-9, 310).

“They’re talented kids and they’re big kids,” Hevesy said. “I mean he’s a quarter of a ton or something at nose there, and then the two ends are both really big guys. That’s what that defense is built for.”

Meanwhile, UF must gear up to slow down Kentucky’s ground game and force quarterback Sawyer Smith to beat them during his first SEC start. Running behind an experienced offensive line averaging 317 pounds per man, tailbacks A.J. Rose and Kavosiey Smoke have combined for an average of 158 yards in two games and scored four touchdowns.

During last season’s loss, the Gators allowed Kentucky 302 rushing yards, including 175 to former Wildcat Benny Snell, the school’s all-time leading rusher.

“We recognize they’re a physical team and that they’re going to bring the physicality in their run game,” UF defensive coordinator Todd Grantham said. “We’ve got to understand that part of the game is important to winning.”

A transfer from Troy, Smith will replace Gators killer Terry Wilson, who sustained a season-ending knee injury during a Week 2 win over Eastern Michigan.

Wilson rushed for 100 yards and a score and accounted for three touchdowns overall to help upset the Gators. While not as mobile as Wilson, Smith is a better passer and will face a UF secondary expected to be without top cornerback CJ Henderson and forced to rely on some freshmen.

The Gators will look to rattle Smith with a pass rush leading the nation with 15 sacks.

“They’re pretty good at the pass rush, but I know who I’m standing behind,” Smith said. “I’m standing behind five guys that are really good at pass protection and run blocking. I’m pretty confident in those guys in front of me.”

Kentucky, while replacing 14 of 22 starters and its quarterback, is coming off its first 10-win season since 1977. For the first time in years, the Wildcats and their fans are optimistic about the program’s longterm prospects as coach Mark Stoops enters his seventh season.

A win against a top-10 Florida team would be another major step.