The Courier-Journal (Louisville)
Davis runs into history in huge UK victory
— Ray Davis ran his way into Kentucky’s record book Saturday. In the process, he turned what was expected to be a low-scoring, white-knuckled affair with Florida into a rout.
Davis, the fifth-year senior running back in his first season at UK after transferring from Vanderbilt, finished with 280 rushing yards — the third-most in the school’s modern history (post-World War II) — in a 33-14 victory for the Wildcats at Kroger Field.
“Personally, it was a great day for me,” Davis said, “but honestly, I didn’t really do much today. You’ve got to give credit to the O-line and to the tight ends and the receiving corps, those guys blocking down the field 20 yards. Just staying with it, constantly going.”
The lopsided outcome wasn’t anticipated: Kentucky (5-0, 2-0 SEC) was just a 1-point favorite entering the contest, according to the BetMGM odds.
Blame Davis for the lack of late-game drama.
His rushing total trailed only Moe Williams (299 in 1995 versus South Carolina) and Lynn Bowden Jr. (284 in 2019 against Louisville) in UK annals. Davis scored three touchdowns on 26 carries. And he added a touchdown reception on his only catch of the game. It’s the second time this season he’s scored a TD on the ground and via a catch; he also did so against Akron in Week 3.
Davis did most of his damage Saturday in the first two quarters. At the half, he already had 206 rushing yards on 12 carries and three total touchdowns (two rushing along with his TD reception) as Kentucky led 23-7. Though Davis only had 74 yards on 14 carries in the final 30 minutes, he’d already done enough to cement himself among UK’s all-time single-game rushing leaders.
Davis said he never gave Williams’ record any thought.
“I think once you start to focus on the statistical part of the game, that’s when you start to lose your mojo and your juice,” he said. “Guys were coming up to me and congratulating me, but I’m like, ‘This is only the first quarter. We’ve got to keep going.’”
One of the most notable parts of his showing: It came against a Florida defense allowing just 82 yards per game, which ranked 14th nationally entering Saturday’s slate of games.
But the Gators (3-2, 1-1) didn’t do themselves any favors.
Their miscues were many. Quarterback Graham Mertz’s first-quarter interLEXINGTON ception led to Davis’ touchdown reception two plays later. And after forcing a three-and-out with Kentucky in the shadow of its own end zone, the visitors gave the ball back to the Wildcats after Florida cornerback Dijon Johnson was flagged for leaping during Kentucky’s punt.
One play later, Davis dashed for a 75yard score.
With Davis doing the heavy lifting, Kentucky quarterback Devin Leary wasn’t asked to exert himself much. He finished 9 for 20 (45%) for 69 yards and a touchdown; his yardage and completion percentage were season lows. One positive for the transfer from N.C. State: This marked the first game of the season where he didn’t throw an interception.
The Wildcats finished with 398 yards (329 rushing, 69 passing) of total offense, which came at the expense of a Gators’ defense that had been the SEC’s best in that category, allowing just 244.8 yards per game in its first four contests this fall.
Kentucky held Florida to 313 yards (244 passing, 69 rushing). Mertz, the SEC’s most accurate passer, had another efficient day, completing 25 of his 30 attempts for 244 yards, two touchdowns and an interception.
“We know we haven’t been perfect in some games, but I knew we were close,” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said. “And I told you that over and over again. Tonight, we were far from perfect.
“But when we did put it together, we were humming on all sides.”
Aside from keeping their unbeaten season intact, Saturday’s triumph also carried historical significance for the Wildcats. This marked their third straight win over the Gators. It’s only the second time since the end of World War II that UK has topped Florida in three consecutive meetings. The last time it happened came under the watch of thenKentucky coach Bear Bryant, who felled Florida four straight times from 1948 through 1951.
With another win over Florida in the books, Kentucky now turns its attention to top-ranked and two-time defending national champion Georgia. The Wildcats face the Bulldogs at 7 p.m. next Saturday at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia.
“There’s still a lot more out there for us and we’re gonna need it. We all know who we play next week,” Stoops said, “and you’re gonna have to put it all together.”