LEXINGTON, Ky. -- Ray Davis' biggest challenge of the week was facing a Florida defense that ranked among the nation's best units in stopping the run.
After rushing for 280 yards and scoring four touchdowns in Kentucky's 33-14 romp over the No. 22 Gators on Saturday at Kroger Field, Davis has a new challenge awaiting him: finding a way to reward his blockers.
"Our O-Line has been receiving a lot of criticism, but they showed up and stepped up today," Davis said. "... I am definitely going to take those guys out to dinner. I have to take the tight ends and the O-Line. That will probably run a hole in my pocket, but I think for rushing 300 yards total as a group, I don’t know what that check is going to be like, but I am not going to want to see it.”
Told of Davis' plans, senior center Eli Cox laughed and said: “That’s an expensive tab. I’m not going to complain either way. I bet (conservatively listed 325-pound offensive tackle) Jeremy Flax could give him a run for his money.”
Davis, a senior running back who transferred to UK from Vanderbilt this winter, fell just 20 yards short of setting a new single-game rushing record for the Wildcats. Moe Williams rushed for 299 yards in a 1995 game against South Carolina, and Lynn Bowden Jr. tallied 284 in a 2019 win over Louisville.
"What a great individual performance," UK head coach Mark Stoops said. "He will be the first one to tell you, you know, the line obviously did a great job pushing people around, but he made people miss and he ran around people and through people and over people, you name it. Give him a lot of credit for individual effort."
Combined with a defensive showing that limited the Gators to 313 total yards and a pair of scores that came only after improbable fourth-down conversions, Kentucky improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in SEC play with a trip to defending national champion Georgia next week.
Kentucky had just 69 yards passing, but that's all it needed. One of Devin Leary's passes found Davis for a 9-yard TD pass in the first quarter as the Cats were off and running toward a 23-0 lead.
Alex Raynor added a 50-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to put the finishing touches on the Kentucky blowout.
Florida dropped to 3-2 overall and 1-1 in SEC play.
“Hats off to Kentucky and Coach Stoops," said second-year Florida head coach Billy Napier. "They were ready to play and they flat-out beat us. They were the more physical team, controlled the line of scrimmage and the edges of the formation, and they protected their quarterback."
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In this "Rapid Recap" feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK victory..
KEY MOMENT:
Kentucky set the tone for the day by scoring on its first four possessions and forcing Florida to punt or turn the ball over on its first five possessions. Before the Gators knew what hit them, they were in a 23-0 hole and Davis had amassed 206 rushing yards by halftime. Even when Florida got a little momentum with a touchdown to end the second quarter, the Cats countered that with a quick score to start the third quarter and reassert their dominance. A game most analysts thought would come down to the final drives of the day was never in doubt.
GAME BALL:
Ray Davis, Kentucky -- He'll be the first to tell you his teammates deserve a great deal of credit for this honor, but when you rush for 280 yards and score four touchdowns in an SEC victory, you are undoubtedly the man of the day. Davis rushed for 10.8 yards per carry against a Florida defense that entered the game ranked fifth nationally in total defense.
BY THE NUMBERS:
1st - Time Kentucky has won three straight games over Florida since winning four straight from 1948-51 under head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant. It's also the first time in program history that UK has defeated the same ranked opponent three years in a row.
2nd - Highest rushing total in a game against Florida in school history. Only LSU's Tyr Davis-Price had more with 287 against the Gators in 2021.
4 - Touchdowns by Ray Davis tied the Kentucky single-game record. Thirteen Cats have scored four touchdowns in a game.
6 - Straight games that the UK defense has held the opponent under 100 yards rushing dating back to last season. Florida finished with 69 on the day. It's the first time in program history that the Cats have held five straight opponents under 100 to start the season.
9 - Tackles for loss by the Wildcats defense, including sacks by D'Eryk Jackson, Deone Walker, and JJ Weaver.
69 - Yards passing for Kentucky, yards rushing for Florida.
QUOTABLE:
"We were far from perfect, but when we did put it together, we were humming on all sides." -- UK head coach Mark Stoops
UP NEXT:
Kentucky returns to action next week in Athens, Ga., against defending national champion Georgia. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. The top-ranked Bulldogs are playing this afternoon at Auburn.
