GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Make it an even 30.

After back-to-back years of being taken to the wire, Florida made sure that Kentucky was put away early. The Gators dominated on both sides of the ball, jumping out to a 24-0 at halftime and eventually cruising to 45-7 victory to go 1-0 in conference play.

What it means: For Florida, perhaps those offensive concerns of Week 1 were a tad overblown. The Gators gained more than 550 total yards on the Wildcats, getting it done on the ground and through the air.

And “DBU” is doing just fine after losing three starters to the NFL. Kentucky starting quarterback Drew Barker was benched after completing more passes to Florida defensive backs (3) than UK receivers (2).

Kentucky starts 0-2 in miserable fashion. If this is the turnaround year for coach Mark Stoops, it’s going to take some major improvements on both sides of the ball.

What I liked: The Gators’ offensive game plan was executed perfectly by the stable of running backs and QB Luke Del Rio (19-of-32, 320 yards, 4 TD, INT). The UF ball-carriers need only the first half to eclipse their total rushing yards from Week 1 (107), combining for 27 carries and 124 yards as Florida notched a 24-0 advantage. UF finished with 245.

And so much for Del Rio not having a strong enough arm. The Gators opened up the offense and went deep Saturday, most notably for a 78-yard touchdown to WR Antonio Callaway.

After Del Rio’s second-quarter interception in his team’s own territory, the Florida defense came up with a big stop to keep Kentucky from making it a one-score game. As an added bonus for UF, Kentucky kicker Austin MacGinnis hit the left upright and the field goal was no good.

In his return from a one-game suspension, Florida CB Teez Tabor made his presence felt in a big way. One play after missing out on an interception by misjudging a tipped pass, he jumped a screen pass and intercepted it before it could get to the Kentucky receiver. It’s plays like that make him one of the best cornerbacks in the country.

What I didn’t like: This is admittedly nitpicking in a blowout, but Florida RB Jordan Scarlett almost cost his team by lazily not picking up a ball that had not been whistled dead. The live ball was returned for a Kentucky touchdown, but overturned on replay. Scarlett should know not to leave those kinds of plays up to the replay officials.

For Kentucky, it’s impossible to do anything on offense without the ball. The Wildcats defense could not buy a third-down stop in the first half, as the Gators were 10-of-13 moving the chains. At the break, Florida dominated time of possession (20:17 to 9:43), plays (49 to 25) and total yards (324 to 79) – embarrassing numbers for Stoops Troops.

Kentucky didn’t score until late in the fourth quarter.

Who’s the man: A lot of Gators could make a case for this one, but it goes to Del Rio. He showed that the Florida offense doesn’t have to dink and dunk every possession, and that’s big for the Gators’ confidence moving forward.

He was far from perfect, missing a few throws, but UF’s offense desperately needed some fireworks, and Del Rio delivered. The offense has been waiting for this kind of day for a long time, as Del Rio is the first Florida quarterback to pass for 300 yards since Tyler Murphy in 2013 against Vanderbilt.

Key play: The back-to-back sequence of CB Quincy Wilson’s one-handed interception followed by Del Rio’s bomb to Callaway woke up The Swamp and set the tone for the rest of the day.

What’s next: Both teams switch back to the non-conference slate next in Week 3. The Wildcats will take on New Mexico State and try to get their first win. Florida hosts North Texas for a pre-Tennessee tuneup.