The Kentucky Wildcats had the college football world on the edge of its seat in a triple-overtime thriller with Florida in the Swamp on Saturday night. Unfortunately, the Cats’ upset bid fell just short, and Florida extended its win streak over Kentucky to 28 games with a 36-30 victory.

Here are five takeaways from Kentucky’s gut-wrenching loss to the Gators in Gainesville:

The Wildcats can make a bowl game in Mark Stoops’ second year in Lexington. Kentucky showed it has the talent and the maturity to win four of its final nine games, seven of which are against SEC opponents. Left guard Zach West didn’t play in this game, and at one point Kentucky’s top-two left tackles, Darrian Miller and Kyle Meadows, were both sidelined with injuries. That didn’t stop the Wildcats from posting 450 yards of total offense and 30 points on a difficult Florida defense.

Kentucky overcame the distraction created by Jojo Kemp’s comments, the history of a 27-game losing streak and a hostile road environment to push Florida to the brink. The SEC East is wide open, and while no one is picking Kentucky to win the division, it showed Saturday it is capable of beating any team in the division on any given weekend. The Cats chances to reach a bowl game are very realistic, and that is a huge step forward for Mark Stoops and the Kentucky program.

Patrick Towles has a future in the Air Raid offense. Towles became just the third Kentucky quarterback in history to throw for 300 yards on the Gators in Gainesville, joining only Tim Couch and Jared Lorenzen. He did throw three interceptions, but he never lost his composure or control of the Kentucky offense in any situation.

In a close, back-and-forth SEC battle, Towles led the offense down the field time and time again, answering every score Florida could muster in regulation. He converted a third and 16 in the shadow of his own end zone in the final minutes of regulation, something Kentucky could not have done since the departure of Mike Hartline.

As Towles and his young group of receivers continue to grow together, the offense will only grow more dynamic through the air. He had touchdowns of 60 and 33 yards, and those big plays will continue to come with regularity in the Air Raid offense. Mark Stoops is a defensive minded coach, and if he can pair his defensive prowess with Towles’ command of the offense, Kentucky could be the surprise team of the SEC in 2014.

Kentucky’s freshmen sure don’t look like freshmen. There were freshmen making big plays all over the field for the Cats Saturday night, from Garrett Johnson’s 154 yards and two touchdowns to Boom Williams’ circuitous touchdown run on the first play of overtime. Even the kicker, freshman Austin MacGinnis, showed how cool he is by hitting his first three kicks, including a 51-yarder late in regulation to tie the game.

The future may be arriving early in Lexington, which is great news for Wildcats fans. Stoops has his bunch way ahead of schedule, and this early performance will only further his recruiting success down the line. Kentucky has built the foundation to be a strong program, an it all starts with its current group of freshmen.

The Wildcats’ have a lot of talented defensive tackles. A lot has been said of Kentucky’s talented defensive ends, but this team is just as deep and talented at defensive tackle. Mike Douglas and Melvin Lewis were disruptive in the middle all night, and Regie Meant is a stout pass rusher when he rotates on the field. Oh, and the Cats have this freshman named Matt Elam who’s 6-foot-7 and 375 pounds.

The Wildcats needed an inside presence to balance out the defensive line, and they’ve gotten it from their group of defensive tackles. They wear down opposing offensive lines, collapse pockets for the defensive ends to feast on quarterbacks, and occupy linemen to free up UK’s linebackers to make plays. Kentucky’s tackles have proven to be a vital piece in anchoring the front seven of the defense, and like most other position groups, they are young and getting better every day.

Kentucky can trust its kicker in close games in the future. He’s already been mentioned once in these takeaways, but MacGinnis’ play Saturday night was impressive. In just his third game as a collegiate, on the road in the Swamp no less, MacGinnis hit three huge field goals, each one necessary to extend the game. His field goal right before halftime to tie the score at 3-3 was a major confidence booster, and his 51-yard miracle in the fourth quarter forced overtime.

MacGinnis missed his final kick of the night, and has only hit 6-of-10 on the season, but he’s a freshman. Plenty of teams consider superior to Kentucky have more experienced kickers who could not do what MacGinnis did against Florida. He’s made two kicks from 50-or-more yards in the last two weeks, and the clutch gene he displayed against the Gators cannot be taught. Kickers can ultimately make or break a game or even a season, and the fact Kentucky can trust its kicker in any situation is a huge bonus for a scrappy young team.