Florida defeated Charlotte 22-7 Saturday night in a sold-out Swamp, but it’s safe to say the Gators failed to impress in the victory.

Early returns were positive, as the Gators raced to a 13-0 lead early in the second quarter. The Gators managed just 9 points on 3 field goals from there, however, failing to deliver the feel-good blowout most Florida fans came to see following last week’s emotional rivalry win over then No. 11 Tennessee.

The victory wrapped up Florida’s 3-game September homestand and served as Florida’s last breather ahead of an 8-game gauntlet that starts Saturday against Kentucky and includes dates with current No. 1 Georgia, No. 13 LSU, No. 23 Missouri, and No. 5 Florida State.

Let’s take stock of the Gators as they ready for a trip to undefeated Kentucky.

Player of the Week: Trey Smack, Kicker

It’s tempting to take Ricky Pearsall in this space, as Florida’s outstanding senior wide receiver gained 106 yards receiving on 6 receptions, including this catch of the year candidate:

The right answer, though, is kicker Trey Smack, who connected on all 5 of his field-goal attempts, including a bomb from 54 yards, to help Florida put away the 49ers.

Smack, a sophomore who was one of the most highly recruited kickers in the country a season ago, started the season as the backup behind former walk-on Adam Mihalek. But Mihalek struggled to begin the season, and the Gators turned duties over to Smack after Mihalek badly missed from 45 yards on Florida’s opening drive against Tennessee.

All Smack has done since is make field goals, including 5 Saturday night.

Smack called the 54-yarder the “cleanest ball he’s ever struck,” and it would likely have been good from 60. The sophomore also made that kick after a Charlotte timeout, meaning he had time to think about it and still delivered.

That bodes well for Florida as they head into the wildcat’s den of a SEC road environment in Lexington this week.

Freshman of the Week: Kelby Collins, DL

Collins, a true freshman, graded out one of Florida’s best defenders with a 80.0 grade, per PFF. The former high 4-star recruit had 3 tackles and collected his first career sack in the win. He also played a season high number of snaps (18), including 8 3rd downs. On a night that was all about the Florida defense, Collins was the best of a number of underclassman who shined.

Biggest surprise: A lack of touches for Trevor Etienne

Florida has 2 excellent backs in Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne. They may be the best 1-2 punch in Florida program history, and that’s saying a great deal considering Florida is the home of NFL legend and all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith and future Hall-of-Famer Fred Taylor. Johnson scored 2 touchdowns in Florida’s win over Tennessee, and he’s the powerful thunder to the elusive Etienne’s lightning. But Etienne, whom I ranked 6th in my weekly list of the SEC’s best players last week, is the more talented back, the one who makes you hold your breath every time he turns the corner or cuts upfield.

A week after Etienne torched a talented Tennessee front for 172 yards on 23 carries, you’d have expected Florida to lean more on him than Johnson.

Instead, Etienne had just 4 carriers entering the 4th quarter. He finished with only 8, while Johnson was given 16 carries. The difference in production was stark: Johnson averaged 3.9 per touch, Etienne 6 yards a carry. They also had disparate production as receivers, with Etienne gaining 22 yards on 2 receptions while Johnson managed just 3 yards receiving on 3 targets (2 catches).

Florida needs to manage their run game touches better at Kentucky. There’s no reason for Etienne to ever be limited to 10 touches a game if he’s healthy.

 Biggest concern: Red-zone struggles continue

Florida made 5 trips to the red zone Saturday night and managed just 1 touchdown. That is nearly the same return as Florida’s opening-night loss at Utah, where Florida managed to find the end zone just 1 time in 4 red zone trips in a 24-11 loss. Florida ranks 37th in red-zone conversions this season, but those numbers are deceptive. The touchdown red-zone percentage is much lower (57%), putting Florida 80th in the country in that category.

The Gators seemed to have figured out red-zone production against Tennessee, scoring touchdowns on 3 of their 4 trips. But Florida’s offense struggled all night inside the 20 against Charlotte, which is how you end up with a kicker as your player of the week.

This offense isn’t explosive enough to squander red-zone opportunities at the rate they have in 2 of their 4 games, and given the chance at Kentucky, Florida needs to convert inside the 20 and get 6 points.

Developing trend: The young defense has a chance to be really good

Florida’s defense under young defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong is fun to watch. The Gators swarmed Charlotte, generating 17 pressures and 4 sacks. Florida is also consistently getting pressure with 4, with Princely Umanmielen quite a force off the edge (team-high 7 pressures on Saturday night, per Stats Solutions).

The Gators rank 5th in the country in total defense, ranking No. 1 in the SEC. Florida also ranks 1st in the SEC in success rate defense, and if you take away 2 long touchdown passes spanning 125 yards against Utah and Tennessee, the Gators allow just 4.2 yards per play this season. Even accounting for those 2 1-on-1 coverage losses, Florida still ranks 6th in the SEC in yards allowed per play (4.66).

That’s incredible production for a unit that does not have a senior starter and starts upperclassmen at just 3 positions (corner Jason Marshall, defensive back Jaydon Hill and Umanmielen.) The defense has a chance to be really good this season, and should be elite next year, especially if Umanmielen returns for his senior campaign.

Up next: Sep. 30 at Kentucky (Noon, ESPN).

The Wildcats haven’t been tested, but they are unbeaten and eager to be tested more than they were feasting on cupcakes throughout the month of September.

Kentucky has valued the Florida game immensely in the Mark Stoops era and holds a 2-game winning streak over the Gators.

For both teams, Saturday is a measuring stick game. The Gators want to show that their progress is genuine, and that they are ready to take the next step under Napier by winning a road game, something that proved difficult at times last year, with the exception of a quality performance at Texas A&M.

Kentucky wants to show it is the biggest threat to Georgia in the SEC East, and that its defense is for real. The Wildcats enter the Florida game ranked 3rd in the SEC in yards allowed per play and success rate defense and they have been especially stout against the run, ranking 10th nationally. If Florida cannot run the ball Saturday, the Gators will leave Lexington with a 3-2 record — and a 3-game losing streak in the series for the first time since Bear Bryant led Kentucky to 4 consecutive wins from 1948-51.