It felt a lot like the previous four seasons of Florida football – score a couple touchdowns and hope the defense doesn’t buckle under ridiculous pressure.

But the 14-9 win over Kentucky is big for first-year coach Jim McElwain, freshman QB Will Grier and the rest of the Gators. The UF offense has major concerns, but the defense showed it is still one of the toughest units in the conference.

5 TAKEAWAYS

  • No Fowler, no problem: Florida defensive linemen Jonathan Bullard and Alex McCalister combined four of the team’s six sacks, putting constant pressure on Kentucky QB Patrick Towles. A big concern for the Gators this season was how their pass rush would look without former DE Dante Fowler Jr., and tonight they got an answer.
  • Ahmad Fulwood, Antonio Callaway show off their hands: One problem Florida didn’t have as much of in Week 3 was dropped passes. Wide receivers Ahmad Fulwood and Antonio Callaway held onto the ball in important situations.
  • Tight ends continue to be offensive strength: Even without C’yontai Lewis, Florida’s tight ends continue to be an important part of the passing game. They also were effective run blockers, particularly on the bunch-formation pitch plays that were inexplicably abandoned.
  • Running game limited by offensive line: More often than not, there weren’t any holes for running backs Kelvin Taylor and Jordan Cronkrite to run through. The UF backfield can only do so much if the offensive line is getting pushed around.
  • Big picture – one step closer to bowl eligibility: With a brutal five-game stretch of games against Tennessee, Ole Miss, Missouri, LSU and Georgia coming up, this game could be the difference in Florida going to bowl or staying home for the holidays. The young Gators would benefit greatly from three extra weeks of practice.

REPORT CARD

Offense: C- — The Florida offense managed only one unassisted scoring drive, RB Kelvin Taylor’s 3-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Two red zone visits resulted in zero points.

Defense: A- — CB Vernon Hargreaves III set up Florida’s first score with an interception and 53-yard return. The UK offense threatened throughout the second half, but were held to two field goals.

Special Teams: B- — K Austin Hardin’s missed field goal loomed large much of the second half. P Johnny Townsend did his job for most of the night.

Coaching: B+ — Offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier got creative in the second quarter, but went conservative in the second half. Defensive coordinator Geoff Collins’ aggressive scheme kept Towles under pressure all night and unable to make the same types of plays that burned Florida a year ago.

Overall: B — It wasn’t pretty, but no SEC road win should be taken for granted. Grier and the Gators need to improve in a lot of areas on offense, but a 1-0 start in the SEC gives the team something to build on.

GAME PLAN

The offense desperately wanted early scores to take the crowd out of the game. As the game moved later into the second half, Nussmeier made safer calls, lower-risk calls. It almost led to one too many Kentucky opportunities, but the defense came up big. Collins was clearly focused on preventing big passing plays by getting to Towles early and often.

GAME BALLS

  • QB Will Grier: It probably won’t be Grier’s most memorable night by the box score (13-of-22, 125 yards, interception; 12 carries, 61 yards, touchdown), but the freshman asked to stay in the game and played through obvious discomfort, never shying away from contact. A gritty performance from a quarterback making his first road start earns him a celebratory game ball.
  • RUSH Alex McCalister: McCalister lived in the Wildcats’ backfield, collecting four tackles, including two sacks.
  • NT Jonathan Bullard: Bullard was the other pass rusher frequently pressuring Towles and also finished with two sacks, including one on the final Wildcats drive that helped save the game.
  • CB Quincy Wilson: It was one of those games that wasn’t over until the clock hit triple zero, and Wilson’s interception with less than a minute left sealed the Florida victory.

INJURY UPDATE

  • Injuries to RB Jordan Cronkrite (ankle), LB Jeremi Powell (foot), WR Chris Thompson (back) and WR Antonio Callaway (ankle) are not thought to be serious.
  • TE C’yontai Lewis (hand) and LB Alex Anzalone (shoulder) did not play against Kentucky.