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Mark Stoops on Josh Paschal’s play against Florida: ‘He was incredible’
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One look at the field after the game was also you needed to see to know that Kentucky’s win over Florida on Saturday night was a huge deal in Lexington.
The Wildcats hadn’t beaten the Gators at home since 1986 and the crowd stormed the field at Kroger Stadium in celebration after the 20-13 victory.
There were plenty of heroes in the game for Kentucky but none any bigger than defensive end Josh Paschal.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anybody play better than Josh Paschal did Saturday,” said Wildcats coach Mark Stoops on Monday during his weekly press conference. “He was incredible.”
STOOPS: "It's been a long time since I've seen anybody play better than Josh Paschal did Saturday. He was incredible"
— Jesse Riffe (@JesseRiffe) October 4, 2021
Paschal, a 6-3, 278-pound senior, made 7 tackles, including 2.5 for losses against the Gators, and he also made the biggest play of the game.
With Florida leading 13-10 in the 3rd quarter and looking to push the lead to 6, Paschal blocked the Gators’ FG attempt and teammate Trevin Wallace returned the blocked kick 76 yards for a touchdown that put Kentucky ahead and completely changed the momentum of the game.
Josh Paschal with the clutch block leads to Trevin Wallace with the return!!! https://t.co/1LDEu68TcY
— Tres Terrell (@TerrellTres) October 3, 2021
Not surprisingly, the SEC rewarded Paschal on Monday for his efforts against the Gators by naming him the conference’s Defensive Lineman of the Week.
Kentucky, now 5-0 and ranked 16th in the AP top-25, will next face LSU at home on Saturday night.
"Chris Wallace covers college football for Saturday Down South. He has covered college athletics for multiple newspapers and also worked previously for Rivals.com and GolfChannel.com."
