At 5-4 on the season and fresh off yet another disappointing defeat at The Swamp, Jon Sumrall and Florida are in desperate need of a positive result in Lexington this weekend.
But with the Wildcats coming off a tough loss of their own, they will similarly be searching for a resounding result as Will Stein looks to get Kentucky back on track.
And adding on to the uphill climb the Gators face this weekend, they will also be missing a pair of standouts.
Wide receiver Vernell Brown III, who has not played since Sept. 26, and starting safety Bryce Thornton were both listed as “Out” when the SEC’s initial availability report was revealed Wednesday night.
Despite having only appeared in just 4 games, Brown ranks third on the team when it comes to both receptions and yards, as the hometown product has lived up to his high-school billing when healthy.
Meanwhile, Thornton has been a reliable contributor for the Gators as a four-year player, with the Georgia native having tallied 159 total tackles, 13 pass breakups, 4 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles while in Gainesville.
Florida and Kentucky will kick off at 6:15 p.m. ET, with the game being broadcast by ESPN.
Parker is currently the sports editor for Gulf Coast Media in Foley, Alabama. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.
