LEXINGTON, Ky. — There is no sugarcoating what transpired here for the Gators on Saturday night in a city known as the Horse Capital of the World.
Traditional punching bag Kentucky galloped further ahead of them in the SEC East standings and trampled so much of the hope that existed two weeks ago when the Gators nearly upset No. 1-ranked Alabama to create visions of a potential rematch against the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game. The Wildcats' first home win over Florida since 1986 set off a celebration the likes of which Kroger Field has never witnessed, as delirious students rushed the field after Kentucky's 20-13 comeback win over the 10th-ranked Gators.
For the Wildcats (5-0, 3-0) and their fans, it was an opportunity to finally shed the frustrations of several close calls against the Gators (3-2, 1-2) in recent years at home. And for Florida, the loss stirred questions that can only be answered with time.
"You know, it's pretty disappointing because we work hard,'' fifth-year senior defensive lineman Zachary Carter said. "We work hard for these moments, all offseason and we came out sore, but now, you know, we just got to control what we can control, just win out."
The magnitude of Saturday night's disappointment was obvious wherever you looked following the game.
Once the crowd dispersed, stadium workers walked around the field clearing the celebratory debris, all within view of the Gators, who departed the locker room and took the lonely walk in the dark toward the team buses. One by one, the Gators emerged from the visiting locker room tucked into a corner of Kroger Field. Nearby, the sounds of Kentucky fans still celebrating as they exited the main concourse could be heard.
UF head coach Dan Mullen, still processing the defeat, looked at the final stat book as he tried to explain the loss to the media.
"They're a physical group,'' Mullen said. "We outrushed them. We outpassed [them]. We out-total gained them. The time of possession, we were better on third downs."
Correct on all counts.
The problem was mistakes, primarily 15 penalties for 115 yards, snapping a 36-game stretch in which the Gators had fewer than 10 penalties. The Gators committed unforced penalties. Worst-possible-time penalties. The kind of penalties that keep coaches up at night. There was also the 76-yard touchdown return by Kentucky's Trevin Wallace on a blocked field goal.
And Florida's offensive line, after playing so tough and physical against Alabama 14 days ago, devolved into a penalty machine with most of UF's eight false-start flags on Saturday.
Add the miscues up, and the Gators were fortunate to still be in position to perhaps force overtime until Jones' fourth-down pass from Kentucky's 8-yard line dropped incomplete with 18 seconds remaining.
"We gotta get better,'' Mullen said. "That's something we're gonna look at. But give their crowd credit, they had a great crowd, they had a lot of energy, their guys played hard. But you can't do that, that's a lack of mental toughness."
Following Mullen's postgame press conference, quarterback Emory Jones took a turn at the mic. Jones finished 23 of 31 for 203 yards, one touchdown and a costly fourth-quarter interception that led to a Kentucky touchdown and 20-10 lead. Jones added 63 yards on 13 carries but was unable to hit big plays down the field in the passing game.
Jones had few answers about what went wrong other than to say the Gators have to regroup and go back to the drawing board to get back on a winning track. As Jones spoke, Mullen sat nearby with his wife Megan. UF athletic director Scott Stricklin stood in the room and listened to Jones speak, a somber mood filling the chilly space considering what the loss meant in the big picture.
That's a lot of wishful thinking for now. Yes, stranger things have happened, but at the moment the Gators are hanging off the edge and the rope is unraveling. The first step the Gators must take to regain some of footing is to defeat Vanderbilt on Saturday when the Commodores visit Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
And stay together.
"I have to step up and be a great leader after a loss like this,'' Jones said. "That's kind of my role right now, just go in and try to be the best leader I can to make sure we stay up and stay on the right track."
Carter echoed Jones' mentality.
"I have to do my part, you know, as a leader to help keep guys together and not point fingers and just, you know, stay motivated,'' he said.
Once all the players and coaches had exited the locker room and grabbed a chicken dinner on the way out if their stomachs could handle it, they boarded the buses and headed to the airport for the flight home.
First, they had to navigate a traffic jam and the taunts of Kentucky fans pouring into the streets. It was that kind of night.
One the Gators hope to erase from their memory as soon as possible.
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A Costly Loss for Gators on a Night They Will Want to Forget - Florida Gators
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