The Florida Gators take on the Kentucky Wildcats this week, and if we are being honest, we here at Hail Florida Hail haven't watched a second of Kentucky football this season. After all, in the wake of the Billy Napier Era, there is only so much bad football one can watch.
So, to get a better idea of what to expect from the Wildcats, we reached out to our Fansided sister site, Wildcat Blue Nation, and talked with their site expert, Drew Holbrook, to get his thoughts on how things are going in Lexington this season.
Florida faces Kentucky on Saturday at 7:30 PM
Hail Florida Hail
Mark Stoops went from a coach teams were trying to poach to a coach no one wants. How did it go south so quickly?
Drew Holbrook
Honestly, looking at the rise of Mark Stoops means looking at the downfall of a lot of programs. Florida, South Carolina, Missouri, Louisville, and Vandy were on the schedule and struggling. Dan Mullen, Will Muschamp, Billy Napier, Derek Mason, Barry Odom, and Steve Kragthorpe, among others, had their programs in dark spots. Mark Stoops keeps games close by playing so slowly.
Those guys were slipping, and Stoops had a great coaching staff. That slowly was chipped away, Matt House went to the NFL, Jon Sumrall branched out, Steve Clinckscale went to Michigan, and most damagingly, Jon Schlarman passed away. Stoops got complacent and hired friends instead of the best coaches and the accountability slipped.
He's tried to get it back this year, but the results have been pretty meh. The Texas A&M fan revolt really hurt his pride, and they've only been proven right.
HFH
The knock on Kentucky in the past is that they tend to play static zones that top-level QBs shred. Is that still the case in 2025?
DH
Yes, the biggest issue with Kentucky's defense is that they're very vanilla. If their front 4 can get pressure, the zones work well because they take away some quick throws. But if the opposing offensive line can hold up against four, Brad White and Mark Stoops are reluctant to blitz.
Against Auburn, they sent the blitz more, but I think that had to do with how bad Auburn's offensive line was. Eastern Michigan had 330 passing yards against them, and they may be one of the worst teams in the NCAA this year, sitting at 2-7. DJ Waller will be back, and that will help, but the defensive scheme is still an issue.
HFH
Since beating Auburn, if Kentucky were to beat Florida and Tennessee Tech, it would just need to beat either Vanderbilt or Louisville to make a bowl. With that backdrop what are the vibes like among Kentucky fans?
DH
BBN is tired of Mark Stoops. Seeing Mitch Barnhart, Joe, and Kelly Craft on the field celebrating a win over a bad Auburn team made them mad. They understand Auburn was terrible, an SEC win is always something to be happy about, but not that happy.
A good 80 percent of the fanbase wants him gone, no matter the finish, so there's a nervous energy that beating a bad Auburn team, a coach-less Florida team, an FCS team, and sneaking a road upset could save his job.
But you also don't want to root for your team to lose, so it's conflicting. Kroger Field was empty midway through the 4th against the Vols. I'm interested to see what the crowd looks like for Florida.
HFH
When Kentucky has given Florida problems in the past it's been just outright bullying the Gators up front. How realistic a game plan is that for Kentucky this year?
DH
Kentucky's offensive line is miles better than last year, but that's not saying much. The tackles give up a lot of quick pressure, which has led to an offensive switch to quick passing. That power running game is there, though, as the interior of the line is really good at opening holes.
Florida will be familiar with Joshua Braun; he has been a steady hand all year long. If Kentucky keeps it close, it gets the early lead, and their line will be in great shape. If the Gators can get ahead, especially by more than one score, it will be a struggle.
HFH
What is your prediction for the game?
DH
The fans may have given up on Mark Stoops, but the players haven't. Florida is coming off an emotional loss to Georgia. Billy Gonzales is familiar with losing to Mark Stoops and I think that continues 17-14 Kentucky.