Florida Fending Off Kentucky at Halftime in Back-and-Forth Battle
The Florida Gators head into the halftime locker room leading the Kentucky Wildcats by three, 16-13, after a back-and-forth affair.
The SEC East foes started the contest slow on the offensive end, stymying the opposition's attack in a defensive battle, with Florida kicker Adam Mihalek being the only scorer in the first quarter.
Heading into the second quarter at 3-0, the two sides started to find momentum on the offense. A 55-yard bomb from Wildcats QB Will Levis (10-15, 155 yards, one touchdown and one interception) to Dane Key early into the second quarter gave the Wildcats the game's first touchdown of the game, opening up the contest for a run of points in the final 12 minutes of the first half.
Florida quickly answered with a 40-yard run from running back Montrell Johnson to burst into Kentucky territory quickly. The drive stalled from there, but Mihalek connected from 50 yards to trim the UK lead to just one.
On the ensuing Wildcats possession, Gators defensive end Gervon Dexter was the beneficiary of Brenton Cox Jr. getting his hand on Levis' ball. It set the Gators up in Kentucky territory yet again.
This time, Florida capitalized on starting in plus territory on the back of freshman running back Trevor Etienne. The Jennings (La.) product kept the drive alive with a 15-yard rush on third down, before he turned in his first collegiate touchdown on an 11-yard run up the middle two plays later.
The Gators went back to him on the two-point conversion attempt to make it a 14-7 contest. The bad news continued to pile on for Kentucky when a high snap went out of the back of the end zone for a safety to become a 16-7 ballgame.
But, the Wildcats capitalized on a turnover of their own to end the half – intercepting Florida QB Anthony Richardson, who's had a slow night at just 6-17, 84 yards and one interception – and punched the ball in from one yard away to cut the UF lead to 16-13. The extra point attempt was no good.
Both teams will look for more ball security in the second half while attempting to build on the rhythm each created offensively late in the first half.
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