Florida 13 defenders
Screenshot from ESPN broadcast

Florida Had 13 Defenders and Still Got Scored on by Kentucky

Kentucky is having its way with Florida on Saturday, and the dominant performance was summed up perfectly on this play by running back Ray Davis.

Early in the third quarter, the Wildcats had a 1st and goal from the Gators two-yard line and handed the ball to Davis. Davis made a man miss in the backfield and then hit the hole, running over a Florida defender in the process, and scored.

Under normal circumstances, this would be an impressive run, but even more so when Florida was penalized for having 13 defenders on the field for the play. This comes just one week after Notre Dame was heavily scrutinized for only having 10 defenders on field when Ohio State scored the game-winning touchdown on a goal-line run.

 

It's hard to blame Florida for trying to find a way to stop Davis, because the Gators have not had an answer for Davis all day. Through three quarters, Davis racked up 276 rushing yards and three touchdowns on just 24 carries. He added another touchdown on a nine-yard reception from quarterback Devin Leary in the first quarter.

Davis, a senior, is a transfer from Vanderbilt who originally started his college career at Temple back in 2019.  Last season for Vanderbilt, Davis rushed for 1,042 yards and five touchdowns on 232 carries. It was a breakout season for Davis, who had just 519 rushing yards in the two prior seasons combined. He is well on his way to another career season if he keeps up this production.

The Wildcats are looking to improve to 5-0 on the season and make a statement by taking down No. 22 Florida in convincing fashion. With the way Davis is running, Kentucky is well on its way to doing just that.

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