The Sports Xchange
Sep 10, 2016
Florida's defense forced four turnovers, quarterback Luke Del Rio threw four touchdown passes and the Gators beat Kentucky for the 30th time in a row, winning 45-7 in Gainesville, Fla., on Saturday.
The 30 consecutive victories mark the longest current streak in the country for teams that play annually. The Wildcats (0-2 overall, 0-1 SEC) haven't won in Gainesville since 1979.
Florida (2-0, 1-0) led 14-0 at the end of the first quarter, getting a 78-yard score on a deep pass to receiver Antonio Callaway near the end of the period. Del Rio, a sophomore transfer from Oregon State making his second career start, completed 19 of 32 passes for 320 yards, with one interception.
Six different players scored touchdowns for the Gators, including freshman running back Lamical Perine, who rushed for a team-high 105 yards on 17 carries and scored on a 28-yard reception. Callaway had five catches for a career-high 129 yards.
Kentucky quarterback Drew Barker completed 2 of 8 passes for 10 yards, with more of his passes going to Florida (three interceptions) than to his teammates. He also lost 19 yards rushing before being replaced midway through the third quarter by Stephen Johnson.
Johnson lost a fumble on his second play and finished 1 of 3 passing for 45 yards.
The Gators allowed just 149 total yards and nine first downs.
Florida standout cornerback Jalen Tabor, who was suspended for the opener because of a fight with a teammate, had one of the Gators' three interceptions.
Kentucky avoided a shutout when it scored with 4:27 left against Florida backups. Running back Jojo Kemp scored on a 2-yard run up the middle off a direct snap.
The Gators' Eddy Pineiro, a junior college transfer, made a 54-yard field goal. His misses from 42 and 48 yards, though, might not have settled fans' uneasiness over last year's kicking problems.
Since leading Southern Miss 35-10 last in the first half last week, Kentucky has been outscored 79-7.