Florida football players, coaches insist motivation remains strong facing Kentucky
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Florida football enters the first week November with a losing record, an interim coach and a growing list of injuries.
But players and coaches insist there’s still plenty to play for when the Florida Gators (3-5. 2-3 SEC) continue their season on Nov. 8 at Kentucky (7:30 p.m., SEC Network).
Off a 24-20 loss to rival Georgia in Jacksonville, Florida is seeking its first win in Lexington, Ky., since rallying to beat the Wildcats 29-21 on Sept. 14, 2019.
“If you’re a competitor, no matter who you’re playing, you’re going to go out and go play,” Florida football interim coach Billy Gonzales said. “If you’re playing one-on-one pickup basketball game against somebody at the rec center, your goal is to win no matter what you’re doing. So, for us, the challenge is to continue to keep pushing the guys, continue to put them in the best possible position.”
Florida defensive end George Gumbs Jr. said he’s eager for another game against a conference opponent.
“I approach every game the same as a competitor,” Gumbs said. “I choose to go out and win every game I try to play. I’m going to do that to the best of my ability but you know every team is different personnel different schemes, so got to get into the (play)book and see where we can expose them.”
Kentucky (3-5, 1-5 SEC) is coming off its first conference win of the season, beating Auburn 10-3 with a smothering defensive effort. The Wildcats held the Tigers to just 241 yards of offense.
Under 13th-year coach Mark Stoops, the longest-tenured coach in the SEC, Kentucky has been up-and-down defensively this season. UK also nearly pulled off an upset over No. 13 Texas before falling 16-13 to the Longhorns in overtime on Oct. 18.
“They were aggressive this past game,” Gonzales said. “I believe they had seven sacks against Auburn. They play hard. They do a really good job. It’ll be a great challenge for our offensive line. Our offensive line played well against Georgia, didn’t give up any sacks. They’re going to be tested again this week.”
Florida is still looking to get starting quarterback DJ Lagway on track after a game in which he missed some key throws against Georgia. For the season, Lagway has passed for 1,679 yards with 10 TDs to 9 interceptions. Lagway has one of the best games of his careeer against Kentucky last season, leading UF to a 48-20 win in The Swamp by passing for 259 yards on an average of 37 yards per completion.
“We’ve just got to let him play, get him in the flow of things,” Gonzales said. “He’s a very talented young man. So again, continue to put him in the position, continue to pare things down, get multiple reps at things, give him the looks through practice. If there’s an issue, go back and correct it.”
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: How Florida football intends to find motivation playing at Kentucky
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