Mark Stoops has done a lot of good for the football program in Lexington, and a lot of bad. But as much as we have all written about his shortcomings, he knows how to beat bad football teams.
And right now, Florida is a very bad football team.
With the 38-7 humiliation of the Gators, Kentucky just snapped its miserable 10-game SEC home losing streak. The last time the Cats had won a conference game at Kroger Field was, coincidentally, against these same Florida Gators back on September 30, 2023.
DJ Lagway was ineffective and benched, and Kentucky spotted Florida its only score of the game with a muffed punt or the 38-7 score would have been even worse. But the win did something even more significant than just break the home-field curse.
A streak seven years in the making
This victory, combined with the win at Auburn, marks the first time Kentucky football has won back-to-back SEC games since 2018.
Yes, you read that right. While it did happen on the field in 2021, those wins were later vacated by the NCAA due to ineligible players.
It has been nearly seven full years of football since this program won consecutive conference games that actually count in the record books. Not many coaches in this league can survive that kind of drought, especially when combined with a 10-game home losing streak.
But Mark Stoops is like a roach; he just keeps on surviving. Just when you think he is done, he comes out swinging one more time. In his post game remarks Stoops said that other teams are going to swing, but Kentucky is going to "swing right back." And with a win like this, he just bought himself a lot more time.
Drew Holbrook is an avid Kentucky fan who has been covering the Cats for over 10 years. In his free time he enjoys downtime with his family and Premier League soccer. You can find him on X here. Micah 7:7. #UptheAlbion