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Welcome back to A Peak Inside Gator Football, Allie Peak.
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This video is brought to you by PrizePix. Don't forget
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to download the app. If you're a new user, play
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in lineups instantly as long as you use our code.
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It's HMA. Guys, I feel like I have talked so
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much this week about, you know, think back to September
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and Florida was 4-0 and look what they did to
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Ole Miss and look what they did to Auburn. And,
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you know, this team can be good and we're not
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sure what's happened. And they've lost four of five. The
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offense has scored eight points against Georgia and seven against Oklahoma.
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And the Gators have lost three trips to Lexington. And
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I'm frustrated. So I get it because I know you
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are frustrated too. And I find it's so hard to
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strike this balance between Knowing that I feel like this
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team is still moving forward, it's just inching at a time,
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and we all want it to be faster progress, and
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also acknowledging that we sort of moved the goalposts after
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that 4-0 start. And then the reality is Florida still
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has the ability to finish 8-4, which is about what
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most of us all predicted at the beginning of the season,
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but it's felt like a roller coaster. So I want
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to give you another side of this matchup today. Kentucky
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is 7-2. Yes, the Wildcats have earned respect, but they're
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also coming off a 34-6 beating at Tennessee. Florida isn't
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going to win just by showing up, obviously, but I
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think this matchup is absolutely winnable. So I'm going to
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go over a few reasons why the Gators can beat
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Kentucky Saturday night. I'm not guaranteeing anything, but I am
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going to lay out a realistic path to victory. And
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here's the distinction I want to make. Believing Florida can
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win is not the same thing as predicting Florida will win.
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The Gators have serious problems with protection and third down
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and turnovers. I am not going to ignore any of that.
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But matchups change from week to week, and sometimes the
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opponent gives you a very different path than the one
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you saw the last Saturday. So my reason number one
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is that Kentucky isn't invincible. They won six straight, including
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games against LSU, Oklahoma, and Vanderbilt, and that deserves our respect.
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But Tennessee showed that Kentucky can be knocked out of
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its comfort zone. The Wildcats only scored six points. They
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didn't reach the end zone once. They turned the ball
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over three times, and their coach, Will Stein, talked afterwards
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about penalties and fourth-down mistakes that simply weren't characteristic of
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his team. That matters because Florida doesn't need to discover
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some secret weakness. Tennessee demonstrated that if you disrupt Kentucky's timing,
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pressure its decision-making, and make it finish drives instead of
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settling for field goals, the Wildcats can struggle to score.
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Florida can't copy Tennessee's game plan wholesale. But holding Kentucky
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to two field goals gives Florida something to study. Reason
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number two, Florida's defense has already won a big road game.
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Think back to Austin. Florida was coming off losses to
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Missouri and South Carolina, and almost nobody was giving the
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Gators a chance at seventh-ranked Texas. What happened? Florida won 27-24.
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The defense recorded five sacks. They limited Texas to 272
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total yards. And they helped the Gators control the ball well.
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for more than 38 minutes. That proves Florida can win
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in a hostile environment through discipline and physicality. I know
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the defense wasn't good enough against Oklahoma on third down.
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The Sooners converted 10 of 18 and put together a
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20-play touchdown drive that took nearly 13 minutes. And Florida
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hasn't intercepted a pass in five straight games. Those problems
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are real. But we've also seen the upside. Miles Graham,
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Jaden Woods, Aaron Childs, and the rest of that group
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They can create disruption. We have seen it.
Load full transcript
Against Kentucky,
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Florida needs that Texas version of its defense. Aggressive without
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being reckless, sound in coverage, and capable of getting off
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the field. With a defense-first approach, Florida doesn't have to
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score 40. Reason number three, Kentucky's quarterback can be pressured
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into a mistake. Kenny Minchie, he's had a strong season,
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and one of his biggest strengths has been taking care
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of the football. Before Tennessee, he'd only thrown one interception
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in his first 242 attempts of the year. That is outstanding.
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Then Tennessee picked him off in the first quarter. Kentucky
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turned the ball over three times overall. Even though Minchie
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completed 26 of 34 passes for 224 yards, the offense
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couldn't turn those completions into touchdowns. There's a lesson there.
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Completing passes means little if penalties and turnovers keep you
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out of the end zone. Florida has to make Minchie uncomfortable.
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but not by blitzing blindly. It needs to be mixed looks,
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protections against easy throws, and especially be aware of tight
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end Willie Rodriguez. He has six catches for 81 yards
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against Tennessee. Receiver Kenny Darby had seven for 69. Make
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Minchie drive the length of the field, contest throws, rally
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to tackle, and when the ball is there to be
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taken away, make a play. We're going to take a
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quick break before I get into reason number four. Give
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a little love to Alumni Hall. Guys, the season isn't
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over and the holidays are just around the corner. Make
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on Archer Road in Gainesville. They've got all the top
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brands you're looking for. They've got stuff for kids, stuff
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Make sure you tell them Ally sent you. We appreciate
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Alumni Hall for all of their support. Guys, make sure
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you check them out because lots and lots of good stuff.
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All right, let's get back into this. Let's get to
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reason number four and that's that Florida still has playmakers.
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I know, after watching two straight games with single digit scoring,
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Talking about offensive weapons sounds a little ridiculous. I get it.
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But the talent didn't disappear overnight. Against Ole Miss, Florida
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rushed for 302 yards and six touchdowns. Jaden Baugh had
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142 yards and three scores. Duke Clark added more than
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120 yards. This team has shown what happens when it
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gets back moving downhill. And when it forces defenders to
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make tackles in space, it can be deadly. Against Oklahoma,
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Jaden got eight carries for 35 yards. Clark had six
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for 28. The entire offense ran only 47 plays. That's
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no way to maximize the players who give you the
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best chance of making an explosive play. There were some
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glimpses of life in the passing game. Clark had four
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catches for 70 yards against Oklahoma. Dallas Wilson had four
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for 48. There are players who can make defenders miss
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or win a matchup if Florida gives them the opportunity.
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So here's my challenge to Buster Faulkner. Don't wait for
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a perfect offensive line to create a perfect running lane.
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Use motion. Use screens. Throw early when Kentucky expects a run.
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Find ways to force the Wildcats to defend the entire
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width of the field. Florida doesn't need to recreate the
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52 points against Ole Miss. It needs to generate enough
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first downs and explosive moments that Kentucky has to respect
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both the run and the pass. Reason number five, there's
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pressure on Kentucky too. This is part of the matchup
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that I think is maybe getting overlooked this week. Kentucky's
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climbed into the national conversation. Seven wins. Five of those
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are SEC wins. Six consecutive victories and a
real opportunity
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to keep building something special in Will Stein's first season.
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But then Tennessee happened. 34-6. Three turnovers. No touchdowns. Now
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Kentucky comes home with a crowd expecting a statement response.
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Florida comes in as the team everybody's already questioning. Bowl
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eligibility isn't even secured. That's uncomfortable, but it can also
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simplify the message. One game, one possession, one opportunity to
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prove you haven't quit on the season. And remember, John
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Summerill knows this place. He played at Kentucky and he
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coached there too. Defensive coordinator Brad White spent years leading
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Kentucky's defense. There are people on Florida's sideline who understand
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the atmosphere and the traditions and the way the Wildcats
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want to play. A sold-out, blackout crowd will be challenging.
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But Florida has no reason to be intimidated. If the
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Gators can keep it close in the fourth quarter, that
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pressure on the home team gets very real. A mistake
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by Kentucky, a defensive stop, one explosive play from Baugh,
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and suddenly the crowd that expected a comfortable bounce-back win
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is going to start getting very, very nervous. So what
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does a Florida victory actually look like? Well, first, keep
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the game closed early. Don't hand Kentucky a short field
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with an interception or a disastrous special teams play. Second,
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commit to meaningful touches for Baugh and Clark. Not just
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predictable runs into traffic, but real meaningful touches. Third, get
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off the field on third down. You cannot allow another
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Oklahoma-style drive that eats up an entire quarter. Fourth, force
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Kentucky to finish drives. Field goals are survivable. Touchdowns after
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missed tackles are not. And fifth, Whichever quarterback starts, give
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him a manageable plan, easy completions, sensible protection, and the
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freedom to take a shot when the defense gives you
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the right look. Florida could absolutely lose. But Florida beat
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Ole Miss and Texas and Auburn, and Kentucky struggled against Tennessee.
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There is evidence for hope. The question is whether John
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Summerall can get this team to the place where it's
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playing good football again when it matters. My biggest reason
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to believe? Florida doesn't have to be perfect. It just
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has to be disciplined and physical and opportunistic for four quarters.
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So let me know down in the comments, which of
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these reasons gives you the most confidence? And do you
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believe that Florida can win in Lexington on Saturday night?
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I want to hear from you down in the comments.
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Let me know. Appreciate PrizePix for all their support. Download
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to the channel, guys. Lots more content coming your way.
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Got some interviews. Big week ahead. I appreciate all of
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you for all your support. As always, go Gators.