Kentucky knows a lot about record losing streaks to conference opponents.
UK has walked away with a loss in each of its last 22 meetings with No. 1 Florida - the second-longest active head-to-head domination in the nation.
The only streak longer is the 24 straight times Kentucky (2-0, 0-0 Southeastern Conference) has lost to Tennessee. And the Wildcats have also lost 16 of the last 18 to Georgia.
"(This year's players) weren't on those teams," UF quarterback Tim Tebow said. "They are a new team, a fresh team. They are going to put that behind them and say, 'That's not us. Those teams did that; that's not us. This isn't the Gators team that beat all those teams. We're going to go in there and show we're a new team and we have something to prove.'"
UF's last loss to UK, a 10-3 defeat, came back in 1986, and rarely have the scores been close. The Gators have won by an average of 28.8 points in the last 15 games between the two schools.
Since 1985, the Wildcats are 5-67 against the three powers of the SEC East.
"When we first got here, that first year they were bad," UF coach Urban Meyer said. "Rich (Brooks) is a good friend of mine. What he's done up there I think is one of the great coaching jobs, a little bit like what coach (Bill) Snyder did at Kansas State. … Personnel level, right now I put them in the upper third in the SEC as far as talent."
Brooks has led the Wildcats to two Music City Bowl wins and one Liberty Bowl win in the last three years.
Kentucky's secondary has held opposing passers to a 44.4 completion percentage and 185.5 yards per game this year, something that could spell trouble for a UF passing attack that struggled last week against Tennessee.
Tebow threw for just 115 yards, no touchdowns and an interception, and the Gators' receivers combined for eight catches for 74 yards against the Volunteers.
Cornerback Trevard Lindley, who Meyer called a future first-day NFL Draft pick, and Paul Warford lineup out wide for UK and safeties Calvin Harrison and Winston Guy Jr. patrol the center of the field with authority.
"(Quarterbacks coach) Scot Loeffler made a comment to me that this is one of the best secondaries he's seen," Meyer said. "You really can't isolate people. They have two great corners. They matched (Lindley) up on Percy Harvin for a lot of the game (last season), I'm curious where they put him this year."
Tebow completed 11 of 15 passes for 180 yards in last year's 63-5 win on UF's homecoming weekend.
The Gators have had some close calls at Commonwealth Stadium in recent years.
In 2007, the Wildcats were within a touchdown of the Gators in the fourth quarter but came away with a 45-37 loss.
In his first career start, former UF quarterback Chris Leak barely escaped Lexington with a 24-21 win in 2003.
"It seems like we always get them when they're mad," Brooks said. "They didn't light up the scoreboard like they're accustomed to lighting it up, so I'm sure they're going to want to come in here and show everybody their offense is still very explosive."
