LEXINGTON, Ky. — With senior defensive tackle Dominique Easley out for the season with a torn ACL and medial meniscus, Florida’s defense needed someone to step up to lead the unit.
Dante Fowler Jr. did just that.
The sophomore Buck linebacker recorded two sacks on a single drive late in the fourth quarter to seal the game as No. 20 Florida defeated Kentucky 24-7 at Commonwealth Stadium.
“Seeing [Easley] go down and stuff like that,” Fowler said, “it kind of sucked.
“We just played mad. We just played for him.”
Fowler and his teammates on the defensive line had no problem filling in for the injured senior on Saturday.
Fowler, safety Cody Riggs and defensive linemen Jonathan Bullard and Bryan Cox Jr. combined for five sacks — one more than Florida had through its first three games.
“Collectively, as a unit, those guys are capable of playing very well,” coach Will Muschamp said. “That’s what we expect.”
Bullard and Fowler — who racked up three and a half sacks on Saturday — were both especially impressive.
The two sophomores came to Florida (3-1, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) as five-star recruits last year and made an impact on the defensive line as substitutes. This year, they have taken on a bigger role as starters, especially with Easley now out for the season.
“We got high expectation levels for those guys,” Muschamp said. “They do for themselves … They needed to play that way.”
Bullard was previously playing defensive end, but he moved inside to defensive tackle to replace Easley. The results were as good as Muschamp could have expected.
The sophomore recorded three tackles and 1.5 sacks for a loss of 9 yards.
“Jon’s 285 (pounds),” Muschamp said. “He can hold the point. He can rush inside. He’s a very good athlete and a matchup on most of the guys we are going to play.”
Freshman makes first catch: Freshman wide receiver Demarcus Robinson made the first catch of his career against Kentucky (1-3, 0-1 SEC) on Saturday.
The Fort Valley, Ga., native played in the Gators’ first two games of the season without making a reception, but he was suspended for Florida’s game against Tennessee on Sept. 21 for a violation of team rules.
Coaches praised Robinson for his athleticism and playmaking ability during UF’s fall camp, and the freshman made an impression on fans with notable catches during Florida’s open practices.
Offensive coordinator Brent Pease said before the Gators played the Volunteers that Robinson was “going to pop,” but it took nearly a month for the freshman to make his first catch.
Wide receiver Trey Burton said he was surprised it took Robinson this long to make his first reception because the freshman is one of the most athletic players Burton has ever played with.
“I remember my first catch when I was a freshman,” Burton said. “So (I am) just excited for him in the future.”
Injured Gators: Florida had several players who were poised to return from nagging injuries on Saturday, but not all of them did.
Defensive back Marcus Roberson (knee) warmed up with the team but did not dress for the game.
Muschamp said Roberson was a game-time decision, and he was not comfortable playing the junior with the injury he suffered against Miami on Sept. 7.
However, right tackle Tyler Moore (ankle) did get back into action on Saturday.
The redshirt sophomore came in after several Florida drives and replaced redshirt senior Kyle Koehne, a guard who was filling in on the edge.
Defensive lineman Leon Orr (shoulder) also returned to the Gators’ rotation. Muschamp said Orr had trouble in practice but was able to play 15-18 snaps.
“We felt like we weren’t playing many snaps defensively,” Muschamp said. “Got off the field pretty much after the first drive.”
Follow Adam Lichtenstein on Twitter @ALichtenstein24.
Dante Fowler Jr. awaits a snap by the Wildcats. The sophomore Buck linebacker collected two of Florida’s five sacks while limiting Kentucky to 173 yards of offense.
