There was no way Antonio Callaway would drop this ball.
Not after he failed to connect with his quarterback on a similar play last week, not after hearing his coach criticize Florida’s offense after its season opener, and not after an offseason full of doubt and distraction stemming from Callaway’s suspension in the spring.
Callaway caught the 78-yard pass, racing to the endzone to add six points to the Gators’ 45-7 demolition of Kentucky on Saturday.
“That guy is blazing fast,” quarterback Luke Del Rio said.
The Gators found their offense on Saturday and set several records in the process.
They earned their 30th straight win over Kentucky and scored 45 points for the first time since its 2015 opener, the most points scored in an SEC game under coach Jim McElwain. There wasn’t a sack on their quarterback for the first time since Sept. 5 of last year.
“This machine was well-oiled today,” defensive lineman Caleb Brantley said.
After a near-lifeless first half against a mediocre Massachusetts team last week, Florida looked almost unrecognizable on both sides of the ball against Kentucky this week.
By the end of the first quarter, the Gators had more than twice the amount of yards they had in the first quarter against UMass (104 to 209).
By the game’s end, Florida’s defense had more interceptions (three) than Kentucky’s starting quarterback Drew Barker had completions (two).
It was dominance.
“I thought we came out aggressively,” McElwain said.
“We’re not going to take no for an answer. That’s the edge that the Gators have to play with to be successful.”
And yet, McElwain wasn’t entirely satisfied. After the game, the coach said “we can play better than this,” and added that he wasn’t overly impressed with Del Rio’s 19-for-32, 320-yard, four-touchdown stat line, calling his lone interception “unacceptable.”
Players agreed with their coach’s assessment.
“We beat Kentucky,” Brantley said. “But we didn’t win the SEC Championship or the national championship. It’s one game.”
And even with Del Rio’s constant connection with Callaway, who finished with a career-high 129 yards on five receptions, Florida’s quarterback was careful not to fawn over his career day.
“If I wanted someone to pat me on the back, I’d go ask a fan or look at Twitter,” Del Rio said.
“I want to be coached, and I want to be coached hard. I want to be expected to make every play because I know I can make every play.”
After Saturday’s performance, he’ll be expected to, as will Florida.
That was the team the Gators had boasted throughout the preseason, when coaches touted their five-player running back group, which finished with a season-high 239 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday.
Or when they bragged about their talented collection of defensive backs, who tallied three interceptions, including Quincy Wilson’s one-handed, tip-toeing grab along the sideline in the first quarter.
After Saturday, Florida realized who it can be.
After Saturday, players and coaches were in agreement: This will be the standard when UF faces North Texas on Saturday and plays its first road game at Tennessee the following week.
“When everybody just does their job,” Brantley said, “nobody can mess with us.”
Contact Ian Cohen at icohen@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @icohenb.
Florida receiver Antonio Callaway celebrates after scoring a touchdown during UF's 45-7 win over Kentucky on Sept. 10, 2016, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
