Luke Del Rio didn’t hesitate when Antonio Callaway snuck behind Kentucky’s defense.
Florida’s quarterback dropped a deep ball into the outstretched hands of his trusted receiver, who took it to the house for 78 yards to put UF up 14-0 in the first quarter.
It was similar to Del Rio’s first pass attempt last week — a failed bomb also intended for Callaway.
“It’s funny because it felt the exact same as last week’s throw, so I think it was like, ‘I threw it too far again.’” Del Rio said. “But this time I threw it to where he could run inside and get it…That guy is blazing fast.”
Del Rio and Callaway connected often and set the tone as the Gators (2-0, 1-0 Southeastern Conference) overpowered the Wildcats 45-7 Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, extending their Division I longest active winning streak over Kentucky to 30 straight games dating back to 1986.
Callaway picked up a career-high 129 receiving yards, while Del Rio’s night included four touchdowns and 320 passing yards, the first time a UF quarterback amassed 300 passing yards in a game since Tyler Murphy against Vanderbilt on Nov. 9, 2013.
“I'm not ready to put him in the Gator hall of fame or the National Football League Hall of Fame,” UF coach Jim McElwain said of his signal caller. “But I think he's really learning how to play the position and knows what to expect.”
After a lackluster performance against UMass, Florida’s offense found a rhythm for all four quarters.
That wouldn’t have been possible without UF’s ball-hawking secondary, however.
After running back Mark Thompson capped off an 84-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown to open the scoring in the first quarter, the picks began to pour in.
Quincy Wilson snagged a one-handed interception along the left sideline, which was immediately followed by Del Rio’s 78-yard touchdown pass to Callaway.
“I’m just worried about trying to catch the ball,” Wilson said. “I didn’t get many opportunities. I only had that ball and another one thrown at me today, so we just gotta make the most of our opportunities and I maximized that today.”
In the second quarter, kicker Eddy Pineiro avenged his earlier missed field goal by drilling a 54-yarder to boost UF’s lead to 17-0. It marked Florida’s first field goal of 50 or more yards since Austin Hardin (52) against Florida State in 2014. Pineiro finished 1-for-3 on field goal attempts.
“In a game like this, I thought he grew up a little bit,” McElwain said, “so that's a good thing.”
Late in the second quarter, Jalen Tabor made his mark.
The cornerback slithered by one UK wide receiver and jumped a screen pass to pick off quarterback Drew Barker, marking Tabor’s first interception of the season.
“I feel like we’re the best [cornerback duo] in the nation,” Wilson said. “He got his pick off straight knowledge, of knowing that the screen was coming. I got mine off just my ability to play football.”
And once again, the turnover led to seven points.
Del Rio and the offense marched 58 yards down the field and found Brandon Powell for 5 yards in the end zone just before halftime.
Even after the half, Kentucky (0-2, 0-1 SEC) couldn’t stop the Gators.
Florida tacked on 21 more points in the second half, including freshmen receiver Freddie Swain and running back Lamical Perine’s first career touchdowns.
Perine, who scored on a 28-yard dump-off pass, led the way on the ground with a game-high 105 rushing yards on 17 carries.
“Lamical, the guy's a pretty good player,” McElwain said. “He's an SEC back."
UK’s lone score came on its final drive when running back Jojo Kemp pushed his way into the end zone on a two-yard carry out of the wildcat formation.
Florida’s defense limited the Wildcats to just 149 total yards — 55 of which came through the air.
McElwain praised the unit after the game.
“I think defense, obviously, gave us some opportunities, which we didn't have last week,” he said. “We got some turnovers. That's how we have to play, and that was good.”
Contact Patrick Pinak at ppinak@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @pinakk12.
Luke Del Rio (14) looks to pass during Florida's 45-7 win over Kentucky on Sept. 10, 2016, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
