LEXINGTON, Ky. — Florida’s one-man show on offense turned into an ensemble performance Saturday night.
This time, Jeff Demps was cast in the leading role.
Demps rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns as No. 12 Florida (4-0, 2-0 Southeastern Conference) downed Kentucky (2-2, 0-1 SEC) 48-10 in Commonwealth Stadium.
After relying on a heavy dose of Chris Rainey through its first three games, Florida got contributions across the board — none bigger than Demps’ — in its last September tune-up before a brutal October schedule gets underway this week with No. 3 Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC) at home.
“There’s going to come a point where someone’s going to do some things that we have to adjust to,” coach Will Muschamp said. “We haven’t gotten there yet. We do feel comfortable about other players on our offense.”
Rainey, who accounted for more than 500 yards and five touchdowns in Florida’s first three games, still did his share against Kentucky (105 yards on 15 touches). But he wasn’t Florida’s only weapon on offense Saturday.
Florida rushed for 405 yards and four different Gators found the end zone on offense. Surprisingly, Rainey wasn’t one of them.
Demps had a pair of touchdowns. Trey Burton added one of his own. Tight end Gerald Christian scored for the first time in his career, and running back Mike Gillislee tacked on a late one for the Gators, whose offense added another dimension against the Wildcats.
“I knew [the offense] was going to open up,” Christian said. “I feel like as it goes down, more teams are going to be keying on [Rainey and Demps], so we have other players that are good, too. It’ll open up everybody else.”
While Florida has relied heavily on pounding the rock thus far — its rush offense ranks 10th in the nation — and the underneath passing game, offensive coordinator Charlie Weis had the Gators come out firing Saturday with mixed results.
Quarterback John Brantley looked downfield early, but for the first time all season, Florida failed to score on its opening drive, going three-and-out on its first possession.
But the attempts to establish a downfield passing game eventually paid off after linebacker Lerentee McCray forced a fumble at the Kentucky 45-yard line and Omar Hunter recovered it, giving the Gators prime field position.
On Florida’s ensuing play, Brantley hit Christian in stride down the seam for a 45-yard score to give Florida an early 7-0 lead it would not relinquish.
It was Christian’s first touchdown at UF, and it marked the longest reception by a tight end in the SEC this season.
After Brantley (8 of 14, 115 yards and a touchdown) and Christian got the offense rolling, there was no stopping the Gators, who scored their first 21 points in a span of 2:08 on offense.
Demps was the next to find the end zone, taking a handoff 20 yards down the right sideline before crossing the goal line to finish a four-play, 43-yard drive. Burton capped off the 21-point spurt with a 1-yard score before Kentucky was able to tack on a field goal as time expired in the first quarter.
Florida has outscored opponents 54-3 in the opening frame this season, and holds a 94-3 advantage against Kentucky in the first quarter dating back to 2008.
Although the game was well in hand after the opening period, Demps and the Gators weren’t done yet.
Demps added an 84-yard touchdown run early in the third — the longest run of his career and the longest at Florida in a SEC game since Emmitt Smith had a 96-yard run against Mississippi State in 1988.
“As soon as you see that hole, you feel like you can get through it, and no one can touch you or tackle you,” Demps said.
The Wildcats couldn’t touch Demps, or the rest of the Gators, for that matter. Florida added a 60-yard touchdown from Gillislee late, and 11 different Gators touched the ball on offense while the defense turned in one of its better performances of the season, forcing four turnovers and recording four sacks to secure Florida’s 25th straight win against Kentucky.
Entering Alabama week at 4-0 for the second year in a row, Florida turns its attention to a Crimson Tide team that Demps said “humbled” the Gators last season.
“You look forward to this game,” safety Matt Elam said. “This is why you come to Florida, to play big games like this. We’re looking forward to it. It’s a big SEC team, so we’re going to practice hard and we’re going to play hard.”
Contact Tom Green at tgreen@alligator.
Gators running back Jeff Demps rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns, including an 84-yard scamper during the third quarter, in a 48-10 win against Kentucky on Saturday.
