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By Madison Williams
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The Florida Gators came into Saturday night's matchup versus the No. 11 Kentucky Wildcats seen as big underdogs. But, Florida proved the doubters wrong.
The first half was rough for the Gators as they only put up two points from a safety. The second half was much more impressive from the Gators as they outscored the Wildcats 19-7. Quarterback Aaron Philo was the hero for Florida as he scored a two-yard rushing touchdown with nine minutes left of the game. Neither team scored after this point of the game, setting up the Gators to win 21-14.
It was Florida's third time beating a top-15 team this season as they previously beat No. 4 Ole Miss 52-28 in Week 4 and then No. 7 Texas 27-24 in Week 7. That's an impressive feat, especially as it's head coach Jon Sumrall's first season with the program.
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It was a full circle moment for Sumrall, too, as he played football as a linebacker for Kentucky from 2001-04. Then, he worked as the Wildcats' assistant coach from 2019-21. Now, his team upset the Wildcats in a very important part of the season.
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Philo leading the Gators to victory was huge for the junior quarterback as he was benched last weekend versus Oklahoma for Tramell Jones Jr. Sumrall decided to give Philo another shot on Saturday, and it worked out for the best. He completed 16-of-24 passes for 119 yards. He carried the ball 15 times for 102 rushing yards and one touchdown.
After the game, Sumrall and Philo were understandably emotional. Philo was crying while being interviewed by the SEC Network after the win.
"He's got heart, he's tough," Sumrall said. "Our quarterback room hasn't always been perfect this year, but they love each other. I could not be more proud of them. We've shuffled back and forth trying to find the hot hand. He laid it on the line tonight. He emptied the freaking tank."
Florida doesn't really have a chance to make the College Football Playoff, but the team is bowl eligible. The Gators may have eliminated Kentucky from the CFP with the upset, though, as the Wildcats dropped to 7-3 on the 2026 season.
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