NCAA Football Recap (Florida-Kentucky)
Posted: Sat September 27, 1997 at 11:20 p.m. EDT
Doug Johnson threw five touchdown passes, including three to
Jacquez Green in a 28-point first quarter, as Florida
provided Tim Couch a learning experience in a 55-28 rout of
Southeastern Conference East foe Kentucky.
Florida (4-0, 2-0 SEC) scored early and often, never allowing
the dangerous Couch a chance to get Kentucky's offense going.
Johnson was 22-of-34 for 286 yards and no interceptions and
Green caught 10 passes for 139 yards. Johnson and Couch now
have 17 touchdown passes this season.
"I didn't come into the game to prove something," Johnson said.
"I just wanted to execute. I'm not trying to make a statement.
The biggest statement will be what happens at the end of the
season. I'm not trying to be like Danny (Wuerffel), although he
was a good competitor and a good player. All I want to be like
is Doug."
Kentucky (2-2, 0-2) had its four-game home winning streak
stopped and lost to Florida for the 11th straight time, falling
to 17-31 in the all-time series. The Wildcats are 5-27 against
Florida since 1957, including a current 1-17 slide.
Couch, who threw seven TD passes last week against Indiana, was
33-of-59 for 348 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions.
He had five less yards than Heisman Trophy frontrunner Peyton
Manning of Tennessee had last week in a loss to the Gators.
Florida scored 22 seconds into the game on its first offensive
play when Fred Taylor, who carried 14 times for 126 yards, ran
16 yards for a score, paving the way for the Johnson-Green show.
Defensive end Willie Rodgers intercepted Couch off a tip on the
first offensive play of the game, though television replays
showed the ball appeared to hit the ground.
"I haven't seen the film, and I don't know what the official
saw," Couch said. "I know I saw it hit the ground."
Johnson threw a four-yard scoring pass to Green to make it 14-0
just 4:16 into the game and the pair hooked up on a 10-yarder
4:28 later. Cornerback Fred Weary made the first of his two
interceptions late in the quarter and, on the next play, Johnson
and Green closed the 28-point quarter by connecting on a 25-yard
scoring pass with 12 seconds left.
"We try to play our own game and not worry much about the
opponent," Green said. "I try to run the pass routes as best I
can and good things usually happen."
"We tried to pressure him in the first half," Kentucky coach Hal
Mumme said of Green. "He is very talented. We had freshmen
playing cornerback and we needed to get them some snaps. He
probably didn't think we had great pressure on him."
Kentucky's Craig Yeast had a career day with 10 catches and 125
yards, while Kevin Coleman added five catches for 62 yards and a
pair of 19-yard scores.
Kentucky, which was outgained 507-470, tried to get back into
the game in the second quarter. Anthony White scored on a
14-yard run to cap a 94-yard drive with 5:14 remaning and
cornerback Andre Haslip recovered the ensuing onside kick.
Running the hurry-up offense, Couch was intercepted by Weary for
a second time, thwarting the drive and leaving Kentucky with a
28-7 deficit at the half.
"Their front seven is huge," Couch said. "It seems like they
all run a 4.4 or a 4.5. They're just a tough football team. We
just couldn't get anything going. I let a few passes get away
and tried to force a few. But we settled down and and showed
what we could do."
In addition to his two interceptions, Weary had 10 tackles and
broke up three passes.
Florida came out charging in the second half, and Johnson waited
just over five minutes to throw a five-yard TD pass to Travis
McGriff, finiching a 12-play, 80-yard drive. Johnson connected
with Jamie Richardson on a 17-yard score less than five minutes
later and Taylor notched his second 16-yard touchdown run with
2:28 remaining in the period to make it 49-7.
"We were a little disappointed we didn't play the whole game,"
Florida coach Steve Spurrier said. "But this was a good, solid
victory for us. It's hard to get mad at the offense, but
defensively we didn't play the whole game. After the first
quarter, we looked like we were just trying to get home. We are
happy to get another road victory."
Couch, a sophomore who has flourished under Mumme's passing
attack, never quit. He ran eight yards for a touchdown with 27
seconds left in the third quarter and threw the first of two
19-yard scoring passes to Coleman with just under 10 minutes
remaning in the game as Kentucky closed within 49-21.
Eugene McCaslin scored on a six-yard run for Florida with 6:04
to play and Couch threw another scoring pass to Coleman with
2:24 left.
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