Kadarius Toney caught the ball and went backwards. Instead of cutting up field, he cut to his right and tried to use his speed to outrun Kentucky’s entire defense. “Man,” defensive end Jabari Zuniga thought on the sideline, “what’re you doing?”
It worked.
The freshman wideout evaded tacklers and turned what should have been a minimal-gain screen pass into a 19-yard reception. And there was much more to come for Toney on Saturday.
Toney is listed as an athlete on Florida’s roster, and he lived up to that classification. Aside from his 19-yard catch on his first touch of the game, he grabbed three more passes for 16 more yards.
He was also the team’s second-leading rusher. Playing out of the wildcat formation, he took a direct snap for a 36-yard score in the second quarter. He finished with 39 yards
The former high school quarterback also got in on the passing game. When offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier reached deep into the playbook with Florida needing a spark in the middle of the fourth quarter, Toney delivered with a 50-yard heave to Tyrie Cleveland. It set up the score that made the game 27-21.
Toney’s performances in practice, as well as in last week’s game against Tennessee, have earned praise from teammates.
“Kadarius Toney,” defensive end Cece Jefferson said after a letting out a loud laugh, “that boy got a created player name. That's what he plays like: a created player. Hats off to him. I watched that guy work hard in camp, and it's just showing. He's a guy that's going to help us win a lot of games.”
Despite his early daring escape attempt, Zuniga also commended him after the game.
“He’s special,” he said. “Very special.”
-- Heading into Saturday, Florida cornerback Duke Dawson’s status was uncertain. The senior defensive back had been placed under concussion protocol, and he needed to pass certain tests to see the field.
About four hours before the game, the team announced on Twitter that Dawson would play. And while he managed just one tackle against the Wildcats, he also notched one of Florida’s two pass breakups on the evening.
-- Linebacker David Reese entered Saturday’s game with a team-leading 18 tackles this season. He further separated himself from the competition by leading the team in tackles with eight against UK.
-- Fellow starting linebacker Vosean Joseph was ejected from the game in the second quarter for targeting Kentucky quarterback Stephen Johnson. As he left, he called for more boos from fans.
-- Several Florida players were injured against the Wildcats, and their statuses moving forward are unclear.
Cleveland “tweaked his shoulder,” according to McElwain, while fellow wideout Brandon Powell hurt his ribs. Defensive tackle Khairi Clark is nursing a calf injury and linebacker Cristian Garcia injured his shoulder.
McElwain didn’t sound too concerned with any of them, but he didn’t provide much of a prognosis either.
-- Punting was valuable for both teams. Florida’s Johnny Townsend, who entered Saturday’s game averaging a nation-leading 50.18 yards per punt, continued to dominate with five kicks for an average of 52.2 yards. UK’s Matt Panton didn’t notch similar distance, but he did pin Florida at its 1-yard line with a perfectly placed kicked in the second quarter. An indirect result of that punt was a Kentucky touchdown on its next possession.
Contact Ethan Bauer at ebauer@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @ebaueri.
Kadarius Toney carries the ball during Florida's 28-27 victory over Kentucky on Sept. 23, 2017, at Kroger Field.
