When Kentucky hired Florida State defensive coordinator Mark Stoops as its head coach in November 2012, the Wildcats had succumbed to Florida 26 consecutive times, and nobody was about to compare him to Bear Bryant.
By the start of the 2018 season, the losing streak to Florida had swelled to 31, and Stoops possessed a 26-36 record in Lexington.
The investment Kentucky had in Stoops began paying notable dividends four years ago, as the Wildcats broke through with a 10-win season they would match last year. The Wildcats have never won 11 regular-season contests but took a significant step Saturday night, scoring the last 19 points of a 26-16 blanketing of No. 12 Florida in the Swamp.
It was Kentucky's third win over the Gators in five seasons and the second straight, and it earned the Wildcats a No. 9 ranking Sunday in the latest Associated Press poll.
"You've got to be a tough son of a 'b' to come into this environment and win," Stoops said Saturday in a news conference. "We all understand that, and we know this team is built that way. We've shown it through the years. That's who we are, and we're going to be a tough, hard-nosed football team that wins tough games no matter what they look like.
"We may win and we may lose, but we're going to be tough."
Kentucky has outscored Florida 26-3 after halftime in their past two meetings.
A week after Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson vaulted into the Heisman Trophy conversation, that topic was snuffed by a Kentucky defense that forced him into 14-of-35 passing for 143 yards and two interceptions and held him to 4 rushing yards. The Wildcats continued their disciplined ways under Stoops, committing two penalties for 10 yards.
Saturday's win was the 61st for Stoops, topping the 60 that Bryant amassed at Kentucky from 1946-53, when the Wildcats experienced their greatest stretch with consecutive trips to the Orange, Sugar and Cotton bowls.
"I'm glad it happened here," Stoops, who was hired just days before Tennessee hired Butch Jones, said of the accomplishment. "I would have liked to have been at home with our fans and family and friends and all that, but that's OK. There is time for that.
"We needed this one."
Georgia on Sunday became the first program in college football history to ascend to the No. 1 ranking following a win over Samford.
Alabama had 15 penalties and six first downs through the first three quarters of Saturday's 20-19 escape at Texas, but the Crimson Tide had Will Reichard on the sideline.
Reichard's 33-yard field goal with 10 seconds remaining served as the game's decisive play, and it was the latest example of how the 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior has exorcised the demons of Alabama's kicking woes in recent years.
"Will has been a consistent performer for us for several years now," Alabama 16th-year coach Nick Saban said. "I've never been around a guy who had a perfect season, and he actually had a perfect season (2020) as a kicker. He never missed an extra point, and he never missed a field goal. He had a game-winner today, and I don't know if that was his first, but I had total confidence in him.
"Will has done a phenomenal job for us and is one of the most most consistent performers on our team."
Since the start of the 2020 season, Reichard is 40-of-46 on field-goal attempts and 164-of-165 on extra-point tries. His most recent attempt gave Alabama its first winning kick with less than five minutes to play since 2006.
"I just wanted to get an opportunity," Reichard said. "These guys fought all game long, and I just wanted to do my part and help our team win."
Tennessee may have its dominant trio of receivers already set in Josh Heupel's second season.
A year after Cedric Tillman, Velus Jones and JaVonta Payton combined on 144 catches for 2,301 yards and 25 touchdowns, Tillman, Jalin Hyatt and Bru McCoy were the busy bodies during Saturday's 34-27 overtime win at Pittsburgh. Tillman, Hyatt and McCoy combined on 24 receptions for 293 yards and two scores, with Ramel Keyton's one catch that failed to net any yards the only other reception by that position group.
"Whoever is out there, I'm going to get them the ball when they're open," quarterback Hendon Hooker said. "My job is to get the playmakers the ball in space and let them do what they do. Whoever is out there with me, I'm going to get them the ball."
Hyatt led the Vols with 11 catches, while Tillman's 162 yards topped the team in that category. McCoy was effective as well with four receptions for 58 yards and a score.
"I thought Bru did an unbelievable job playing strong and physical with yards after the catch," Heupel said.
Missouri scored on the final play of its 40-12 loss at Kansas State to avoid its worst nonconference loss as an SEC member.
"One game does not define a season, and it's not going to define our season," Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz said. "How we respond will. There are going to be a lot of negative thoughts and opinions out there, so this team has to stay together.
"Everything we're trying to accomplish is still out in front of us, but we've got to get a lot better than we were today."
Texas A&M's 17-14 home loss to Appalachian State left Jimbo Fisher with a 35-15 record early in his fifth season, with predecessor Kevin Sumlin having compiled a 36-14 mark through his first 50 games.
Sumlin was fired after his sixth season, while Fisher is set to make $9 million this year in a deal that runs through 2031 and has the sport's largest buyout.
"We'll evaluate everything we do," Fisher said. "We'll look at everybody. There is a lot of football left."
Alabama is 24-0 under Saban in games that kick off at 12:30 p.m. Eastern or earlier. ... Auburn's defense has allowed just 24 first-quarter touchdowns in its past 68 games. ... Georgia is favored by 24.5 points at South Carolina this week, while Tennessee is a 48-point favorite over Akron.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.