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The Florida Gators have landed a big fish at a rival’s expense. In-state offensive lineman Roderick Kearney announced his commitment to Florida, flipping from Florida State, where he had been committed since June 26.
Kearney is rated a four-star prospect on the 247 composite rankings. He is listed as the nation’s No. 4 IOL and No. 123 overall prospect.
The 6’4, 300 lb prospect from Orange Park was primarily recruited by Rob Sale and Darnell Stapleton.
Kearney publicly spurned Florida when he committed to Florida State. The commitment came less than an hour following his official visit to UF. He took his official visit to Tallahassee October 15.
Kearney is the twenty-second commitment in Florida’s 2023 class. The Gators’ class is ranked No. 8 in the country and No. 4 in the SEC.
Gators winless streak continues as Alabama rolled over Florida Sunday.
Alabama
The Crimson Tide are at the top of the SEC and it showed again on Sunday. They have outscored their opponents 54-11 this season and they had another shutout against UF.
Kat Rogers got the Tide on the board first as she scored her first goal of the season in the 26th minute.
On the defensive side, Alabama pitched its ninth shutout of the year.
With the win, Alabama clinched its first SEC title in program history.
Moving along, the Tide travel to Auburn to Take on the Tigers.
Florida Gators
UF suffers yet another loss. This is shaping up to be the worst season in the program’s history.
This was the Gators sixth time being shut out this year and have been outscored 35-15 this season.
Head coach Samantha Bohon gave her thoughts on the game. “Thought our team did a really good job of executing that formation. Two good individual plays by Alabama players really was the difference in tonight’s game.”
Regular Season Finale
Florida will host its final game of the regular season on Thursday, and it is also their senior night.
Later, Vanderbilt helped the Gators out by giving them their own goal in the 70th minute.
Even with the help, the Vanderbilt Defense was too much.
Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt had no mercy for the Gator goalkeeper Francesca Faraci. Raegan Kelley was a star as she scored her 27th career goal and scored two goals in the game.
Florida was shocked at home by Georgia four days after completing a weekend sweep against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs swept the Gators (25-22, 25-23, 25-20) Wednesday night.
Marina Markova got started quickly to get Florida out to an early lead. She opened the first set with back-to-back kills.
The first went through the hands of Georgia’s frontline, and the second was tapped over the outstretched hands of the Bulldogs. She and Gabrielle Essix scored once again for the Gators after they blocked Georgia’s attack.
Despite the hot start, Florida lost all the momentum and gave up 8 points, forcing them into a timeout. The team gave up 2 service aces and got blocked seeing them fall to an 8-3 deficit.
After the timeout, Florida found its footing. Markova got her third kill of the night, and a ball handling error by Georgia had the Gators trailing by three, 8-5.
Georgia’s Kacie Evans prevented a run with a kill, but Essix kept her team close with her first kill of the night. Back-to-back kills by Sophie Fischer extended the Bulldogs’ lead to 11-6.
Merritt Beason then became involved with a kill, and a subsequent attack error by Fischer had Florida trailing 11-8. Georgia won three of the next four serves to take a 5-point lead.
The Gators answered with a 3-point run, including a service ace by Trinity Adams, to bring themselves within two. The Gators scored again, but a challenge awarded Georgia with the point after the ball was ruled out on Florida. What would have been a 1-point deficit turned into one of 3 points in favor of Georgia.
The Bulldogs then scored three in a row to take an 18-12 lead. Markova tallied another kill, but a kill by Evans kept Georgia’s lead at six.
Markova stayed involved as she got her fifth kill of the night and a block to have the Gators trailing 19-15. A kill by Beason brought the home team within three and forced a Bulldog timeout.
The timeout couldn’t keep Beason from making an impact as she got another kill after the break. Fischer stopped the Gators’ 4-point run, but Beason tallied another kill to bring the team within two.
The Gators stuffed Georgia twice in a row to tie the set at 20. Evans slowed the Gators’ momentum, but kills by Essix and Bre Kelley gave Florida its second lead of the set, 22-21.
After Georgia scored back-to-back points, Georgia hit an error on an attack. The call was challenged and overturned after it was ruled Florida touched the ball. The Bulldogs took the next point and the first set, 25-22.
The Gators came into the second set on the attack, taking the first 5 points behind a block, 2 attack errors and 2 service aces by Emily Canaan. A service ace by Canaan ended the run, and a kill and block brought the Bulldogs within two.
An attack by Sofia Victoria was touched by Georgia, and the opposing coach, Tom Black, called the teams third challenge nine serves into the second set. The call stood and Victoria got another kill to put Florida out front by four, 7-3.
Another Gator service ace, this time by Elli McKissock extended the lead and forced a timeout by Georgia. Florida committed two errors in a row, but a kill by Kelley gave UF a 9-5 lead.
Florida scored on four of the next six serves, including a kill by Markova, to take a 13-7 lead. Markova kept her momentum going as she tallied back-to-back kills to push the Florida lead to 15-9.
Georgia scored four in a row to trail by only two. A kill by Markova and service error on Georgia put Florida on a run, but the Bulldogs stole the momentum and took an 18-17 lead capped off with a block on Beason’s attack.
Georgia kept rolling, scoring the next 2 points. An attack error by Georgia’s Fischer ended the team’s 6-point run. Georgia, again, scored back-to-back fueled by a kill by Evans and a service ace.
Kelley got another kill, but two more points for the Bulldogs gave them set point. Despite a spirited run to close the set, Georgia held on to win the set 25-23 and take a two-set lead.
Florida once again found itself with an early lead. An attack error and 2 kills by Beason put the Gators out front, 3-1.
However, history repeated itself again, and the Bulldogs went on a 6-point run to take a 7-3 lead. The Gators showed they can also go on scoring runs and took the next four serves to tie the set at 7.
The teams exchanged punches until Georgia broke the pattern following an attack error by Markova to give Georgia an 11-9 lead. The teams alternated 2-point scoring runs until Georgia pushed theirs to three in a row with a block to put them ahead 16-13.
A Beason kill brought Florida back within two, but Evans and Fischer got kills to give their team an 18-14 lead and force a timeout by head coach Mary Wise and the Gators.
The Bulldogs took the first serve out of the break, but a kill by Kelley and block by Kelley and Beason brought the Gators back within three. Georgia responded with two more points and held a 5-point lead, just four points away from a sweep.
Two Georgia errors kept Florida close and forced a timeout by the away team. Beason served the ball into the net, and the Bulldogs held a 22-18 lead.
Victoria got a kill, but Georgia won the last three serves and completed a sweep in Gainesville.
Markova had one of her most impactful matches of the season. She led the way for the Gators with 14 kills. Beason and Victoria both contributed 7 kills, tied for second on the team.
Essix led Florida in blocks with 5. Beason contributed 4 kills, and Markova had 3.
The Gators struggled to play a clean game against the Bulldogs. The team hit only .090% with 35 kills on 100 attacks.
The team had 26 attack errors, compared to 18 by Georgia. The Gators were stuffed at the net frequently as the Bulldogs totaled 11 blocks.
Florida will hope to clean up its play Oct. 26 when it travels to Auburn to take on the Crimson Tide.
The Florida Gators dropped a 45-35 contest to rival LSU in one of the most embarrassing defensive efforts in program history.
The loss drops the Gators to 4-3 overall and 1-3 in SEC play while LSU improved to 5-2 (3-1 SEC).
So, let’s just get into it. The following are my grades for Florida’s loss to LSU:
Offense: B-
Things started out really well. A 47-yard return by Trevor Etienne on the opening kickoff followed by a 51 yard score by Justin Shorter got the crowd in a frenzy. The Gators also took advantage of the short field after a muffed punt by LSU to take a 21-14 lead in the second quarter. QB Anthony Richardson’s fourth quarter, 81-yard run was the highlight of Florida’s come back bid that ultimately fell just short.
In all, the Florida offense rushed for 210 yards and accumulated 395 yards of total offense. Richardson finished the game 15-25 for 185 yards and no turnovers.
Defense: F
LSU only had eight possessions all night. That’s largely thanks to the inability of Florida to get off the field on third and fourth down. The Tigers went 8-12 on third down and 2-2 on fourth down. The results of those eight drives: six touchdowns, a field goal, and one punt.
The Gators allowed LSU QB Jaden Daniels to look like a Heisman candidate, completing 23-32 for 349 yards and accounting for six touchdowns. LSU finished with 528 yards of total offense and ran 72 plays compared to Florida’s 61.
Special Teams: A
A 47-yard return to open the game, a 62-yard punt, a muffed punt recovery, and 5-5 on extra point attempts makes for a solid day from Florida’s special teams.
Just hours after three-star safety Bryce Thornton announced his commitment to Florida, the Gators landed another blue-chip prospect in the secondary. 4-star DB Dijon Johnson announced his commitment to Florida Thursday evening to cap a big day on the recruiting trail for the Gators.
Johnson is ranked as the nation’s No. 96 overall prospect and No. 7 safety in the 2023 recruiting cycle according to the 247 composite rankings.
Johnson committed to Ohio State in April but backed off his pledge after attending the Friday Night Lights camp in the Swamp at the end of July. He has made multiple trips to Gainesville and will take an official visit this weekend against LSU.
The 6’1, 190 lb prospect from Tampa was recruited by DB coach Corey Raymond and DC Patrick Toney and chose Florida over Ohio State, Alabama, Auburn, and many more.
Johnson is the twenty-second commitment Florida has taken in the 2023 class. Florida has risen all the way to No. 8 in 247’s team rankings with this commitment.
The Florida Gators received some good news on the recruiting trail Thursday afternoon with the commitment of Bryce Thornton. Thornton is a three-star prospect out of Alpharetta, GA.
Thornton announced his commitment as he was down to a final two of Florida and Alabama. Gators’ DC Patrick Toney led the charge in Thornton’s recruitment, while William Peagler was also very involved.
Thornton is ranked as the nation’s No. 485 overall prospect and the No. 45 safety in the 2023 recruiting cycle.
The 5’10, 185 lb prospect is Florida’s 21st commit in the 2023 class.
Florida was up 2-0 entering the third set, but it blew its lead when Louisiana State took the third and fourth sets in dramatic fashion.
The Gators finished the match strong and took the final set behind career-high performances from a couple of the team’s top players. Florida took down LSU in five sets (25-18, 26-24, 25-27, 21-25, 15-9).
Merritt Beason gave Florida an early edge with a kill to give the team a 1-0 lead. After two kills and a service error by LSU, Beason got another kill to put UF up, 3-2.
Beason committed an error on her next serve, but the team scored four points in a row to retake the lead, 7-3. The Tigers got a kill and Florida went on another run, this time for three points to go up 10-4.
LSU took three of the next four serves, but back-to-back kills by Beason stopped the Tigers’ run and saw the score at 13-7. The teams took turns scoring until Alexis Stucky’s service ace broke the pattern and gave Florida a 19-12 lead.
The Tigers won five of the next six serves to bring the set within reach at 20-17. Florida clutched up going on a 5-1 run of their own to win the first set, 25-18. Beason came up big for her team with 6 kills in the set.
Florida got out to another quick lead, 2-0, after a kill by Gabrielle Essix and an error by LSU’s Alia Williams. Sofia Victoria got 2 kills over the next five serves to put Florida ahead, 4-3.
LSU answered in a big way, going on a 7-2 run to take a 10-6 lead. UF brought it within 2, 12-10, behind kills from Beason and Bre Kelley.
The Tigers retook the momentum with four points in a row to go up, 16-10. The Tigers and Gators split the next four points, putting the score at 18-12 in favor of LSU.
The Gators went on the biggest run of the game, stealing the momentum with a 10-point run to lead, 22-18. LSU’s 5-1 run tied the set back up at 23. Each team scored a point and then errors by the Tigers gave Florida a 26-24 second-set victory.
Florida got off to an even quicker start in the third set with a 5-0 run. LSU then went on a run of their own, 6-2, until a kill by Victoria slowed the Tigers down.
However, a 4-point LSU run put the Tigers up, 10-8. The teams took turns scoring until Beason got back-to-back kills to tie the set at 14.
The Tigers scored back-to-back points, UF scored three in a row, and LSU went on their own 3-point run to take a 19-17 lead.
A kill by Marina Markova and an attack error by LSU tied the set at 19. LSU won five of seven serves and faced set point at 24-21.
Despite a 3-point run by Florida to tie the set at 24, the Tigers finished the set strong and won, 27-25.
After three sets, the Tigers finally scored to open the set as fourth began. The teams took turns committing service errors and getting kills until the set was tied at 4.
Florida scored again to take a 5-4 lead, but a 5-0 run for LSU gave the set right back to the away team. The Gators kept the set close until Essix’s service error started a 6-point run for the Tigers to put LSU out front by 9, 19-11.
Florida went on a 7-2 run to come within 3, 21-18, as the set approached its end. LSU managed to hold onto its lead and won the set, 25-21, capped off by a kill by Williams.
An attack error by Markova gave LSU a 1-0 lead to start the final set of the match. She recovered and tied it with a kill, and an error by LSU put the Gators on top until a kill for LSU tied it back up at 2.
Both teams scored back-to-back points and the set was still tied, this time at 4. Florida took the momentum and scored four points in a row to go up, 8-4.
LSU tallied a kill, but UF created more separation with back-to-back points including a kill by Essix. The team’s went back and forth until an attack error by Markova brought the Tigers closer at 12-9.
Beason got her 21st kill of the match, and Okammor got her fourth block of the set to give Florida the set point. LSU’s Sanaa Dotson committed an attack error, and the Gators clinched the victory.
After an impressive 15.5 block performance Oct. 8, the Gators managed to top that stat with 16 in the second game of the weekend series against LSU. Essix led the way for the Gators with 10 blocks, and Beason was just behind with 8 blocks of her own.
Beason tied her career high in kills from the Gators’ upset victory in Wisconsin with 21 kills. Victoria and Markova added 16 and 14 respectively, and Essix tallied 12 kills to give her a first collegiate double-double and career high stats in both categories.
Florida had three players with double digit kills; Elli McKissock had 20, Stucky had 16 (a career high, and Emily Canaan had 10. Stucky also managed a career high in assists with 56 of the team’s 63 total assists.
Essix, Beason and Stucky all set career highs to help put the Gators on top in a tight, five-set battle.
The Gators will now turn their sights to Mississippi State, which the team will play Friday and Saturday in a two-game series.
The Gators played in their first home game in 17 days and came up with a win in four hard-fought sets (25-18, 23-25, 25-19, 27-25).
No. 15 Florida went into the game with a 3-1 SEC record and were looking to add to the win column as it took on the Louisiana State Tigers in Gainesville.
The home team started the opening set with a kill by Merritt Beason. After errors by both teams, Beason came back with another kill to give the Gators a 3-1 lead.
The Gators scored four of the next seven points and held a 7-4 lead. However, LSU made sure to keep the set close and took the next four points to take an 8-7 lead.
The teams exchanged service errors and then took turns scoring, putting the Tigers on top, 11-10. Florida put an end to the back-and-forth stretch and won six serves in a row to give them the lead, 16-11.
LSU scored off a kill by Anita Anwusi, but UF went on another run, this time four points, to lead, 20-12. The Gators took three of five serves and held a 9-point, 23-14 lead.
The Tigers went on a 4-point run, but couldn’t catch the Gators who won the first set, 25-18.
Florida started the second set the same way it began the first, with an early lead, this time because of a service error by LSU. The Tigers committed another error and got blocked and then got a kill of their own as the Gators led, 3-1.
UF gots its first kill of the set when Alexis Stucky assisted Sofia Victoria for the Gator point. After a point for LSU, Florida won back-to-back serves, including another kill by Victoria.
The home team held a 4-point lead, but it disappeared after a 6-2 run by LSU to tie the set at 8. Each team scored 3 points to keep the set ties at 11, but the Gators rebounded with a 4-point run to give them a 15-11 lead.
The Tigers won four of the next six serves and trailed by only 2, 17-15. The Gators scored 3 points in a row, but the Tigers answered with a 3-point run themselves, forcing a Gators timeout.
LSU scored another 3 in a row following the Florida timeout to put them ahead, 21-20. The Gators won back-to-back serves and quickly retook the lead, 22-21.
The Tigers took the lead back, 23-22, after kills by Alia Williams and Sanaa Dotson. The Gators called a timeout but lost the following serve when Williams blocked Gabrielle Essix’s shot.
An attack error by LSU brought the Gators closer, but a service error by AC Fitzpatrick gave the 25-23 second-set victory to the Tigers.
Williams gave the Tigers an early lead this time with a kill, but UF didn’t let their opponent hold the lead for long, going on a 4-point run. The teams split the next ten serves to push the score to 9-6 in favor of Florida.
The Gators took the next three points as well to put them ahead by 6, 12-6. The Tigers scored five points in a row, including 2 kills by Dotson, to put them within one point.
Marina Markova stopped the run with a kill to give Florida a 13-11 lead. Williams got another kill, but a Florida 3-point run put UF ahead 16-12.
The Tigers won five of six serves behind Williams’ two serves to tie the set at 17 and force a Gators timeout. A Beason kill and LSU error put UF back on top, 19-17. Florida allowed only two more points the rest of the set and won, 25-19.
LSU, again, took the first point of the set as the fourth set began. Markova got a kill, but a Canaan service error, but the Tigers back on top, 2-1.
The Gators then took five of six points and led, 6-3. Florida and LSU split the next fourteen serves, and the home team led, 13-10.
They went on a 5-2 run and led by 6, 18-12. LSU scored three in a row, including two service aces by Ella Larkin. Markova stopped the bleeding with a kill to give Florida a 19-15 lead.
The Tigers retaliated with a 4-point run to tie the set at 19. Each team scored to tie it at 20 and then took turns scoring two in a row until Florida led 25-24.
Anwusi got a kill to tie it at 25, but Markova answered with a kill, and Bre Kelley ended the set with a service ace to win the set 27-25 and win the match 3-1.
The Gators were a force at the net, tallying up 15.5 blocks as they ate up LSU’s attacks all night. Kelley and Essix wouldn’t let an attack past them as they tied for a team-leading 7 blocks.
Stucky directed the offense with her 44 assists, while also contributing 2 blocks and 4 digs. Elli McKissock led the team with 21 digs, but Beason’s 11 digs were instrumental in the team’s win.
Beason also contributed 15 kills, tied with Markova for the team high, and 5 blocks.
The Gators play LSU again at 3 p.m. Sunday in Gainesville.
The Florida Gators celebrate Homecoming against conference – rival Missouri at noon on Saturday. The Tigers roll into Gainesville with the same record as Florida (3-2, 0-2 in SEC), but are coming off a near upset of then No. 1 Georgia in CoMo.
The following are my three keys to a Gators victory and a prediction, as well.
1. Florida must get production from the defensive front seven. Three of Florida’s four leading tacklers on the year are mainstays in the secondary. That means teams are moving the defensive line and gaining chunks of yards at a time. This is a major problem for the Gators. The defensive front seven need to dominate the line of scrimmage early, especially in the running game, if Florida is going to be successful Saturday.
Mizzou RB Cody Schrader rushed for nearly 15 yards a carry against the vaunted Georgia defense last week and Florida’s run defense has been terrible. Mizzou has the SEC’s eighth ranked run game, three spots ahead of Tennessee, who ran for 227 yards against the Gators just two weeks ago.
It’s not just about stopping the ground attack though. Florida’s linemen have largely struggled to get to the quarterback with just eight sacks on the year despite a pair of matchups against an FCS opponent and a poor group of five team. Gervon Dexter (0.5 sacks) and Brenton Cox (0 sacks), among others, must make an impact and get to the quarterback.
2. Get the ball to Ricky Pearsall. Ricky Pearsall is a threat to score every time he touches the football. We saw his explosiveness on his 75 yard WR sweep touchdown last week. Pearsall is also a clean route runner and has good hands.
Expect to see Pearsall get the ball in space more frequently. Head coach Billy Napier will likely do whatever it takes to get the ball in his hands thanks to his extraordinary ability.
Pearsall in the slot and Justin Shorter’s emergence on the outside the last two weeks has helped QB Anthony Richardson settle in. If Richardson is comfortable, the sky is the limit for the Gators offense.
3. Win the turnover battle. This one is pretty obvious. Florida is 0-2 when they turn the ball over more than once. Mizzou has turned the ball over nine times so far including four times against Kansas State. How did the Tigers maintain a lead for three quarters against Georgia? They protected the football. If the Gators can force turnovers, they will win this game.
Prediction: Florida is the more talented team in this matchup, but that doesn’t always translate to victories. I think we see a shootout in Gainesville Saturday resulting in a Florida win. Gators 34, Missouri 28.
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