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The Gators returned to the Swamp following a tumoltuous week that saw their game against Eastern Washington delayed a day due to Hurricane Ian.
The game was everything the offense needed and left more to be desired from the defense at times.
Here are my grades for Florida’s 52-17 win over the Eagles:
Offense: A
How could you possibly score the offense anything but an A? Florida put up 666 yards of offense that included 392 in the passing game and 274 on the ground. Quarterback Anthony Richardson set the tone on the first play from scrimmage when he hit Justin Shorter for a 75-yard bomb to put the Gators on top. Florida also received some answers about the backup QB position as Jalen Kitna looked calm, cool, and confident.
As with the quarterback, many other positions saw younger, less experienced players get the opportunity to play. In total, thirteen Gators caught passes on Sunday and no one caught more than two.
Defense: C
Despite facing an FCS team that entered 1-2, the Gators defense continued to live by the “bend but don’t break” mantra. The Eagles took the opening drive 49 yards over thirteen plays that included a third and fourth down conversion. EWU converted eight third downs in the game.
The defense struggled to get off the field as mentioned above with the third down metric, but EWU was on the field for an absurd 36:28 (I know, some of that was attributed to the quickness that Florida scored).
Special Teams: D
Positive: Florida didn’t punt on Sunday. Negative: The Gators made one of two field goal attempts and the return game continues to be atrocious.
The blocked kick was the result of a botched snap, but there seems to be no answers in the return game. Xzavier Henderson averaged 5.4 yards on four punt returns with a long of 15 (the other three combined for eight yards). The only kick return was a 24-yard return by Trevor Etienne late in the fourth quarter. Etienne took it from the goal line and failed to make it to the 25 as a fair catch would have allowed, a common refrain from this team.
Coaching: B+
It’s hard to argue that this team wasn’t prepared to play. Offensively, Billy Napier called a fantastic game that put his quarterbacks in a good place with the brunt of the SEC schedule still to come. Defensively, the Gators are who they are. Feast or famine. The ability to get a big lead early and get reps for younger players may not pay off immediately, but it will help in the long run.
Florida will host Missouri for Homecoming Saturday. The game will kick off at noon.
The Florida Gators cruised to a 52-17 win over Eastern Washington in a game delayed a day due to Hurricane Ian making landfall in Florida and making it’s way across and through the state.
Despite the lopsided final score, it wasn’t always easy for the Gators. The Eagles actually got on the scoreboard first following a thirteen play opening drive that resulted in a 44-yard field goal. However, Florida showed their superiority offensively immediately. On their first play from scrimmage, QB Anthony Richardson found a wide open Justin Shorter for a 75-yard score.
Following an eleven play drive by EWU that stalled on downs, Montrell Johnson found the end zone from three yards out to increase the lead to 14-3.
By halftime, the Gators led 35-3 with Ricky Pearsall scoring on a 76-yard reverse followed by Xzavier Henderson catching a touchdown pass late in the second quarter.
The only blemish on the day came on Florida’s first possession out of the break as Anthony Richardson was intercepted, but he came back to lead the Gators to a field goal the very next possession, before being substituted out.
Redshirt freshman QB Jalen Kitna won’t forget his first passing touchdown with Florida. WR Caleb Douglas was streaking down the home sideline and Kitna hit him in stride for six points.
Kitna finished the game 8-12 for 152 yards and the score. Richardson went 8-10 for 240 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior Lorenzo Lingard led the rushing attack with five carries (all in the second half) for 45 hards and scored from eleven yards out in the fourth quarter.
As a team, the Gators put up 666 yards of total offense including 392 in the air. Defensive woes continued, though, as the Eagles possessed the ball for 36:23 of the clock and accumulated 411 yards of offense.
Florida (3-2, 0-2) will remain home to face Missouri at noon on Saturday. The Tigers are 2-3 overall and 0-2 in conference play. Missouri held a lead late in the fourth quarter against then-No. 1 Georgia on Saturday before falling, 26-22.
The Florida Gators return to the gridiron for the rare Sunday contest after Hurricane Ian forced the delay.
Following a tight contest in Knoxville, Florida has the opportunity to name their score against an FCS opponent from the Big West Conference in Eastern Washington.
The Eagles enter the matchup 1-2 overall and lost 70-14 to Oregon in their only other game against FBS competition to date. EWU lost All-American QB Eric Barriere and nine other starters from a team that made the FCS playoffs a year ago. This is the program’s first contest against an SEC team.
The following are my three keys to a Gators victory and a prediction, as well.
1. Start strong. Obviously, this could be the lead point every week. Confidence is proving to be critical to Florida QB Anthony Richardson’s performance. Against Tennessee, #15 led the Gators on a 12-play drive that, unfortunately, ended in a turnover on downs, but certainly built confidence that Florida could move the ball on the Vols.
Furthermore, the defense forced a fumble on Tennessee’s first series clinching a solid start by both units.
2. Control the lines of scrimmage. It will be important for Florida to find room in the running game, offensively. In Florida’s two wins this season, they have averaged 7.3 and 7.2 yards per carry. In the losses, just 4.5 and 3.4 yards. If Florida can move the line of scrimmage with the run game in the early downs, it’ll open things up down field in the passing game.
Defensively, the front seven needs to limit the Eagles’ run game and force EWU to pass the ball. Florida has given up over 200 rushing yards to three of their four opponents, so far. That can’t happen Sunday if the Gators want to add to the win column.
3. Force turnovers. I know, this one seems so obvious. But you have a turnover prone offense from EWU that is flying across country, you have to force them into mistakes. The Eagles have turned the ball over five times in their first three games and Florida will need to add to that to pull out the win.
Prediction: Florida should be able to name their score against an FCS program that traveled nearly 3,000 miles. But, they should have been able to against South Florida as well.
Florida will be riding the confidence they gained at the end of the Tennessee game and put this one away early. Gators 47, EWU 13.
The Florida vs Eastern Washington football game has been rescheduled to Sunday, October 2 with a noon kickoff, the UAA announced Wednesday.
The move was made as Hurricane Ian approaches the west Florida coastline.
All tickets for Saturday’s contest will be honored Sunday.
All regular activities will go on like normal though Gator Walk will be modified since University Avenue won’t be closed.
The game will only be available for streaming on SEC Network + or can be listened to through the Gator Radio Network.
Florida enters the contest 2-2 on the season after opening with the nation’s toughest schedule. The Eagles enter at 1-2 on the year with their lone win coming against Tennessee State.
Florida Soccer continues to struggle after dropping five in a row. The Gators dropped a 3-0 decision against Georgia Sunday to 2-8 overall and 0-3 in SEC play
Offensive Struggles
The Gators have been struggling to put the ball in the net as they have gone scoreless in their last two outings.
Florida has been outscored 22-10 through their first 10 games. It is a worse record than their first ten games last year where they were 3-4-3.
Georgia
Georgia has had an offensive explosion in the second half as they had three goals in 10 minutes.
Not one, not two, but three goals in 10-minute span 🤯@RebeccaWomer becomes the 15th different Dawg to score this season as she puts away her first career goal!
Florida really struggled in this game on the offensive side as they could only muster 4 shots for the game.
Alexa Goldberg did what she could at the net. She saved a season high six shots on goal. She now has 37 saves on the season.
Head Coach Samantha Bohon commented on her teams performance. “I don’t think we did a great job of rising to the opportunity. And we’ve got to figure out why because in a lot of other games they have…”
Florida now falls to the bottom of the SEC East as Georgia moves up to second.
A Look Ahead
Florida continues SEC play as they prepare for No. 10 South Carolina on Friday.
Georgia also plays on Friday as they will host No. 8 Alabama.
Trailing by five with 17 seconds to play Saturday at Neyland Stadium, Florida kicker Adam Mihalek lined up an onside kick. The ball took a high bounce as Florida linebacker Diwun Black leaped across the 45-yard line and snatched the ball in mid air.
The Gators advanced the ball across midfield, but quarterback Anthony Richardson threw an interception — his only pick of the day — as the clock expired to seal Tennessee’s 38-33 victory.
No. 20 Florida dropped to 2-2 overall and 0-2 in conference play — tied for last place in the SEC East. The No. 11 Vols improve to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in conference play — tied for the SEC-East lead with No. 1 Georgia and No. 8 Kentucky.
Game Summary
The Gators received the ball first and Richardson led a 64-yard drive that resulted in a fourth-down stop by the Volunteer defense at their own 20-yard line. Florida head coach Billy Napier rolled the dice on fourth down six times throughout the game and the Gators converted all five other attempts.
Florida quickly regained possession after linebacker Ventrell Miller punched the ball loose and safety Tre’Vez Johnson recovered the fumble.
After the game, Napier said he “couldn’t be more proud” of Miller. “[Miller’s] one of the best I’ve ever been around when it comes to just his ability to influence other people in a positive way,” Napier said.
After starting the season 3-3 including a 50-yard field goal against Kentucky, Mihalek missed wide of the left upright from just beyond the 40-yard line to keep the game scoreless.
With just over a minute remaining in the first quarter, the Vols opened up the scoring with a 32-yard field goal. The Gators answered with an eight-play, 75-yard drive capped off by a 44-yard touchdown pass — Richardson’s first this season — to tight end Keon Zipperer.
But on the first play of the next drive, Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker found a wide-open receiver for a 70-yard completion that led to a Hooker touchdown run.
The Gators fought back with another touchdown as Richardson barged his way into the end zone from seven yards out.
The second half began with alternating touchdown drives as neither defense could force a stop. Richardson ran in another touchdown — his team-leading fifth this year — before the Gainesville native fumbled in the red zone on the following drive.
Florida’s defense failed to force a punt all day and quickly allowed another touchdown as Tennessee took a 38-21 advantage — its largest lead of the game.
With under eight minutes to go, Florida entered desperation mode. The Gators quickly drove down the field before running back Montrell Johnson Jr. scored a five-yard touchdown.
Despite an extra point making it a 10-point game, Napier chose to keep the offense on the field for a two-point conversion. The Gators failed, and Napier’s questionable decision proved to be costly after Richardson delivered another touchdown pass with under a minute left to make it a one-possession game. If Florida opted to kick both extra points — assuming both were successful — it would have only needed a field goal to force overtime after Black eventually recovered the onside kick.
Back to the Swamp
The Gators will return to Gainesville to prepare for a three-game home stand ahead of their bye week. They’ll welcome Eastern Washington at noon on Oct. 1 before Missouri and LSU enter the swamp. With six conference battles and two non-conference games left on their schedule, the Gators will leave the Sunshine State only twice more this season for road contests against No. 23 Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.
“When we evaluate the tape, there’s going to be things that we can do better…that’s exactly where we’re at as a football team” Napier said. “I’m confident in this group and their attitude toward the work, and I know they’ll respond in the right way.”
Florida takes on the resurgent Tennessee Volunteers from Neyland Stadium in Knoxville Saturday. The game is slated for a 3:30 PM kickoff and will air live on CBS.
Here are my three keys to the game followed by a prediction:
1. Florida’s offense must get off to a quick start. Anthony Richardson has said it himself, confidence dictates play. What better way to build confidence than to strike quick and quiet the crowd?
How does Florida go about that? Obviously, a combination of the run and quick passing game are necessary. If the Gators run more of a single read offense designed to get the primary route in space, it’s much more likely to see a completed pass or at least limit the possibility of the ball being turned over. A few completed passes will open holes in the running game, like we saw against Utah.
2. Limit mistakes. While this seems targeted to the UF offense, it’s, perhaps, even more important defensively. Josh Heupel has built Tennessee into quite the offensive juggernaut. The Vols are scoring 52 points per game and are passing for nearly 400 yards a contest behind the arm of QB Hendon Hooker. If there is a blown coverage in the secondary or a missed assignment by linebacker, the result could easily be six points for UT.
Offensively, you have to trust Richardson to effectively run the gameplan. He’s said all the right things in media sessions, but he needs to come out of Knoxville with more touchdown passes than tackles (currently: tackles 2, touchdown passes 0), if the Gators are going to escape with a win.
3. Discipline, discipline, discipline. We all know the adage that the most disciplined football team wins games. With Richardson making his first true road start in front of more than 100,000 fans, discipline will be key. The Gators have utilized the clap for the snap count at home this year. Will they employ the same strategy in a hostile environment? Time will tell.
The defense will also have to play a disciplined game. Heupel’s offense will move quickly and allow very limited substitution. The defense has to be ready to go every second they are on the field or it could get ugly, quick.
Prediction: Which Gators team shows up on Saturday? The one that knocked off the No. 7 team in the Swamp just three weeks ago or the team that struggled against Kentucky and South Florida?
I expect Billy Napier to find ways to get Florida into the end zone. I just expect the Volunteers to find it more often. Florida’s defense, while much improved, so far, hasn’t seen an offense like they will see Saturday.
Florida is coming off a tough loss at home to Tennessee, but head coach Samantha Bohon loved her team’s performance in the game and gave a ton of credit to the Volunteer goalie, Lindsey Romig.
She said that she felt that her team didn’t lose this game, but Bohon won it for the Volunteers.
Ole Miss comes into this game 7-0-2 and comes off a big 2-1 victory against Kentucky.
Ole Miss averages over two goals a game while keeping their opponent under one.
Marykate Mcguire leads the way as she has five goals this season, followed by Mo O’Conner with four. With the Gators’ defense allowing over two goals a game, these would be two ladies to look out four on Thursday.
Florida’s struggles continue as they have lost three in a row to Tennessee, East Carolina and Florida State. They have been outscored 9-2 in that stretch.
The Gators have a long and important stretch of SEC games, and if they look to make a push into the postseason, it is important for them to win over half of these games.
Florida is the only team in the SEC currently with a losing record.
The No.12 Gators swept their sixth opponent of the year when they took on the Alabama Crimson Tide in their 2022 SEC opener Wednesday.
The team’s last game came when it took on Wisconsin in front of 16,833 fans, the NCAA volleyball regular season attendance record, and took down the Badgers, who fell from No. 4 to No. 6, in five sets. This didn’t stop Florida’s momentum as it won in 3 sets (25-19, 25-19, 25-17).
Merritt Beason set a career high with 21 kills in Friday’s match against Wisconsin. She kept this momentum going as she tallied the first point of the first set with a kill to put Florida up, 1-0.
Beason got two more kills in the next six serves to extend the teams lead to 6-1. Alabama narrowed the lead after it scored three of the next five points, but Sofia Victoria responded promptly with back-to-back kills.
A block by Alexis Stucky and Bre Kelley pushed to Gators’ lead to 11-4 and forced a timeout by the Crimson Tide. Florida then won 5 of 8 serves and extended its lead to a 9-point, 16-7 lead in the first set.
However, the Crimson Tide didn’t give up and found themselves right back in the game. Alabama went on a scoring spree, taking seven of the next eight points to narrow the Gators’ lead to 3 points, 17-14, and forcing a timeout by the home team.
The teams exchanged blows and the Gators found themselves holding a narrow 20-17 lead. Kills by Marina Markova and Gabrielle Essix gave Florida some breathing room in the form of a 5-point lead and forced a Crimson Tide timeout.
Florida held on and scored three of the next five points, capped off by a service ace by Stucky, to win the first set for the Gators, 25-19.
Stucky and Elli McKissock both showcased their offensive and defensive abilities. Stucky had 8 assists and 4 digs, and McKissock had 3 assists and 5 digs.
Florida, again, drew blood first when Essix picked up a kill to put the team up, 1-0. After a service error by Stucky, the Gators went on a 4-point run including 2 kills by Beason, a kill by Stucky and a service ace by Emily Canaan. The Gator led by a score of 5-1.
The Crimson Tide climbed back and scored 4 of 5 points to narrow the UF lead to 1 point, 6-5. However, Florida went on a run of its own, scoring the next 6 points and taking a 12-5 lead.
The team’s plit the next 8 points, and Florida held onto its lead, 16-9. The teams then took turns going on 3-point scoring runs, and the Gators still held a 7-point lead, 19-12.
The home team won 5 of 7 serves, giving them set point and a 10-point lead, 24-14. However, the Crimson Tide made sure Florida fans stayed on the edge of their seats, scoring 5 points in a row. The Gators won the set, 25-19, after Alabama’s service error following Florida’s timeout.
Alabama’s Alyiah Wells put the away team out front to start the third set, but a kill by Beason ties it up for Florida. The teams exchanged points again, and a 3-point run capped off by a service ace by McKissock put Florida in front, 5-2.
Alabama stayed close and brought the set within 2 after scoring back-to-back points; Florida led, 8-6. The Gators created some separation and went on a 5-point scoring run to give themselves a 7-point lead.
The Crimson Tide wouldn’t go away, and they won 4 of 5 serves to come within 4 points, 14-10. Two errors by Alabama and the fourth service ace by Canaan pushed the lead to 17-10 for UF.
The away team went on another 3-point run and trailed by 4, 17-13, forcing a timeout by Florida. The Crimson Tide stayed hot out of the break and brought the set within 3, but 3 points in a row for the Gators extended their lead to 6, 20-14, and forced a timeout by Alabama.
Florida allowed only three more points and finished the sweep, winning the third set, 25-17, after an error by Alabama.
Alexis Stucky led the way for the Gators as they took down their first SEC opponent of the year. Stucky gave credit to McKissock for manning the back row and the block for taking up space, not only in this game but over the past few games.
She said the team passed well tonight, which created opportunities for the offense, and the scouting report helped the team make the right decisions.
“I’m not necessarily the most offensive, but tonight was really exciting for me to take a couple swings,” Stucky said.
She finished the match with 3 kills on 4 attacks, 25 assists, 5 digs, 2 blocks and a service ace. Beason also played well and continued her momentum from her last game and led the team in kills, 9, and blocks, 3.
The Gators had 11 service aces on the night. Freshmen Canaan, who had 4 service aces, and Emerson Hoyle, who had 3, accounted for over half of the team’s service aces. McKissock added 2, and Stucky contributed one of her own.
Head coach Mary Wise said the team’s goal on serves is to take away the opponents option, and aces are an added bonus. She shouted out Canaan and Hoyle who combined for 7 aces and would have been playing in high school a year ago.
She said since the team was young, she and the team made sure the players didn’t fall into a trap and lose this game following their upset win in Wisconsin.
“It’s what players have to learn how to do, put the matches behind you,” Wise said.
Florida’s next match comes at 2 p.m. Saturday when it plays the first game in its weekend double header in South Carolina against the Gamecocks.
Florida head coach Mary Wise knew that nothing would come easy in her team’s final tune-up before SEC play opens. In addition to traveling to Wisconsin to face the No. 4 team in the nation, the Gators would have to contend with a raucous crowd that was attempting to set the NCAA regular season attendance record. The game was even moved from the UW Fieldhouse to the much larger Kohl Center.
For much of Friday’s match, however, Florida appeared to make it look easy. The Gators got out to big leads in the first three sets and cruised to victory in the first two. Florida dropped the third set despite leading 19-13 late. Florida completed the upset with a come from behind win in the fifth set.
The Gators took the opening set 25-21. The action was back and forth with neither team grabbing a commanding lead until Florida went on a 5-0 run to increase the advantage to 20-15 late in the set. Gabbi Essix totaled a team high four kills and three blocks in the first.
The Gators came out swinging in the second set, jumping out to a 6-3 lead and watching the advantage stay in the five to seven point range throughout. Florida took the second set 25-18. Merritt Beason led the charge offensively in the second set with five kills on seven swings. Bre Kelley hit at a perfect clip, going three for three on kills in the second.
Florida had the Badgers on the ropes for the sweep leading 19-13 in the third set, but three straight attack errors put Wisconsin right back into it. An Izzy Ashburn ace sealed the set for Wisconsin at 28-26.
Set four saw the Badgers seize momentum and carry it throughout the set. Wisconsin raced out to a 6-1 lead and routed Florida 25-13. The Gators made more errors on the attack than kills resulting in the -0.86 hitting percentage. The Badgers only recorded seven kills in the set because Florida kept making errors on the attack.
The fifth set saw Wisconsin continue the momentum gained in the previous two sets. The Badgers jumped out to a 6-3 lead before Florida was able to tie things up at 9. A kill from Kelley put the Gators at match point with a 14-12 lead. Kelly and Marina Markova recorded a block to end the match at 15-13 to send the crowd of 16,833 home disappointed.
The crowd broke the previous attendance record that had been set on September 7, 2022 between Nebraska and Creighton.
Beason led the Gators with 21 kills on the night while Essix added ten more. Elli McKissock finished with a team high eighteen digs.
The No. 16 Gators moved to 7-2 overall and will enter conference play Wednesday night when they host Alabama at Exactech Arena. First serve is scheduled for 7:00 PM.
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