Florida played perhaps it’s best game of Billy Napier’s tenure, taking a huge upset chance deep into the 4th quarter before eventually faltering late in a 34-20 loss to Georgia. The team played hard and with emotion for 60 minutes, but at the end couldn’t overcome some crippling injuries and another critical special teams gaffe.
The Gator offense ran the ball surprisingly well against a constant 7- and 8-man front. The O-line had by far it’s best game of the season, getting some push and opening holes for RBs Jaden Baugh and Ja’Kobi Jackson, while giving the QBs some time to come off their primary reads when passing. DJ Lagway did what he does, making some plays with his legs to extend some drives, and hitting the Bulldog defense with a deep shot to Aiden Mizell for a 7-3 lead and some momentum. That play loosened up the defense until……the worst-case scenario unfolded. Lagway slipped on the turf scrambling, and somehow injured his hamstring badly enough to be carted off the field and effectively ending any big-play capability or consistency for the offense. In came 3rd-stringer Aidan Warner, a transfer from Yale. To his credit, Warner played hard and showed some composure in being thrown into such a tough circumstance. He did just enough to lead the Gators to a FG and a 13-6 lead with a short field after a Georgia turnover, then converted a clutch 4th down in the 4th quarter with a completion to Chimere Dike, leading to the tying score after the defense forced another turnover. But his physical limitations became painfully obvious as the second half progressed, missing some completions due to a weak arm and questionable accuracy. Finally, the dagger came when, after Georgia took a 27-20 lead with 4 minutes to go, he threw a terrible interception deep inside Florida’s own territory, which the Bulldogs converted into a TD 2 plays later to ice the game. It’s a shame the offense squandered some great field position given to it by the defense numerous times. Even when Lagway was in the game, Napier refused to continue aggressively throw the ball deep.
Florida’s defense had it’s best showing in years, repeatedly holding up while the offense struggled with a 3rd-string QB, and also forcing 3 interceptions by Carson Beck and getting some pressure and a few sacks as well. They gave the Gator offense enough chances to convert short fields into points – just not enough given the circumstances. Even after the Lagway injury they didn’t suffer a letdown, standing up to a very good UGA O-line and not allowing the Bulldogs to control the line of scrimmage and time of possession with their running game. The front seven held it’s ground and tackled well, and the secondary played tight coverage for most of the game and exhibited playmaking on the ball not seen since perhaps 2019. However, the injury bug bit the secondary especially hard. CB Jason Marshall was already out for the season coming into the game, but subsequently Florida lost CBs Devon Moore and Dijon Johnson as the game progressed. This threw Cormani McClain into the fire, and things got so bad in regards to the depth chart that safety Trikweze Bridges became an emergency CB. All of this finally caught up to the Gators in the 4th quarter, as Beck was able to convert a massive 3rd down after the Gators had tied the game in the 4th quarter, then hit a few more key throws that led to the go-ahead score. A terrific effort overall.
Special teams were excellent, except for the aforementioned mistake. Jeremy Crawshaw’s punting was great, continually hitting bombs that flipped the field. Trey Smack converted 2 FGs and put his kickoffs into the end zone for touchbacks. But a bad snap on a late 3rd quarter FG attempt lost close to 20 yards, and set up Georgia with a short field to take a 20-13 lead – a real gut punch to an already injured team. Of note on that play was the fact that the snapper was the backup to Rocco Underwood, who didn’t play due to injury, and highlighted how important the kick conversion specialists are.
What could have been for the Gators and Napier was effectively taken away by injuries and 2 killer mistakes. But that’s life in the SEC, especially when your team just doesn’t have the amount of talent, depth, and experience of the elite teams. That leaves precious little room for error, which was made painfully obvious.
Now, Florida has to find a way to collect itself and refocus on the next massive challenge – a trip to Austin to play Texas. The Longhorns are coming off of a bye and will be refreshed and ready to start their Playoff push. This year’s Texas is definitely not as good as the team that made the 4-team Playoff last season. They have already been whacked at home by Georgia, and have struggled in some road games. Still, their recent recruiting classes plus the elite playcalling of head coach Steve Sarkisian have them in position to vie for a Playoff spot.
The Longhorn offense is led by QB Quinn Ewers, who is completing 69% of his passes this season. WRs Isaiah Bond, Matthew Golden, and Ryan Wingo are all speedy and capable of big plays, and TE Gunnar Helm is a consistent and dependable target. The Texas running game is not as dynamic as last season, but provides just enough balance with RBs Tre Wisner and Jaydon Blue. One thing to watch for is how effective the RBs are in the passing game, something Sarkisian is masterful at. I don’t know how much gas is left in the tank after last week for the Florida defensive front seven, but the Longhorn O-line has had it’s struggles at times this year, and Ewers will turn the ball over when under pressure. DC Ron Roberts will need to continue the recent trend of blitzing more often to try and disrupt the timing of the Texas offense, which is so important to their success. I’m not sure who will be available in the secondary for Florida, but no matter who suits up, they will face a difficult challenge. Moore is out, and Johnson is listed as questionable. I’m afraid there is simply not enough depth or experience to hold back that level of pass offense for a full game. It will be Roberts’ choice to either go down swinging by staying aggressive, or play a lot of zone and hope the front seven can pressure the pocket to help the secondary.
The Gator offense will be especially limited with Lagway out. He’s listed as questionable for the game, but I think that’s more to force Texas to plan for him, as I don’t believe he’ll see any action. Warner will get the start at QB, but I’m hoping Clay Millen, who transferred in from Colorado St. and has a lot of starting experience and a much better arm, gets a chance. While he allegedly was beaten out in practice by Warner, I’d rather see him get the chance to show me in live action if he’s really that bad. Again, I’d love to see the TEs get some touches to help whomever is at QB, but they have disappeared as receivers. Somehow, some way, Florida will have to have to generate some offense through the air, or there’s no chance of winning this game barring an unforeseen multitude of Texas turnovers. The Longhorns are deep and talented on defense. They are led in the secondary by Jahdae Barron who has 3 interceptions, LB Anthony Hill Jr. with 5.5 sacks, and Edge Colin Simmons with 4 sacks. They have forced 20 turnovers and piled up 52 tackles for loss in 8 games. It’s another huge challenge for the Gator O-line, and I’m not sure they can hold up as well as last week. (Note – Side Quest……could the Gators’ NCAA-record streak of games without being shut out end?)
**Breaking News** This just in……AD Scott Stricklin has given Napier the dreaded ‘Vote of Confidence’, stating that he’ll be back next season. I don’t know how this could affect the mindset of the players – to their credit, they have played much better and for each other the past 3 games. Does this provide Napier the leeway to actually coach more aggressively and play fast and loose? I doubt it, as it’s just not part of his in-game DNA. But perhaps it gives the team some confidence and a sense of what to expect in the future, and provides a boost. That being said, I feel that the Gators put everything they had into the Georgia game, and having to bounce back the very next week against another Top 5 team away from home is just a bridge too far.
Pre-game sitrep: N/A (allegedly)
Post-game sitrep: could get interesting again
Prediction:
Texas 38
Florida 10