For Florida, the sting of last season’s embarrassment against Furman is still fresh.
On Nov. 19, seven days before UF was slated to play FSU, the Gators fell into an early 15-0 hole against the Paladins, an opponent from the FCS.
Although Florida eventually rallied in a 54-32 win, the shame of trailing on home turf as a 29.5-point favorite is remembered as a low point in a disappointing 7-6 season.
“We kind of looked past Furman, and they came out a great team,” safety Josh Evans said. “But that’s something we’ve definitely been talking about, too. Staying focused. We’re not taking Kentucky light.”
Saturday’s game against the Wildcats presents the Gators with a situation similar to last year’s matchup with the Paladins.
Again, Florida is at home.
Again, UF is a nearly 30-point favorite.
And again, a matchup with a highly ranked rival looms on the horizon — this time a showdown against No. 2 LSU on Oct. 6.
But this time, the Gators believe different preparation will lead to a different outcome.
This year, Florida players say they won’t let up. History will not repeat itself in The Swamp.
“We’ve just been through too much,” offensive guard Jon Halapio said. “We have too much at stake for the amount of work we put in for this season.”
Said coach Will Muschamp: “You only have 12 opportunities a year. You need to prepare well and play well, and that’s what we plan on doing.”
Florida has beaten Kentucky 25 consecutive times.
The last four of those meetings have been decided by an average margin of 41 points.
Still, the Gators are intent on avoiding overconfidence.
The formula is simple: practice hard and treat this week like any other.
“Whether we’re playing Kentucky or LSU, it doesn’t matter,” nose tackle Omar Hunter said. “Go out and practice the Gator way every day.”
On the heels of upset road wins against Tennessee and Texas A&M, Florida is looking to keep momentum going in its favor.
“We’re just going to try to go out and play like we’ve been playing,” linebacker Jon Bostic said.
“We’re not going to let down just because we’ve beaten them so many times.”
Saturday’s game precedes a bye week, making it the final opportunity before October for Florida to iron out any wrinkles.
Despite the 3-0 start, there are plenty of areas the Gators want to address.
Evans said the defense needs improve communication and find ways to combat up-tempo attacks.
Wideout Frankie Hammond Jr. said the offense can improve in all areas — just part of the standard day-by -day process.
Jon Halapio added that issues with penalties, converting on short-yardage opportunities and offensive alignments all need to be addressed.
The bye week will give the coaches a chance to put together photo and video packages that highlight more areas of concern, but a strong performance on Saturday would cross a few necessary fixes off the list.
“We need to gel in four quarters, all together,” Halapio said.
“We need to come out stronger and faster.”
If they don’t, Saturday’s game could turn into another Furman.
If they do, the Gators will head into the bye week an unscathed 4-0.
Contact Greg Luca at gluca@alligator.org.
Coach Will Muschamp reacts to a referee during Florida's game against Tennessee on Saturday at Neyland Stadium. The No. 14 Gators try to avoid an upset loss to unranked Kentucky at home this weekend.
