Florida raised fan expectations under the guidance of first-year head coach Billy Napier after it prevailed in dramatic fashion over the reigning Pac-12 champion – Utah.
Led by redshirt sophomore quarterback Anthony Richardson, the Gators upset the Utes 29-26 and leaped to No. 12 in the AP poll. Following the largest ranking rise for an unranked team since 2016, expectations for Napier’s first season in charge changed. Florida was suddenly seen as an outside contender in the Southeastern Conference.
However, the following week, reality set in for the program Napier and his staff inherited.
It’s been a difficult slate for the Gators to manage — since its season opening win against Utah, Florida is 3-3: Florida’s three losses have all come against now-ranked SEC foes: Tennessee, Kentucky and Louisiana State.
Wins against South Florida, Eastern Washington and Missouri have the Gators on track for their fifth consecutive bowl game – but they’re far from the elite standard the program wants to establish.
Napier is confident in the direction of the program, he said, and he’s seen plenty of growth from this group this season.
“We’re in year one,” Napier said after the loss to LSU. “We’re working hard on the people, and we’re making progress there.”
Florida will face their biggest game all season after taking a bye week to improve.
The Georgia Bulldogs are the reigning national champions. Since head coach Kirby Smart was hired ahead of the 2016 season, the Bulldogs have gone 73-15 and brought in a top three recruiting class in all but one full season under Smart, according to 247Sports’ Composite Rankings.
Smart didn’t have the easiest first season. Georgia went 8-5 with a 4-4 SEC record. Despite inconsistency on the field, Smart laid a stable foundation for the program that’s risen in the rankings over the last five years.
UGA brought in the No. 3 class in the country that offseason. The next season won the SEC and Rose Bowl before falling in overtime of the national championship game.
After finally clearing the final hurdle of Smart’s program build with last season’s championship, the Bulldogs are showing no signs of stopping. Georgia is the No. 1 ranked team in the country with a top 10 scoring offense and defense.
When the Gators travel to Jacksonville to face the Bulldogs, it’ll feel similar to last season’s bout. Each team has identical records to 2021, with Florida floundering for consistency and Georgia looking like a title contender once again.
Any chance of UF springing the upset rests on the shoulders of Richardson. The Eastside High School alum made his first college career start against UGA last year. But three first-half turnovers squandered the Gators’ brief hopes of an upset.
Richardson turned the ball over in each of his first six games this season, but had his first clean performance in the loss to LSU. Florida’s signal caller said he’s working to refine his play heading into the home stretch of the season.
“Just playing confident. I feel like that’s the main thing to improve on,” Richardson said after the LSU loss. “Just being able to communicate better with each other and knowing that we’re all on the same page.”
The Gators' defense will have to find some kind of form to stop redshirt senior quarterback Stetson Bennett IV and the Bulldogs’ offense. Florida is currently the second-worst third-down defense in the nation, allowing offenses to convert on 52.6% of third downs.
UF is also among the worst-ranked teams in the SEC in several defensive statistics, including the fourth-worst scoring defense allowing 28.14 points per game and the third-worst total defense allowing 429.3 yards per game.
Against LSU, the Gators surrendered a staggering 528 yards of offense while the Tigers scored touchdowns on their first six possessions of the game. Individual standouts like junior lineman Gervon Dexter Sr. and redshirt senior linebacker Ventrell Miller have earned praise, but the unit as a whole is struggling to keep opposing offenses at bay.
While new defensive coordinator Patrick Toney has drawn criticism for the unit’s performance, last season’s defense under Todd Grantham also collapsed down the stretch against the likes of South Carolina and FCS school Samford.
Georgia’s offense features one of the nation’s best playmakers in sophomore tight end Brock Bowers, who’s been able to break open defenses as a receiver or a rusher. The Bulldogs’ running back room lacks a true superstar, but senior Kenny McIntosh leads a talented group capable of exposing Florida’s lackluster tackling.
The Gators will travel to TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville Saturday to face Georgia at 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on CBS.
Contact Topher Adams at tadams@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @Topher_Adams.
Topher Adams is a fourth-year communications major and in his fourth semester with the Alligator. He previously covered football, baseball and women's basketball. He also enjoys professional lacrosse and Major League Soccer.
