Setting the tone was Florida’s defense, giving up just three points in the first half and 13 in the game, breaking tendencies that had haunted them through the first four games of the season.
In front of 90,369 fans, Florida (3-2, 1-1 SEC) outlasted UCF (3-2, 1-1 Big 12) 24-13 to get its first win at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium over a Power Five opponent since Oct. 9, 2023.
“I think today was the product of a lot of hard work over the past two weeks,” UF head coach Billy Napier said. “I can’t compliment the players and the staff enough in terms of their attitude toward the work we’ve been doing the last two weeks.”
The Gators offense made a statement in the early going, methodically moving the ball down the field on their first drive, taking nearly eight minutes off the clock. The drive ended in a 13-yard touchdown pass from redshirt senior quarterback Graham Mertz to senior wide receiver Elijhah Badger. Badger eclipsed 2,500 career all-purpose yards with his performance.
UCF entered the matchup as the No. 2 rushing team in the nation, though the Gators were up for the challenge.
“Defensively, to hold this group to 108 yards rushing and to have really got after the quarterback a little bit, along with two big fourth-down stops…I think we took some steps in the right direction,” Napier said.
A variety of younger players l made big plays on the defensive side of the ball for the Gators, including sophomore defensive back Bryce Thornton.
“Bryce had a good couple of weeks, I think, obviously he earned the opportunity to start,” Napier said.
Thornton made a key pass breakup on the Knight's opening drive of the game as Florida held UCF to a field goal. Thornton went on to end the game with his first career interception, sealing the win for Florida.
Three things jumped out that proved to be the difference in the game.
The Gators defense showed up early and never faded
The Knights opened the game with a 65-yard drive that resulted in a field goal. But the Gators responded, forcing two punts and two turnovers on downs.
UCF entered the game averaging 326.0 rushing yards per game. In the first half, UF held them to just 29 rushing yards.
“I think we played with better gap integrity, and I think we got after that front,” Napier said. “I thought we tackled; there was a lot more pursuit…I think we were on the same page.”
Florida’s pass rush showed signs of improvement as well. Through the first four games of the season, the Gators recorded just eight sacks and struggled to get any sort of consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Napier spoke recently about the importance of getting ahead of the chains on first and second downs defensively to allow for pass-rush situations on third down.
“We made a big emphasis on standing your gap and [changing] the line of scrimmage,” redshirt junior edge rusher George Gumbs Jr said. “I feel like we just took that and the game plan and implemented it to the field.”
The Gators were solid enough on first and second downs to create desired pass-rush situations and hounded Knights’ quarterback KJ Jefferson, collecting a season-high five sacks and seven tackles for loss.
Florida’s offense continues to play efficiently, especially at quarterback
Following its performance against Mississippi State, which saw Florida’s offense go for 503 total yards, UF’s playmakers picked up where they left off in Starkville.
In the first half, Mertz and Lagway combined to go 16-of-19 for 172 yards and a touchdown. Mertz was sharp from the opening kick, leading a 15-play, 75-yard touchdown drive where he went 7-of-8 and capped off the drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Badger.
Florida did most of its damage offensively in the second quarter. On UF’s first drive of the quarter, Lagway displayed his raw arm talent with a 37-yard strike down the left seam to senior wide receiver Chimere Dike. Redshirt junior running back Ja’kobi Jackson punched it in for the touchdown, extending Florida’s lead to 14-3.
“We knew we had to set the tone early,” Mertz said. “It was going to be a physical game, and we knew we were going to need to run the ball. O-line did a great job. Skill players did a fantastic job.”
After exploding for 170 yards of offense and 17 points in the second quarter, the Gators took a 24-3 lead into halftime, which proved to be enough to get the win.
UF finished with 359 yards of total offense, while the quarterback duo of Mertz and Lagway finished with a combined stat line of 23-of-27 for 229 passing yards, marking back-to-back games with a team completion percentage above 85 percent.
Third downs on both sides of the ball
Through the first four games of the season, third down has been a weak spot for the Gators on both sides of the ball. Entering its matchup against UCF, Florida had the No. 118 third-down defense in the nation, along with the No. 87 third-down offense.
Tonight, the Gators flipped the script in the first half, going 5-of-7 on third downs on offense while holding the Knights to 1-of-7 on third downs and 0-of-2 on fourth downs defensively.
Following the game, Napier put a heavy emphasis on staying focused on Florida’s upcoming opponents.
“We’ll enjoy this thing tonight and turn the page and get ready for the next one,” Napier said.
Florida will next take on No. 4 Tennessee in a rivalry game on the road in Knoxville on Oct. 12 at 7 p.m.
Contact Chandler Hawkes at chawkes@alligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @HawkesChandler.
