Florida’s first season under head coach Billy Napier reaches its conclusion Saturday as the Gators (6-6, 3-5 SEC) take on the No. 17 Oregon State Beavers (9-3, 6-3 Pac-12) in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Oregon State finished with its best regular season in 10 years, winning nine games for the first time since 2012. Under fifth-year head coach Jonathan Smith, the Beavers finished the season with a massive upset victory over bitter rivals No. 15 Oregon and reached as high as No. 16 in the AP Poll.
Freshman running back Damien Martinez led the way for the OSU offense with 970 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. The Beavers use a bevy of ball carriers in addition to Martinez. Running backs Deshaun Fenwick and Jamious Griffin both ran for more than 400 yards.
Oregon State also uses linebacker Jack Colletto on the offensive end around the goal line. The redshirt senior finished second on the team with six rushing touchdowns while still contributing defensively with 23 total tackles.
The Gators will be severely shorthanded Saturday after a flurry of transfers, opt-outs and injuries. Starting quarterback Anthony Richardson, All-American offensive guard O’Cyrus Torrence, super senior linebacker Ventrell Miller and receiver Justin Shorter are all skipping the bowl game to prepare for the upcoming NFL Draft.
Florida will be lacking considerable depth on the roster as well, including rotational pieces redshirt sophomore outside linebacker Lloyd Summerall III, redshirt freshman safety Corey Collier and redshirt sophomore running back Nay’Quan Wright, all in the transfer portal.
Fortunately for Napier’s team, NFL-bound defensive lineman Gervon Dexter will suit up for the Gators one final time in Las Vegas. Dexter, a former five-star recruit, was a dominant presence on Florida’s defensive line. He finished the regular season with a career-high 22 solo tackles.
Saturday will be the first collegiate start for redshirt sophomore quarterback Jack Miller III after Richardson’s decision to enter the draft and former backup Jalen Kitna’s dismissal. The Ohio State transfer started the season as Richardson’s understudy, but a preseason hand injury saw him miss significant time.
Florida is still led by the dynamic backfield duo of sophomore Montrell Johnson Jr. and freshman Trevor Etienne. The two running backs combined for 1,528 rushing yards and 17 total touchdowns in the regular season.
Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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.
