on the road with a stellar offensive performance, beating Mississippi State 45-28 before the cowbell-clanging fans Saturday in Stark-Vegas.
There are no sure wins in the SEC, something Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier knows well. Florida produced clunkers under Napier in two other SEC games as favorites — at Vanderbilt in 2022 and at home against Arkansas in 2023.
With the win, Florida (2-2, 1-1 SEC) finished September splitting its four games. A 3-1 record would have been preferable, but UF was manhandled on the line by Miami and Texas A&M at The Swamp, losing both games by an average margin of 18.5 points.
Against MSU, UF’s offensive line showed progress in protecting quarterbacks Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway (no sacks allowed), while opening holes (223 yards rushing on 6.3 yards per carry). But UF’s defensive front remained susceptible to the run (240 yards on 4.3 yards per carry) and generated just three sacks against an MSU line without a returning starter.
How much can Florida football improve in two weeks?
Napier stressed there’s room for growth with UF off Saturday before facing UCF on Oct. 5 at The Swamp (7:45 p.m., SEC Network).
“We are very much a work in progress,” Napier said. “And this group can get so much better. I mean, we got so many individual players, position groups and units on our team, that we’re not even close to being who we can be – and they know that.
“That’s what I told them in the locker room. I think we saw flashes of it today, but we have to become a more consistent team, and I think that’s going to be the emphasis here in the open date.”
Florida quarterback Graham Mertz and wide receiver Chimere Dike played on a 2021 Wisconsin team that started 1-3, including lopsided losses to Michigan and Notre Dame, before reeling off seven straight wins. Those Badgers wound up finishing 9-4 with a win over Arizona State in the Las Vegas Bowl.
“The bye weeks are important to take steps and get our bodies back as well,” Dike said. “Really good teams use it to take another step. Any day that goes past, we got to move forward and that’s what we’re looking to do this week.”
The problem is five of UF’s next seven opponents are ranked in the Top 13 of the US LBM coaches poll. That includes matchups at No. 6 Tennessee (Oct. 13), vs. No. 1 Georgia in Jacksonville (Nov. 2), at No. 2 Texas (Nov. 9) vs. No. 13 LSU at The Swamp (Nov. 16) and vs. No. 5 Ole Miss at The Swamp (Nov. 23).
Better may not be good enough for the gauntlet UF faces.
“You play the game to win, and you compete to go win,” Mertz said. ” So, for us I mean it feels great, but now it’s about building on it, now it’s about how do maximize the bye week and then going into the next one at home, how do we go get a win there, and how do we just start one by one knocking them down.”
Can Florida football withstand more injuries at key position groups?
Florida showed off its depth at wide receiver without leading returning receiver Euguene Wilson III, who has missed UF’s last two games with a knee injury and underwent surgery last week. Ten receivers caught passes against MSU, led by redshirt freshman Aiden Mizell (five catches, 36 yards), junior Marcus Burke (four catches 45 yards, one TD), senior Elijhah Badger (three catches, 45 yards) and Dike (three catches, 43 yards).
Mizell had a long catch-and-run TD called back on a questionable Montrell Johnson Jr. blocking penalty but displayed the kind of speed and athleticism that can make opposing SEC defenses nervous.
“His speed shows up,” Napier said. “He’s another young player that’s gaining confidence. And with Tre Wilson out, he was kind of the third guy that we pushed to the forefront there, and he made the most of his opportunities.”
In the secondary, Florida was without starting safety Asa Turner, defensive back Aaron Gates and cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson. UF defensive backs were flagged for a handful of pass interference calls against MSU, but Bryce Thornton (five tackles) played steady at safety while Oregon transfer Trikweze Bridges (10 tackles, one forced fumble) filled a variety of roles in the back end of the defense, playing both safety and corner.
“I didn’t even know I was leading the defense in tackles,” Bridges said. “Just like, do whatever I can to be a part of the team and help the team out. I don’t look at the stats. I just look at the game and work on the things that I need to get fixed.”
Injuries are inevitable in the SEC, and Florida is going to need to both get healthier and have young players continue to develop to navigate the rest of the 2024 season.