Everybody knows Florida football is a work in progress, but on Saturday night the work showed something nobody’s seen lately.
.
Not enough to make any sober fan sing, “Happy days are here again.” But the 24-13 win over UCF had flashbacks merrier times.
No that is not a misprint. The Gators’ long-lost defense held a team to 13 points.
Beating the Knights won’t change the overall narrative at UF. A winning season is still iffy at best, as are the chances Billy Napier will still be coaching in late November.
If he’d have lost big to UCF at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Napier might not even be coaching in mid-October. If nothing else, the win restored the state’s football planet to its proper axis.
Gator fans won’t have to endure years of razzing from their UCF friends and coworkers, who had a one-game winning streak against UF.
Two in a row, and Florida fans might have had to move to Canada. Or maybe Nashville and become Vanderbilt fans.
Maybe it is safe to stop reflexively rolling our eyes when Florida coaches and players say the Gators are getting better.
“I’m telling you; I think there will be a different mentality when this defense steps on the field Saturday,” Jack Pyburn said last week.
The Gators turned their open date into a mini-training camp. There was scrimmaging and hitting and gassers and a forensic examination at what’s been going wrong.
“We ramped up the competition,” Graham Mertz said. “Guys were flying around, making plays. That’s what we needed.”
“We got to hit the reset button,” Napier said.
It worked well enough in the first half. The Gators drove 75 yards on their opening drive and took a 7-0 lead when Mertz hit Elijah Badger for 13-yard score.
The Knights responded with a 12-play drive that got UF’s 10-yard line. But the Gators held UCF to a field goal, and that was just the beginning of a defensive flex.
UCF had the ball four more times in the half and never scored.
UCF had the ball four more times in the half and never scored.
Florida Gators wide receiver Chimere Dike (17) singals a touchdown but UCF Knights defensive tackle Lee Hunter (2) broke up the pass in the first half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, October 5, 2024. [Doug Engle/Gainesville Sun]
I know I’m repeating myself there, but I’m still not sure it really happened. And when the offense went into a second-half slumber, the defense didn’t disappear.
The Gators sacked KJ Jefferson five times. Bryce Thornton’s interception with 1:48 left ended what little hope UCF had.
It was the best defensive performance for the Gators since they beat Tennessee 29-16 last September. Speaking of the Volunteers, Florida will see them this coming Saturday in Knoxville.
Don’t expect the Vols to be held to 16 points again. Happy days aren’t here again for Florida, but at least fans have more hope every Saturday won’t be depressing.
David Whitley is The Gainesville Sun’s sports columnist. Contact him at dwhitley@gannett.com. Follow him on X @DavidEWhitley
Leave a Reply