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COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Nearly a decade later, their brief time together is nothing more than a footnote entering Saturday's game between Florida and Texas A&M here at Kyle Field.
But in January 2013, Gators coach
Billy Napier took a job as a Seminole. Then-FSU coach Jimbo Fisher, having assembled a team that would go on to win that season's national championship, hired Napier as FSU's tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator.
Napier had spent the previous season as an assistant at Colorado State under former UF coach Jim McElwain.
"He was a bright young guy,'' Fisher said this week. "I mean, I knew he'd been offensive coordinator at Clemson and did a really nice job there. I know he and Dabo parted ways, but he was doing a nice job, background in business, very nice guy. I liked him. His dad was a coach his whole life, grew up in it, and understood it. You talked to him, you knew he knew ball, thought he'd be a great addition to our staff."
Napier spent more than a month on the job before opting to accept an offer from Alabama coach Nick Saban, who opened a door for Napier in 2011 when he was let go as Clemson's offensive coordinator. The move turned out to be a good one for Napier.
He was part of Alabama's 2015 national championship and was on Alabama's staff when the Crimson Tide reeled off 26 consecutive wins over the 2015-16 seasons.
Napier and Fisher meet for the first time Saturday as head coaches.
"Jimbo gave me an opportunity," Napier said. "He had tremendous success at Florida State, won a national championship, evaluated, recruited well. He had some fantastic coaches there and did something there that hadn't been done in a long time. Very thankful for that opportunity."
Napier and Fisher will be out to beat one another Saturday following their pregame chat. The Gators have lost back-to-back games. Fisher's Aggies have lost four in a row.
While Napier is retooling Florida's program in his first season, the pressure is on Fisher to turn around the Aggies. He is in his fifth season and had a team that some expected to compete for a national championship when the season began.
The only thing certain is that one of them will walk off Kyle Field on Saturday in a good mood, the other still chasing that elusive next victory.
For more on Saturday's game between the Gators and Aggies, here isÂ
The Opening Kickoff:
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THREE STORYLINES
- This is a classic something's-gotta-give matchup. The Gators enter on a two-game skid following losses to LSU and Georgia. The Aggies are riding a four-game losing streak after opening the season with enormous expectations due to signing the No. 1-ranked recruiting class. Both teams are in desperate need of a victory to inch closer to bowl eligibility.
- The Gators made news this week with the dismissal of fifth-year senior Brenton Cox. Jr., one of the team's most talented players. However, Cox had his issues at Florida and head coach Billy Napier finally had his fill following the loss to Georgia. Players such as Antwaun Powell-Ryland Jr., Lloyd Summerall II will be tested to pick up Cox's production.
- The quarterbacks offer a contrast in styles. Florida's Anthony Richardson is a first-year starter with enormous dual-threat ability. Texas A&M freshman Conner Weigman is more a traditional drop-back passer who threw for more than 300 yards in his first career start. Which one stays away from costly mistakes will likely be on the winning side.
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THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Â Gators sixth-year senior LB Ventrell Miller has served as the glue for the defense. With Cox gone, Miller's leadership and play-making ability are needed by a Florida defense that has taken its lumps at times this season. Miller is second on the team with 54 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss.
- Aggies RB and return specialist Devon Achane is second in the SEC with 28.4 yards per kickoff return. Achane is dangerous any time he has the ball. He rushed for 138 yards in last week's loss to Ole Miss and has 765 yards and four rushing scores overall.
- Â Texas A&M receiver Evan Stewart leads SEC freshmen with 390 yards. Stewart will be a challenge for the UF cornerbacks on the outside, so keep an eye on Jaydon Hill and Jason Marshall Jr. defending the pass game.
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FIVE DIGITS
8 – Combined margin of victory in last three games between the Gators and Aggies
37 – Days Gators head coach
Billy Napier was on
Jimbo Fisher's staff at FSU as tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator from Jan. 15 to Feb. 21, 2013
5.9 – Yards per rush for Gators, which ranks third among FBS teams
4.8 – Yards allowed per carry for Texas A&M's defense, which ranks 116th among FBS programs
14 – Takeaways for Florida's defense after forcing three turnovers against Georgia, second in the SEC.
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INJURY REPORT
GATORS — OUT: TE
Keon Zipperer (lower body), CB
Devin Moore (shoulder, out for season), LB
Diwun Black (lower body), LS
Marco Ortiz (upper body), TE
Nick Elksnis (upper body), TE
Arlis Boardingham (upper body);
QUESTIONABLE — WR
Justin Shorter (ankle), LB
Scooby Williams (lower body).
TEXAS A&M — OUT: QB Max Johnson (hand), OL Bryce Foster (knee, out for season), OL Jordan Spasojevic-Moko (ankle, out for season), OL Aki Ogunbiyi (knee, out for season), DB Denver Harris (suspended), WR Chris Marshall (suspended), OL P.J. Williams (suspended), DL Anthony Lucas (suspended);Â
QUESTIONABLE: QB Haynes King (shoulder), DB Myles Jones (undisclosed);
PROBABLE: DB Antonio Johnson (undisclosed), LB Edgerrin Cooper (undisclosed).
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NOTES FILE
- This is the sixth all-time meeting between Florida and Texas A&M, and fourth since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012. Texas A&M owns a 3-2 advantage.
- The Gators are 1-1 all-time at Kyle Field, defeating the Aggies 20-17 in 2012 and losing 41-38 in 2020.
- Following the dismissal of OLB/DL Brenton Cox Jr., who had started 33 consecutive games, C Kingsley Eguakun and S Rashad Torrence II share the team lead with 21 consecutive starts.
- The Gators are 9 of 19 on fourth-down attempts (47 percent), their opponents 7 of 16 (44 percent).
- Former Gators offensive coordinator Steve Addazio and defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin are members of Texas A&M's coaching staff.
- Florida's eight opponents thus far have a combined 40-24 record, including a pair of 8-0 teams in No. 1 Georgia and No. 3 Tennessee heading into their matchup on Saturday.
- Receiver Justin Shorter, who is questionable on Saturday, has 11 of Florida's 39 receptions of 20-plus yards (28 percent).
- Injured LS Marco Ortiz and redshirt freshman DB Kamar Wilcoxson announced their plans to enter the transfer portal. Ortiz will finish the season with the Gators while Wilcoxson is no longer on the roster.
- Aggies junior RB Devon Achane is averaging 95.6 yards per game and is the only Power 5 player to score as a rusher, receiver and kickoff returner this season.
- Texas A&M, losers of four straight, has not lost five consecutive games since 1980 when the Aggies went 4-7 under then-head coach Tom Wilson. Â Â
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THEY WROTEÂ IT
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BOTTOM LINE
The Gators are a 3.5-point underdog according to the oddsmakers. Sounds about right with the Aggies at home. However, Texas A&M has trouble stopping the run and the Gators run the ball really well. Statistically, Florida averages 199 yards per game rushing, sixth in the SEC. The Aggies allow 205.6 yards per game on the ground, which ranks 13th in the SEC and 120th among FBS teams.
Anthony Richardson,
Montrell Johnson Jr. and
Trevor Etienne should have room to run and provide reason to pick the Gators in a coin-flip game.
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