Florida Notes |
USF Notes |
Florida-USFÂ Game Day
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — First-year Gators coach
Billy Napier used several of his coach-teacher phrases in the wake of the home loss to Kentucky.
Operate in truth. Consumed with improvement. Earn the right to win.
That was his message to his team, fans and the media heading into Saturday night's showdown against USF at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The No. 18 Gators (1-1) suffered a disappointing home loss to the Wildcats in their Southeastern Conference opener. The loss was magnified by a shaky performance from starting quarterback
Anthony Richardson (14 of 35, 143 yards, 2 interceptions).
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As the leader and one of the most dynamic players in college football, Richardson took the brunt of the criticism.
"And he'll use that,'' Napier said. "This guy's a competitor. He's motivated, and I think he's going to take full advantage of the experience he's had, both good and bad, so far. Again, it's important to evaluate each game and each performance and each play independent of the outcome. Are you doing everything that you were supposed to do the right way?
"Sometimes you get a great outcome and you didn't do what you were supposed to do. Sometimes we sack the quarterback and we busted the coverage over here and we could have given up a touchdown. So, sometimes I think in this game you can get two consumed with the result. What you've got to do is control the things that you can control, get consumed with preparing, and go execute and do your job for the team."
That will be imperative for Richardson against the Bulls (1-1), overmatched on paper but pumped for an opportunity to play on a big stage against the state's flagship program.
Despite what happened a week ago at The Swamp, USF coach Jeff Scott has not lost any respect for the Gators — or their quarterback.
"We saw him up close and personal last year," Scott said. "It's difficult when you're playing a dual-threat guy that can throw it. He has an incredibly strong arm and he's got wideouts that can stretch the field, but also if it's not there, you've seen it in a couple of those games he takes off and runs a 50-yard touchdown just like that."
For more on Saturday's game between the Gators and Bulls, here isÂ
The Opening Kickoff:
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THREE STORYLINES
- Eyes will be on Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson more than usual in this game. Richardson turned in a forgettable performance in the loss to Kentucky, including a pair of game-changing interceptions. Richardson was beaten down physically and emotionally by the end of the 26-16 loss. He responded correctly by taking ownership afterward and is too talented to stay down for long. Richardson was spectacular in last year's win over the Bulls and has ample motivation to be on top of his game Saturday night at The Swamp.
- This is the first opportunity for Gators fans to see how a Billy Napier-led team responds to a loss. Napier used the loss as a teaching tool all week to his young team and publicly said all the right things. While perhaps many people stopped listening after the win over Utah, Napier cautioned there would be ups and downs in Year 1. He was right.
- This is the type of game that would make USF's season to pull off the upset. Third-year Bulls coach Jeff Scott is 4-19 and needs a signature victory. The Bulls opened the season at home with an opportunity at such but were destroyed by BYU. They responded with a 42-20 win over Howard last week. USF is far from its glory days under Jim Leavitt but finally seems to have a plan for the future.
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THREE PLAYERS TO WATCHÂ
- Since Florida's quarterback is always a favorite to watch, let's not forget about Bulls quarterback Gerry Bohanon. He passed for 2,200 yards and 18 touchdowns, while rushing for 323 yards and nine scores a season ago as the starter at Baylor. Bohanon transferred to USF over the summer and quickly took over as the starter. He has passed for 391 yards and two interceptions in his first two starts, not indicative of the impact he can have when at his best.
- Gators linebackers Shemar James and Scooby Williams are relatively inexperienced. James has 11 tackles in the first two games and Williams has one. With starter Ventrell Miller out Saturday, James and Williams must prove they are grown up and ready for the assignment. Miller is the defense's quarterback and his absence last year was noticeable.
- The Gators are without starting right tackle Michael Tarquin, who suffered a lower-body injury in the Kentucky loss. Tarquin was replaced by 6-foot-6.25, 312-pound redshirt freshman Austin Barber against the Wildcats. Barber held his own and received praise this week from Napier and Co. The Gators hope to voice a similar tone following the USF game.
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FIVE DIGITS
273.8 – Average yards rushing per game for Gators in their last six nonconference games.
666 – Total yards for Gators in last season's win over USF, sixth-highest output in school history.
13 – Consecutive nonconference wins for Gators dating to the 2018 season.
30 – Transfers from four-year schools on USF's roster.
11 – Years since USF has defeated a ranked opponent on the road (a 23-20 at No. 16 Notre Dame in the 2011 season opener).
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INJURY REPORTÂ
GATORS — OUT: LB
Ventrell Miller (lower body), OL
Michael Tarquin (lower body), LS
Marco Ortiz (upper body), TE
Arlis Boardingham (upper body), QB
Jack Miller III (thumb), OL
David Conner (upper body);
QUESTIONABLE — CB
Jaydon Hill (knee).
USF — OUT: RB Kelley Joiner Jr. (foot);
QUESTIONABLE:Â LB Antonio Grier (undisclosed), CB
Christian Williams (undisclosed), CB Daquan Evans (undisclosed), DB Matthew Hill (undisclosed), WR Ajou Ajou (leg), WR Yusuf Terry (undisclosed), WR Latrell Williams (hamstring).
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NOTES FILE
- This is the third meeting all-time between the schools; Florida won 38-14 at home in 2010 and 42-20 last year in Tampa.
- Gators head coach Billy Napier and USF head coach Jeff Scott worked together on Clemson's staff from 2008-10.
- Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson accounted for 267 yards of total offense (152 passing, 115 rushing) and three touchdowns in limited playing time last season against USF.
- Florida's two-game attendance of 180,792 is the fourth-largest two-game stretch in program history.
- USF starting quarterback Gerry Bohanon led Baylor to a 12-2 season a year ago, including a win over Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl.
- Fifth-year senior safety Trey Dean has led Gators in tackles in both games (career-high 12 against Utah, nine against Kentucky).
- Freshman running back Trevor Etienne is tied for eighth among Power 5 backs with an average of 7.9 yards per carry.
- Sixth-year senior linebacker Ventrell Miller suffered a lower-body injury against Kentucky and is out. Miller suffered a season-ending arm injury against USF last season.
- Florida and Alabama are the only two FBS programs that have not lost to a team that finished with a losing record since the start of the 2008 season.
-  USF punter Andrew Stokes is a 28-year-old Australian who played seven years of Australian rules football before joining the Bulls. Stokes and Gators punter Jeremy Crawshaw are products of ProKick Australia alums
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THEY SAID IT
- "Sharp as always, no problem." — Gators defensive end Justus Boone on how quarterback Anthony Richardson looked in practice this week
- "Their defensive line, in my opinion, is elite. I believe this will be the best D-line that we've played in the two and a half years since I've been here. Just watching the video, they have a lot of guys, a lot of depth. They have a lot of future NFL players on their defensive line, so that's something that really stands out." — USF coach Jeff Scott on Florida's defensive front
- "We're very much a running-back-by-committee group. That's been our philosophy for a long time. We've been one of the best rushing teams in the country. Those players have gone on to play in the National Football League. Montrell, Trevor and Nay'Quan are guys that are next up." — Gators head coach Billy Napier
- "I would say I'm pretty confident. I'm a pretty confident person, just more on whether it be in football or in life. So I mean, it's certainly awesome hitting it at home in front of all the fans and being one of the first kicks for the Gators, so yeah, I would say it's pretty awesome and I'm pretty pumped and pretty confident." — Gators kicker Adam Mihalek on his 50-yard field goal against Kentucky
- "I would say definitely taking a loss is a hard thing for everyone. I couldn't even sleep [Saturday] night. It's a new week. I feel like our main goal is to go 1-0 each week. We weren't able to get that done last week." — Gators receiver Justin Shorter on bouncing back from loss to Kentucky
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THEY WROTEÂ IT
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BOTTOM LINE
The Gators are heavy favorites at home. This is a crucial rebound game for Florida after dropping its SEC opener a week ago at home to Kentucky. The bottom-line outlook for this one is that the Gators need to win, and quarterback
Anthony Richardson needs to have a good game to rebuild his confidence. The Bulls appear to be the perfect remedy. Expect the Gators to regain some swagger and head into Tennessee week in a much better place.
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