Gators Eager to Show Off Bye-Week Work When UCF Comes to Town

during the Gators' game against the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday, August 31, 2024 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. / UAA Communications photo by Lorenzo Vasquez

Graham Mertz is eager to get back on the field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium following the team's bye week. (Photo: UAA Communications)

Gators Eager to Show Off Bye-Week Work When UCF Comes to Town

Wednesday, October 2, 2024 | Football, Scott Carter

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The panorama is as familiar as a well-worn T-shirt for Gators fans.

Whether captured above by the Goodyear blimp or by someone's iPhone, seeing a swollen Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on game day is part of the fabric that makes the Gators a brand name in college football. The scene will be on full display again Saturday when Florida (2-2) hosts UCF (3-1), marking the ninth-consecutive sellout at "The Swamp."

The Gators strive to attack the Knights quicker than they have shown recently. In the most-anticipated home games this season — Florida's season opener against Miami and its Southeastern Conference opener against Texas A&M — the Gators rolled over in the first half, getting outscored 44-10 before halftime in the pair of losses.

Can the Gators strike fast on Saturday to keep their hungry fans engaged after the first quarter?

"It's a big piece of the puzzle,'' UF coach Billy Napier said.

UCF's first visit to campus in 18 years is reminiscent of the Miami matchup. The Hurricanes had not played at UF in 16 years before their 41-17 win on Aug. 31. And like Miami, UCF is an in-state rival the Gators prefer to beat down to keep down in the eyes of recruits.

But that has been difficult of late. Starting with a loss to UCF for the first time in school history in the 2021 Gasparilla Bowl, Florida is 1-4 in its last five games against in-state opponents, its only victory coming at home against USF in Napier's third game as UF's coach in 2022.

There is renewed hope of a turnaround, with Florida coming off a 45-28 win at Mississippi State. According to Napier, quarterback Graham Mertz, and cornerback Jason Marshall Jr., the Gators spent their bye week with some of their most intense practices of the season.

"It felt great to win,'' said Mertz, who was 19 of 21 for 203 yards and three touchdown passes in the win over the Bulldogs. "I know that guys in the locker room were fired up. It actually fueled our bye week. We had three really competitive, really good days of practice. We got better as a team coming off of that."

Gator fans fill The Swamp. This is Gator Country signage is behind them on the left and football field on the right. — The Gators host UCF on Saturday in Florida's ninth consecutive home sellout. (Photo: **Mallory Peak**/UAA Communications)

While the win at Mississippi State helped fuel the Gators' revival during the bye week, it also (at least temporarily) helped douse the flames that flickered after the losses to Miami and Texas A&M. The Gators know the only way to keep them extinguished is to win, win and win.

Napier enters his 30th game at UF with a 13-16 record and questions swirling about the program's future. The most scrutinized on-field segment has been the defense. Florida is ranked 113th nationally in total defense (425.5 yards per game), 92nd in scoring defense (27.3 points per game), 110th in rushing defense (188.8) and 97th in pass defense (236.8). Meanwhile, the Knights enter ranked fourth nationally in total offense (543.3) and second in rushing (326.0).

But after a 3-0 start, UCF committed four turnovers and lost at home to Colorado, 48-21, last week. The defeat followed a bye week for the Knights, who fell behind early and never caught up.

Sound familiar?

Mertz can relate.

"Biggest thing, we need to start fast," he said. "That's what I'll be hitting the guys on all week: Look, whatever we have to do, we get out there, and we're rolling from the jump, whether it's warmups or in the locker room. We've got to start fast. We've got to build momentum. If we lose it, we've got to capture it. It's a game of momentum, and we've got to start with it. Definitely gotta start fast."

The Gators insist their bye week was used well and resonated with the locker room.

"I haven't had a bye-week practice how we practiced last week,'' Marshall said. "It was very intense, very competitive. If you came out there, looked like we were playing a full-on game. Everyone had a lot of juice, excited. I feel like we got a lot of work done."

Napier approved of what he saw.

"We didn't coddle them,'' he said. "I will tell you that."

The Gators matched their first-team offense against their first-team defense. They turned up the urgency between plays. They practiced fast and physical as position battles were evaluated and re-evaluated by the product on the field from Tuesday to Thursday.

What will it mean on Saturday against the Knights? Hard to say, but Napier is confident the Gators are prepared for their next challenge.

"I do think our football team got better," he said. "I think the staff and the players did a great job competing. One of the better open dates I've been a part of. We're hopeful we improved in a lot of areas that can help our team going forward.

"This week is a big week."