The Gators football team opened the season on the wrong foot after a loss on the road against the No. 12 Utah Utes.
Head coach Billy Napier and UF will look to get back on track when they return to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium to take on FCS opponent McNeese State.
The Gators have now lost four straight games dating back to their 31-24 loss against the Vanderbilt Commodores Nov. 19, 2022, but Saturday’s game could snap the skid.
Florida head coach Billy Napier is more focused on better execution and focus on the process for winning football, he said, but the result is still important.
“There's no doubt that winning helps a lot,” Napier said in a press conference Wednesday. “It helps all parts of your organization, and certainly for me as a leader, you want your people, players and staff, to get the satisfaction of winning a football game."
The Florida Gators (0-1) will play their first home game of the season against the McNeese State Cowboys (0-1) Saturday. The game marks the first of three-straight home games for the Gators.
Florida will look to correct the errors it committed against the Utes, which included false starts, delay of games, illegal formations and a penalty because two players wore the same jersey. UF also failed to convert on third down and finished just 1-13 on conversion attempts.
“The big issue for me is the self-inflicted wounds,” Napier said in a press conference Monday. “Gators beat the Gators in a lot of ways.”
Redshirt junior Graham Mertz completed 70% of his passes in his first game with Florida. He threw for 333 yards and tossed one touchdown and one interception. Mertz completed passes to 11 different players in the game against Utah.
Among the players who caught a pass from Mertz who stood out were wide receivers senior Ricky Pearsall, sophomore Caleb Douglas and freshman Eugene Wilson III. Pearsall led the way with eight catches for 92 yards.
The receiving trio will start week two against the Cowboys. Wilson will make his first career start after he made two receptions for 24 yards including another catch for a UF two-point conversion.
Wilson’s first start comes in the wake of redshirt sophomore wide receiver Kahleil Jackson being listed as questionable with a lower-body injury. Jackson’s injury combined with Wilson’s impressive play and camp performance led to the start, Napier said.
“He's deserving, and he's going to only get better as we go forward,” Napier said in a press conference Wednesday.
Florida will look to get the running game going against McNeese State after it struggled to move the ball on the ground in week one. UF finished with just 13 rushing yards against the Utes.
Sophomore running back Trevor Etienne led the way for the Gators with 25 rushing yards on seven attempts. Despite the struggles, Napier still wants to establish and rely on the run game going forward, he said.
“I think just from a demeanor standpoint, I think we definitely want to be more committed to the run game,” Napier said.
McNeese State struggled to stop the pass and run game in its first game of the season against the Tarleton State Texans. The Texans compiled 554 total yards against the Cowboys and dropped 52 points in the game.
The Cowboys allowed the Tarleton State to average 7.5 yards per play and the Texans also managed to convert eight of their 12 third down attempts.
However, McNeese State still managed to score 34 points and picked up 278 total yards of offense.
Cowboys quarterback Nate Glantz completed 15 of his 35 pass attempts for 166 yards against the Texans. He also picked up two rushing touchdowns in the game.
Napier noted the McNeese State passing game could pose issues for Florida’s young secondary that lost its lone senior after Jadarrius Perkins announced his departure from the team Thursday.
“Schematically, they present variables and they can present issues for you,” Napier said Wednesday. “So, we're gonna have to be ready to go."
The Gators’ defense held the Utes to 24 points in week one and only allowed one touchdown in the second half. The defense will likely cycle through players and split playing time. The 14 “or”’s on the depth chart indicate certain positions, like safety, do not have set starters.
Sophomore Miguel Mitchell and freshman Jordan Castell are listed as the starting safeties but every player at the safety position features an “or” for who the starter could be underneath them on the depth chart.
Florida failed to get after Utah for a sack but held the Utes to just 105 rushing yards. The Gators will look to get after the Cowboys quarterback and pick up their first sack of the season.
Florida will play McNeese State at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Swamp. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
Contact Jackson Reyes at jacksonreyes@allligator.org. Follow him on Twitter @JacksnReyes.
Jackson Reyes is a UF journalism senior and The Alligator's Fall 2023 Sports Editor. He previously served as Digital Managing Editor and was a reporter and assistant editor on the sports desk. In his free time, he enjoys collecting records, long walks on the beach and watching Bo Nix.
