Football - The Independent Florida Alligator

Then-UF quarterback Feleipe Franks at the Gators' game versus UT Martin last season. Franks will make his return to The Swamp Nov. 14 in a Razorbacks uniform.

Sports

Feleipe Franks: Same QB1, different jersey

By Christian Ortega | Nov. 11, 2020

There’s no love lost between defenses and quarterbacks.

Defensive back Kaiir Elam (5) at the Gators game versus UGA Nov. 7.

Sports

Cocktail party over for Mullen, Gators after beating Georgia. Now it’s back to work

By Christian Ortega | Nov. 11, 2020

What’s worse than an unreachable itch that no contortionist can scratch? Like a parasite digging into a reptile’s nooks and crannies to satisfy its bloodlust?

Gators quarterback Kyle Trask daps up linebacker Andrew Chatfield Jr. at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida, on Nov. 7. Florida beat Georgia for the first time since 2016 on Saturday 44-28.

Sports

So, you’ve just beaten the Georgia Bulldogs…

By River Wells | Nov. 8, 2020

…What do you do now?

Sports

UF Football adds three recruits in two weeks

By Sara Kate Dyson | Nov. 7, 2020

UF has come up big in the recruiting game lately, adding three commitments in two weeks. The commitments came from outside linebacker Jeremiah Williams, ranked No. 5 in Alabama, safety Sam McCall, ranked No. 5 in Florida and offensive tackle Yousef Mugharbil, ranked No. 17 in North Carolina, according to 247 Sports.

Florida quarterback Kyle Trask hypes up the crowd at TIAA Bank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida, Saturday. The Gators defeated the Bulldogs in the most recent rivalry game on Nov. 7.

Sports

Gators’ lethal offense takes down Bulldogs in Jacksonville

By Brendan Farrell | Nov. 7, 2020

Down 14-0 in the first quarter, the Mullen-era narrative of a Gators loss in Jacksonville thrived.

Kyle Trask darts through Missouri defenders in Florida's game versus Missouri on Oct. 31. He and senior Kadarius Toney will lead the Gators in their charge against Georgia this weekend.

Sports

Gators’ electrifying offense faces its toughest test against Georgia

By Christian Ortega | Nov. 6, 2020

Recent history shows the winner of the Florida-Georgia game has a one-way ticket to Atlanta.

Kaiir Elam at the Gators' game against the Missouri Tigers last Saturday. Florida' defense will face its greatest challenge yet in Georgia this weekend.

Sports

Defense finding the right spots midseason

By Christian Ortega | Nov. 6, 2020

Expectations for Florida’s offense act more like hurdles in front of Grant Holloway than mountains.

Kadarius Toney (1) and receiver Justin Shorter (89) celebrate a score in Saturday's win against Missouri.

Sports

From gadget player to human joystick: Kadarius Toney is now the complete package

By Brendan Farrell | Nov. 1, 2020

Florida’s offense looked rusty and lifeless for most of the first half against Missouri on Saturday. It looked like a team that had barely practiced, let alone played a game, in three weeks.

Senior Kadarius Toney had three touchdowns Saturday night in Florida's drubbing of Missouri at home.

Sports

Florida spooks Mizzou on Halloween night in return to the gridiron

By Payton Titus | Oct. 31, 2020

Playing football at night on Halloween with about 15% of your roster unavailable against an in-conference foe is frightening.

Sports

Questions remain as Gators return to practice

By Brendan Farrell | Oct. 26, 2020

The Gators have returned to practice following their team-wide COVID-19 outbreak that included 31 positive cases in the month of October. Florida has five days to prepare for Missouri after athletic activities have been at a standstill since Oct. 13.

Florida quarterback Kyle Trask drops back in the Gators' home game versus Tennessee last season. In 2020, Trask has completed 71.9% of his passes, thrown 14 touchdowns to just one interception and is averaging 9.7 yards per attempt.

Sports

The Gators offense is elite, but you already knew that

By Brendan Farrell | Oct. 24, 2020

The Gators have been must-watch television in 2020, for better or worse. The shootouts that used to be contained to just the Big 12 have migrated to the SEC and made their way to Gainesville. Florida has scored at least 30 points in six of its last seven games dating back to last season.

Linebacker Ventrell Miller at Florida's game against Texas A&M. According to ESPN's Bill Connelly, Florida is 75th out of 76 teams in success rate on defense.

Sports

Performance against A&M the breaking point for UF’s defense

By Brendan Farrell | Oct. 17, 2020

UF’s porous defense forced its offense to be nearly perfect to pull out wins in the first two weeks of the season. Through 11 quarters of football, it worked.

Quincy Lenton (14) lines up on special teams at Florida's game against Vanderbilt in 2019. Lenton was recruited to play at UF while Jim McElwain served as head coach.

Sports

Gators DB Quincy Lenton enters transfer portal as a grad transfer

By Sara Kate Dyson | Oct. 13, 2020

Florida defensive back Quincy Lenton officially entered the transfer portal as a graduate transfer, according to Matt Zenitz, Senior SEC football reporter for AL.com.

The Gators allowed 41 points in their first loss of the season.

Sports

Florida drops first game of the season to Texas A&M in defensive nightmare

By River Wells | Oct. 10, 2020

When Malik Davis fumbled the football near midfield with time dwindling, it didn’t matter how stunted the crowd was at Kyle Field: It erupted all the same.

Quarterback Kyle Trask's performance against the Gamecocks last weekend earned him a QBR of 91.3.

Sports

Trask, improved defense lead to dominating victory over South Carolina

By Brendan Farrell | Oct. 8, 2020

Florida’s recent battles with former coach Will Muschamp and his South Carolina Gamecocks haven’t always been easy. While the Gators are 3-0 against USC under coach Dan Mullen, the previous two meetings weren’t exactly easy wins.

Tight end Kyle Pitts had four receptions for 57 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's win over South Carolina.

Sports

Gators pick up second win but still have much to answer for

By River Wells | Oct. 4, 2020

A win is a win.

A view from the stands at Florida's home opener Saturday. The Gators beat the Gamecocks 38-24.

Sports

Gators topple Gamecocks in surreal home opener

By Payton Titus | Oct. 3, 2020

If there were holograms instead of fan cutouts in the stands at The Swamp, Saturday’s game could have been a Black Mirror episode.

As well as Bowman, head coach Dan Mullen and staff have drawn former five-star recruits such as Brenton Cox, Lorenzo Lingard and Justin Shorter to Florida.

Sports

Gators land high-profile transfer in Clemson running back Demarkcus Bowman

By River Wells | Oct. 3, 2020

Florida Gators coach Dan Mullen added another five-star transfer to his arsenal in the midst of UF’s matchup against South Carolina on Saturday.

Offensive lineman Brett Heggie (61) lined up in front of quarterback Kyle Trask at Florida's game against Tennessee last year. During quarantine, Heggie said he practiced all three interior positions in preparation for this season.

Sports

Gators revamp offensive line, face challenges ahead

By Christian Ortega | Oct. 1, 2020

The Gators’ offensive line had to improve as a unit without flashing signs of growing pains.

Then-junior receiver Kadarius Toney celebrates an Orange Bowl victory to end the Gators' 2019 season. A healthy Toney is poised to make a splash for Florida this year.

Sports

Future is bright for Toney following his evolution

By Christian Ortega | Sep. 30, 2020

On the field, he’s what a 13-year-old would create in Madden: a blend of speed and agility that would erode joysticks as users dance their way through CPU defenders.