Sports Writer Topher Adams is a fourth-year communications major and in his fourth semester with the Alligator. He previously covered football, baseball and women's basketball. He also enjoys professional lacrosse and Major League Soccer.
Mental mistakes, an invisible run game and a defense getting gashed on the ground. All things that could’ve gone wrong for the Florida Gators (3-2, 1-1 SEC) as they lost their third-straight game against the Kentucky Wildcats (5-0, 2-0 SEC).
Two seasons ago, the No. 10 Florida Gators traveled to Lexington, Kentucky, to face an unranked Kentucky team. Fifteen Gator penalties and a blocked field goal later, Florida lost to the Wildcats on the road for the first time since 1986. Two seasons later, with a second-year coaching staff in tow, Florida looks to vanquish its procedural woes away from Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
For Hispanic Heritage Month, alligatorSports is highlighting some of these trailblazers and Gators legends whose stories can sometimes get lost in the world of Gators sports.
The No. 25 Florida Gators (2-1, 1-0 SEC) will face the Charlotte 49ers (1-2, 0-0 AAC) Saturday night in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Florida will look to secure the first three-game win streak under Napier after a huge victory against rivals Tennessee a week ago.
Week two of the NFL season is in the rearview and several former Florida Gators have found their bearings this season. A mix of young players finding their way at the highest level and veterans making an impact for big teams represented the Gators this week.
Florida offensive linemen Damieon George Jr. and Micah Mazzccua and tight end Dante Zanders will be suspended for the first half against the Charlotte 49ers following a late-game altercation against the Tennessee Volunteers Saturday.
The Florida Gators (2-1, 1-0 SEC) defeated the No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers (2-1, 0-1 SEC) 29-16 Saturday night in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. UF used a 20-point second quarter to race to an insurmountable first-half lead and secure head coach Billy Napier’s first win over a rival.
The Florida Gators (1-1) cruised past the McNeese State Cowboys (0-2) 49-7 Sept. 9. The win snapped a four-game Florida skid and secured the Gators’ first victory of the season. Head coach Billy Napier was pleased with his team’s performance in the commanding win.
The Gators open the 2023 season with a daunting road trip to the No. 14 Utes. This is Florida’s first regular season game west of Texas since a 1983 trip to the University of Southern California. And like those Trojans 40 years ago, Utah will provide an early litmus test for UF.
The Florida Gators have produced plenty of talent on the defensive end in recent year’s NFL drafts. A defensive player has been selected in the first four rounds of the draft every year since 2011.
Solutions by The State News
