Florida Notes | MissouriNotes | Memorial Stadium/Faurot FieldGame Day | Broadcast Information
COLUMBIA. Mo. — They got beat up against Georgia. They let one slip away against Arkansas. And they ran out of gas at LSU.
The Gators (5-5, 3-4) have dropped three consecutive games and play at No. 11 Missouri (8-2, 4-2) on Saturday night in their final Southeastern Conference game of the season.
Is this the week that Florida wins that elusive sixth game to become bowl-eligible? If so, the Gators will have to beat the Tigers on Senior Night at Memorial Stadium.
Game 11 Trailer. 🎥 pic.twitter.com/iscm6zDWq0
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) November 18, 2023
In his second season, Florida head coach Billy Napier remains confident the Gators are headed in the right direction in the big picture. However, the immediate past has been a harsh wake-up call for a team that opened the season with five wins in its first seven games.
"We knew it wasn't going to be easy. I do believe in what we do and how we do it," Napier said this week. "There's always adjustments that are required. We have tremendous leadership here. We have great resources. We have a tremendous product to sell.
"This place has done it before, and I'm firmly confident that we're capable of doing it again."
All Napier has to do is glance across the field Saturday to see a coach who understands how criticism can overflow when a season goes awry. Missouri finished 5-5, 6-7 and 6-7 in its first three seasons under Eli Drinkwitz.
The Tigers have blossomed in Year 4 and are coming off a 36-7 throttling of Tennessee. Meanwhile, Drinkwitz is much more popular on campus than a year ago at this time.
He can relate to Napier's growing pains with the Gators.
"I know that Coach Napier is building the right kind of culture and the right kind of fight and the attention to detail and they've got really good schemes on both sides of the ball," Drinkwitz told reporters this week.
But of late, the wins have been hard to come by for the Gators.
In this week's edition of The Opening Kickoff, here is a closer look at the Florida-Missourimatchup:
THREE STORYLINES
- Can the Gators rebound from a historic defensive performance in last week's loss at LSU?The Tigers rolled up 701 yards, the most a UF defense has ever surrendered. Florida had no answers against LSU and QB Jayden Daniels,and Missouri is another difficult opponent, talented at the skill positions.
- Florida seeks to become bowl-eligible for the fourth consecutive game. The Gators lost to Georgia, Arkansas and LSU in their first three attempts. They have two tries left, against the No. 11-ranked Tigers (8-2) and No. 4 Florida State (10-0). It won't be easy.
- The Gators are 2-3 all-time at Memorial Stadium/Faurot Field, including a 24-23 overtime loss in 2021 that led to the dismissal of former coach Dan Mullen. All three losses at Missouri came during turbulent seasons for Florida, and this year is no different. The Gators need a win in the worstway and Saturday night would be a big one.
THREE PLAYERS TO WATCH
- Gators WR Ricky Pearsall (see below) has been nothing but one of the best transfers in school history. The fifth-year senior has paced Florida in receptions in seven of 10 games and is closing in on a 1,000-yard season. Pearsall is a critical part of the offense and for the Gators to pull the upset, Pearsall probably needs to have a big game.
- Tigers RB Cody Schrader is one of the best stories in college football this season. A 5-foot-9, 216-pound former Division II standout, Schrader leads the SEC in rushing (1,124 yards) and became the first player in conference history to rush for 200 yards and have 100 yards receiving in a single game last week against Tennessee.
- The Gators' defense was shredded at LSU a week ago and must put some pressure on Missouri QB Brady Cook to prevent him from picking apart the secondary. That starts up front with DE Princely Umanmielen, who leads the team with 5.5 sacks but is still chasing a signature performance at Florida.
THREE DIGITS
226 — Consecutive passes without an interception for Gators QB Graham Mertz, a school record.
2—Interceptions for Mertz in 337 pass attempts this season.
28 — Sacks for Missouri, ranked fifth in the SEC and 18th nationally.
THREE QUESTIONS WITH … GATORS WR RICKY PEARSALL
The veteran receiver is 124 yards shy of becoming Florida's first 1,000-yard receiver in a season since 2002.
Q:How important is it for you to reach 1,000 yards receiving?
A:I'm very excited to be able to go and do that. It's a goal I set in the very beginning of the season. So, I'm still working towards it. Still got to go get it.
Q:Why have you and QB Graham Mertz developed such a good chemistry?
A:I think just putting in the work and the time. That's the most important thing. Me and Graham put in a lot of work, man. I think that's ultimately where trust comes from. And just getting to know the guy off the field as well. We became really good friends. We hang out off the field. Obviously we get extra work in after practices and through summer workouts and stuff like that.
Q:What has helped you most to be able to put up this kind of season?
A:Just play-by-play mentality, to be honest. What I can do on that one play. Just lock in for those five to seven seconds on that play and just run as good of routes as I can and make sure I'm getting open every play for Graham, and just obviously developing those relationships and watching a lot of film, all those sorts of things. There's a bunch of things. I have a whole list.
NEWS, NOTES, NUGGETS
- Florida faces Missouri for the 13th time in program history. The series is tied 6-6.
- The Gators have won three of the last four against the Tigers, outscoring Missouri111-64 over that span.
- This is the fourth all-time meeting between head coaches Napier and Drinkwitz. Florida defeated Missouri last season and in 2019, Drinkwitz's Appalachian State team beat Napier's Louisiana team twice.
- The Gators are 2-11 in their last 13 true road games after last week's 52-35 loss at LSU.
- Gators RB Trevor Etienne rushed 18 times for 99 yards at LSU and three touchdowns, thefirst multi-touchdown game of his career.
- Missouri will be without former Gators LB Ty'Ron Hopper, who transferred following the 2021 season. Hopper leads the Tigers with 55 tackles but suffered an ankle injury last week against Tennessee.
- Florida is 4-0 when allowing 20 points or less, 1-5 when giving up 21 points or more.
- Missouri WR Luther Burden has 67 receptions for 977 yards and eight scores, presenting a challenge for Florida's secondary.
- Gators QB Graham Mertz has three 300-yard passing games in his career, which consists of 42 starts. All three have come this season.
- The Mark Twain State Park is located in Florida, Missouri, where the great American writer was born. If you have read this far, you're welcome.
INJURY REPORT
GATORS — OUT: DB Devin Moore (upper body), LB/DL Jack Pyburn (knee, out for season), TE Jonathan Odom (upper body), WR Caleb Douglas (lower body), LB Shemar James (knee, out for season), DL Justus Boone (knee, out for season), RB Cam Carroll (knee, out for season), TE Keon Zipperer (knee), OL Caden Jones (foot). QUESTIONABLE—OL Austin Barber (upper body), WR Andy Jean (lower body). MISSOURI—OUT:LB Ty'Ron Hopper (ankle), RB Michael Cox (undisclosed), DB Isaac Thompson (lower body), DB Shamar McNeil (undisclosed).QUESTIONABLE —WR Demariyon Houston (undisclosed), LB Chad Bailey (knee).
THEY SAID IT
- "Iwould say 90 percent of the explosive plays was somebody not doing their job. More than half of that was self-inflicted. Not taking away from them having good players, but it just comes down to us not executing." — Gators DB Jaydon Hill on defensive performance at LSU
- "I heard his story. A guy like that, I think he's got a chip on his shoulder for sure. Even with me and my whole process I had to go through, I had that chip on my shoulder as well. There's talent everywhere, and I think he got found and got his opportunity, and he's excelling and proving everybody wrong." — Gators WR Ricky Pearsall on Missouri RB Cody Schrader, a transfer and former walk-on who leads the SEC in rushing
- "Last year when we played them, they had multiple draft picks, including the No. 4 overall pick at quarterback. This year, I think they're playing even more efficiently with their quarterback, I think Graham Mertz is playing outstanding." – Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz
THEY WROTE IT
- Billy Napier confident in Gators' timeline amid SEC upheaval writes Edgar Thompson of the Orlando Sentinel.
- What can Gators head coach Billy Napier gain by giving up play-calling duties? Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times writes about the topic.
- Napier delivered a message to recruits who might be on the fence writes Zach Abolverdi of On3.com.
- Napier discusses recruiting challenges writes Kevin Brockway of the Gainesville Sun.
- The Gators don't have an issue with players sticking together according to Napier writes Dan Morrison of On3.com.
BOTTOM LINE
The Gators are 11.5-point underdogs. Missouri has covered the spread in seven of its last eight games and is coming off a 29-point win over Tennessee. Florida has lost three in a row and allowed a school-record 701 yards last week at LSU. Maybe the Gators can surprise us, but the math adds up to a Tigers win.
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