Florida is hoping this season becomes a repeat of last year at this point.
The Gators (2-4, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) will host Mississippi State (4-2, 0-2) on Saturday in Gainesville, Fla., and look to turn their season around like they did in 2024.
This campaign, however, has become even more disappointing for manager Billy Napier.
Florida and Mississippi State have some conference commonality: Each lost their last time to Texas A&M, which rose to No. 4 in the latest AP Top 25 poll.
The Gators fell 34-17 Saturday night, starting well before wilting as the game went on and being outscored 20-3 over the final three quarters.
Defensively, the Aggies held the Gators to 319 yards and 1 of 10 on third-down conversions.
“We’re close,” Napier said, desperate for a turnaround as his criticism grows louder. “I think we’re getting better on offense, and I think the defense played really hard throughout the game.”
DJ Lagway threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns in this game.
Last year, Florida went 3-3, but rallied to finish with back-to-back wins over No. 22 LSU, No. 9 Ole Miss and rival Florida State to wrap up a 7-5 regular season.
This season’s second half includes matchups against No. 9 Georgia, No. 5 Ole Miss, No. 11 Tennessee and the improved Seminoles, who have bounced back from last year’s 2-10 disaster.
Under second-year coach Jeff Lebby, the Bulldogs would also fall into this improved category after going 2-10 themselves in 2024.
However, after a 4-0 start filled with non-conference games, they dropped SEC games against Tennessee and the Aggies.
Pass protection has been an issue, leading to 16 sacks surrendered in six games, tied for 112th nationally.
“There’s not going to be some crazy perfect new scheme that all of a sudden gives us the ability to hold the ball for five seconds,” Lebby said. “It’s basically about playing cleaner, having a lot of confidence in our fundamentals, and then being able to execute that way.”
Lebby added that top running back Fluff Bothwell and safety Isaac Smith were “not at full strength” Monday, but top receiver Brenen Thompson was “in a great position physically.”
–Field level media
