Match day: n ° 13 Florida vs South Florida (Saturday, 4:15 p.m.)

Gainesville, Florida. – At first glance, the first two games of the Florida season were probably considered outside as simple reflections to start a calendar that looked like one of the most difficult in the history of university football.

Long Island? WHO? Do they have football?

South Florida? Again? When is the dryer of the dry?

UF will open the southeast conference next weekend at the LSU-and this one will be full of media threw, without a doubt-but first of all the first things. Florida fans probably have a different grip of the test of force on Saturday between the Gators n ° 13 (1-0) and the surprising bulls (1-0) in the Spurrier / Florida Field after what the USF did nine days ago by upsetting the 25th State of Boisse, but by soothing the broncos, a participant in the university football series last season, 34-7 in Tampa.

[Read senior writer Scott Carter‘s comprehensive “Opening Kickoff” preview here]

The figures for the rise on Interstate-75 are invigorating for the program three years ago, during the first season of UF under Billy Napierlaunched a fear of 31-28 to the Gators in “The Swamp”. In that one, the USF has erased a deficit of 14 points with 18 consecutive points (all except three in the second half) to take a 28-24 advance with 11 minutes. The Bulls, however, returned the ball with six minutes to play and the Gators led to a touch of Trevor Etienne of 3 yards with five minutes to play, then retained a journey at the end of the USF to escape with a 31-28 victory.


It remains to be seen that this kind of knocker is in store for this one. The Florida 2025 team is much better than that of the 2022 version, but the same can be said for the current USF, which went 1-11 that year and dismissed his coach, Jeff Scott, at the end of the season.

By replacing Scott, the Bulls landed on Alex Golesh, a protégé by Josh Heupel in the center of Florida and Tennessee. The Gators will have to face the heartbreaking offensive scheme of Golesh which produced 372 yards last week, as well as a mentality of nothing to lose which has already rose with a touch of 45 yards on a false boot of dismissal against wood.

Translation: We are far from Long Island, people (in more ways than one).

The USF, of the American Athletic Conference, is led by the quarter-Arrière byrum Brown, which completed 16 of the 24 passes for 210 yards and added 43 yards and two affected affecting to guide the Bulls to their first defeat of an opponent classified since 2016. Brown had two receivers, Keshaun Singleton and Chas Nimrod, yards in the opening.

Defensively, the USF made 378 yards, but forced three reversals. Second Jhayln Shuler was credited with 14 plated, five solo, plus a passing of pass and was appointed national defensive player of Walter Camp.

They have guys.

The Gators opened with a non-test of 55-0 against the classified Sharks of the FCS, who, although outdated, managed to hold the quarter DJ Lagway And the UF offensive of less than 500 meters, largely by registering – get this – 11 plated for the loss against an offensive line which entered the Pompey season as one of the best in the country.

Lagway was not Super Sharp during his first live action since his return from a throbbing off -season injury, but finished 15 out of 118 for 120 yards and three affected without interception. Gators, who also obtained 104 yards on the ground and a tailback score Jadan Baughhad no turnover and did not give a penalty on each side of the ball.

Defensively, UF only granted 86 yards (the 10th more in the history of the program, two meager first Downs (a lower of all time) and forced a pair of escaped.

It is enough to say that the Gators (and Gator Nation) will know much more about this team after a test of a real opponent – and before the other Really Real teams are starting to appear on the calendar. Like next week. And the following week. And so on.

The coverage begins at 4:15 p.m. on SEC Network, with Dave Neal’s crew on the game by play, Fozzy Whitaker providing an analysis and Morgan Uber on the sidelines. Learfield Broadcast’s Gators Sports Network will be broadcast with pre-match coverage from 1 p.m. and will eventually give way to Sean Kelley team, Shane Matthews and Tate Casey on the call. For GSN stations, click here.


The match will be resumed on Tuesday at 1 a.m. and Wednesday at 11 a.m., both on the dry network.


Finally, follow the main writer Scott Carter (@Gatorsscott) on X for comments and analyzes throughout the game. Floridagators.com Also will have complete post-match coverage of the match on Saturday evening and follow-up content on Sunday.



Send an email to the main writer Chris Harry to Chrish@gators.ufl.edu