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Gators Show up Against Central Florida in The Swamp

By: Kirin C

On Saturday night the Florida Gators defeated the Central Florida Knights 24-13. The Gators improved to (3-2) while the Knights fell to (3-2). This was quite the disappointing loss for the Knights considering the teams are in-state rivals and the Knights had a hot (3-0) start.

The first drive for the Gators was a methodical 15 plays for 75 yards in 7 minutes 58 seconds that resulted in a Touchdown to Elijhah Badger . UCF established the run game early and responded to the Gator TD with a field goal making the score 7-3 Florida. Near the end of the first quarter the Knights made a risky call to go for it on 4th & 1 on their own side of the field, the Gators made a great stop and took over on the UCF 43 yard line.

At the beginning of the second quarter QB DJ Lagway delivered a strike to WR Chimere Dike for 37 yards to the UCF 1 yard line. Ja’Kobi Jackson finished the drive with a run for a Gator TD making the score 14-3 Florida. One highlight of the first half that Gator fans seemed to love was Billy Napier’s reaction to a questionable roughing the kicker call that led to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Florida fans rarely see this side of Napier as he typically does not express much emotion. Graham Mertz led another great drive making the score (21-3) after a Montrell Johnson Jr. TD. The Gators also had another 4th down stop on their own 34 yard line and ended up kicking a field goal with 0:04 left on the clock after an efficient drive by QB DJ Lagway.

At Halftime Florida has the 24-3 lead.

After halftime the Knights came out with a strong drive and kicked a field goal making the score 24-6. The Gators ended up missing a field goal and allowing a TD making the score (24-13). This gave the Knights a sense of hope and somewhat let them back into the game. Late in the 4th quarter Bryce Thornton iced the game making the final score 24-13 Florida.

Graham Mertz finished 19/23 with 179 yards and a TD while KJ Jefferson was held to 165 yards, an interception, and -18 rushing yards including sacks. Surprisingly, the Gators shined defensively in this game and showcased their bye week improvements. They recorded 5 sacks and only allowed 272 yards to a UCF team that averaged 326.0 rush yards per game prior to the game. Offensively, the Gators went scoreless in the 2nd half which was unexpected considering they looked strong in the first half. “Letting off the gas” when up 2 or more scores at half has been a recurring theme for the Gators under Billy Napier’s authority throughout his years at Florida. Unlike recent games, Napier was given a standing ovation when exiting. This game displayed the Gator’s perseverance and ability to make positive changes. Most importantly, it revealed that Napier has not lost the locker room despite there being buzz about his job security.