UCF @ Florida preview

UCF at Florida

Last Meeting ( Dec 23, 2021 ) UCF 29, Florida 17

Not even one of the most destructive hurricanes in memory kept Florida from getting work done during its open date.

"We didn't coddle them," Gators coach Billy Napier said. "I will tell you that. It was real in there for three days. So we worked extremely hard Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in full pads. We got after it."

Napier hopes Florida can get after it Saturday night when it hosts in-state rival UCF in a nonconference matchup in Gainesville, Fla.

Sitting on one of the hottest seats in sports, Napier went into the bye week with a win. The Gators (2-2) spanked Mississippi State 45-28 on Sept. 21 in Starkville, Miss. There was speculation Napier could be fired if Florida lost to perhaps the weakest team in the Southeastern Conference but with Graham Mertz hitting 19 of 21 passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns, the Gators rolled up 503 total yards.

Mertz has completed 75 percent of his passes for 487 yards in three games, missing the team's 45-7 rout of FCS opponent Samford last month with a concussion.

While the Gators have had extra preparation time, the Knights (3-1) come in off an absolute clunker, a 48-21 Big 12 Conference defeat at home last week against Colorado. They never led and were shredded for 418 total yards.

The defense wasn't good and the offense couldn't take up slack. Quarterback KJ Jefferson tossed an end-zone interception to prevent UCF from taking an early lead, then lost a fumble in the fourth quarter that led to a tack-on touchdown for the Buffaloes.

"We've got to be efficient in the red zone and come away with points," he said. "Whether that's a touchdown or a kick, we've got to come away with something. That right there is totally on me."

The Knights are third in FBS in rushing at 326 yards per game, led by RJ Harvey and his 525 yards.

Florida owns a 2-1 lead in the all-time series, including a 2-0 mark at home.

--Field Level Media