The Florida Gators are among the 65 teams that The Athletic has graded based on their 2022 season. Unfortunately for Florida fans, the grade wouldn’t fair well on many report cards. The Gators were given a D by The Athletic’s Allan Taylor.
Florida ended the season with two road losses to Vanderbilt and Florida State, pushing their regular season record to 6-6. The end of the season had a completely different feeling than the disappointing ending. Florida’s season-opening win over the Utah Utes was the first game of the [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag] era and the 32nd consecutive season-opening win in a row — the longest active streak in the nation.
After the massive season-opening victory, the Orange and Blue collapsed against Kentucky and barely escaped an inferior USF program. SEC play wasn’t as kind as the Gators were hoping it would be. Of their six losses, five of them came against conference opponents. The other loss came at the hands of in-state rival Florida State, who finished the season at 9-3 and as the No. 13 team in the final College Football Playoffs rankings.
Here is what The Athletic’s Allan Taylor had to say about the Gators’ season:
Given a C- midseason grade after a 4-3 start, the Gators were trending up as they outscored Texas A&M and South Carolina 59-6 over a stretch of six quarters. Alas, they spiraled to a loss at Vanderbilt, lost a Black Friday scoring frenzy at Florida State and limped home at 6-6. A team that posted a season-opening victory over eventual Pac-12 champion Utah couldn’t sustain its energy or execution. Even against a schedule that Sagarin rated the nation’s 11th-toughest, finishing .500 was a discouraging debut for Billy Napier.
The Gators will finish their season with a depleted roster in their bowl game. Top players like [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag] and [autotag]O’Cyrus Torrence[/autotag] have already declared for the NFL draft and will not be playing against the Oregon State Beavers in the Las Vegas Bowl. That game will be played on Dec. 17. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. EST, with the game being broadcast on ESPN.
[mm-video type=video id=01gkj7ez1pxe0a4gq4p8 playlist_id=01eqbz250mdknqvm5z player_id=01eqbvp13nn1gy6hd4 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01gkj7ez1pxe0a4gq4p8/01gkj7ez1pxe0a4gq4p8-ae50ccef8547c916c0d4394d60fc49f7.jpg]
[lawrence-related id=97510,97520,97499,97492,97475]
[listicle id=97254]
[listicle id=97242]
[listicle id=97108]
[listicle id=97045]
Follow us @GatorsWire on Twitter and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
Let us know your thoughts and comment on this story below. Join the conversation today!