Florida football came out swinging on Saturday night, and despite some stumbles on special teams held on for an epic win against the Tennessee Volunteers. The Gators came in as the underdogs on their home turf but left as victors, 29-16.
Following the Week 3 slate of games, USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg put together his winners and losers from this weekend’s action, with the Orange and Blue earning a spot among the former.
“There was never a realistic scenario that saw Billy Napier fall into danger of being the latest Florida coach to be jettisoned ahead of schedule despite last year’s losing record and this season’s uneven start,” Myerberg explained, despite his colleague Jace Evans saying the exact opposite the day prior.
“But you can’t overstate the importance of a 29-16 win against No. 9 Tennessee in terms of breathing fresh life into Napier’s tenure and providing a glimpse into his end goal: a physical team looking to run at and through opponents to take pressure off quarterback Graham Mertz.
“The Gators mostly did just that, racking up 191 rushing yards on 42 carries with three scores while Mertz completed 19 of 24 throws for 166 yards without an interception. The offense sputtered in the second half, so this is obviously not a finished product.
“But this is an overall performance Florida can build on during a four-game stretch against Charlotte, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and South Carolina before facing Georgia on the final Saturday of October.”
Next up for Napier and the Gators are the Charlotte 49ers who come to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 23. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. EDT and the game will be broadcast on the SEC Network+.
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