Tag: The Athletic

The Athletic’s stop rate for Florida drops precipitously after Kentucky loss

Florida’s drop in stop rate should come as little surprise to anyone who watched Ray Davis bulldoze UF defenders at Kroger Field last Saturday.

Five weeks into the college football season, that national landscape is taking form as the contenders start to separate themselves from the contenders.

The Florida Gators have descended into the latter category after its loss at Kentucky, dropping them to 1-1 in Southeastern Conference play with the thick of the schedule still ahead of them. One of the primary problems that has plagued Billy Napier’s second year on the sidelines has been inconsistency in all aspects of the game.

Coming into last weekend’s matchup, the Orange and Blue’s defense had looked solid, hovering near the top 25 corps depending on the metric. The Athletic published its first college football stop rate study last week, with Florida’s squad coming in ranked at No. 27 with a 75.8% mark.

What exactly are stop rates and how does a sports news website keep track? The Athletic staff writer Max Olson explains it very well.

“It’s a basic measurement of success: the percentage of a defense’s drives that end in punts, turnovers or a turnover on downs. This simple metric can offer a more accurate reflection of a defense’s effectiveness in today’s faster-tempo college football than yards per game or points per game.”

This week, however, the Gators dropped drastically to No. 52 with a 65.9% stop rate while allowing 1.95 points per drive. This should come as little surprise to anyone who watched Ray Davis bulldoze UF defenders at Kroger Field en route to some near-historic numbers.

Next up for the Orange and Blue are the Vanderbilt Commodores, who come to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 7, for the school’s homecoming game. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. EDT and the game can be watched on the SEC Network.

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Florida falls in the The Athletic’s college football rankings

The Florida Gators fell this week after tumbling on the road against the Kentucky Wildcats

At first, they were on the come up after taking down Tennessee and continuing a three-game win streak, but the Florida Gators now find themselves tumbling down a hill after getting shot down by the Kentucky Wildcats.

The Athletic released another weekly edition of rankings for all Power Five teams in college football and the Gators are falling further down the list, but are still among the top 50.

The Gators rank at No. 28 this week, slipping down six spots after the team’s failure in Lexington.

Billy Napier and Co. were incompetent against Kentucky. The play calling was dull, the defensive front was finally exposed and the remaining schedule is set up to be a daunting uphill climb.

The Kentucky Wildcats rose to No. 21 after their home win and remain undefeated. UK’s first four games were against lesser opponents like Eastern Kentucky and didn’t look to form until the Week 4 victory over Vanderbilt.

The Athletic’s Chris Vannini said the Gators remain in the top 30 because of its highlight victory over Tennessee at The Swamp.

This week, Florida locks their chinstrap and prepares for a home tilt against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Saturday at 4 p.m. EDT. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.

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Florida football buried in The Athletic’s SEC vibes rankings after Week 5

Florida’s mojo is missing in The Athletic’s Week 5 SEC vibe rankings.

Things were looking pretty good for Florida football after four weeks of play, having lost just its opening road game against the Utah Utes before putting together its first three-game winning streak since 2020. After the debacle in Lexington, Kentucky, against the Wildcats last weekend, all of that has changed.

After the dust settled last Saturday on the collegiate gridiron, The Athletic’s Seth Emerson published his vibe rankings for the Southeastern Conference. In it, he surveys the 14 member schools and how they are feeling five games into the season — a season that appears to feature a weakened SEC.

The Orange and Blue land at No. 10 in the rankings, with the following justification for its placement.

“Thirteen men on the field and still couldn’t stop the touchdown. So many questions,” Emerson began.

“Maybe the Tennessee game really was about The Swamp?” he continued. “This makes two losses away from home when the Gators just didn’t look very competent. The good feelings from their win over the Vols haven’t been completely erased yet, but it’s getting close.

“Worse yet: You can start making an argument that Florida has been passed by Kentucky as a program, and though most would not agree with that argument, no one should laugh at you for making it.”

Next up for the Orange and Blue are the Vanderbilt Commodores, who come to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 7, for the school’s homecoming game. Kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. EDT and the game can be watched on the SEC Network.

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The Athletic lists the Florida-Kentucky game among top 10 to watch

Saturday’s rivalry game between the Florida Gators and Kentucky Wildcats is in the top 10 games to watch, according to The Athletic.

Kickoff is nearly upon us for the latest chapter of the Florida Gators and Kentucky Wildcat rivalry.

The highly anticipated heavyweight bout is turning heads for the early slate of games on Saturday. The Athletic staff writer Justin Williams ranked his top 10 games of the weekend and included the SEC contest.

“Florida is far more battle-tested than Kentucky, having faced Utah and beaten Tennessee,” Williams wrote. “This is the first true test for the Wildcats, another team knocking on the door of the Top 25. Transfer quarterback Devin Leary was a major addition for Kentucky this offseason but has struggled to settle in, completing just 59.3 percent of passes with five interceptions.”

“Just as surprising is Florida’s Graham Mertz, another transfer QB, leading the SEC with a 78 percent completion rate,” Williams continued. “This game should be a prime opportunity for one of these teams to prove it is for real. Kentucky’s run game against Florida’s defensive front is a matchup to watch.”

Kickoff for the Florida Gators and Kentucky Wildcats is set for noon EDT and will broadcast on ESPN. UK is a one-point favorite going into the matchup.

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Another expert at The Athletic made his prediction for Florida and Kentucky

The Athletic’s senior writer Bruce Feldman made his pick for Saturday’s matchup between the Florida Gators and Kentucky Wildcats.

Multiple experts and sports writers are putting in their picks before the main college football slate begins on Saturday.

The Florida Gators and Kentucky Wildcats will kick things off early with their showdown starting at noon EDT. According to the BetMGM sports book, the teams are separated by one-point with Kentucky acting as the favorite.

The Athletic’s senior writer Bruce Feldman is taking Kentucky to win by a field goal, citing Florida’s lackluster performance last week against the Charlotte 49ers.

“The Gators didn’t look crisp against Charlotte at home last week and now go on the road in the SEC against a UK squad that is 4-0 but hasn’t been as explosive as expected so far on offense,” Feldman said. “The hunch here is that the Wildcats’ passing game gets it cranked up against a big test from the Gators defense.”

Kentucky quarterback Will Levis has had his ups and downs so far this season, but the Gators offense also struggled in what was supposed to be an annihilation of the Charlotte 49ers.

Feldman predicted the final score to be a 23-20 win for the Wildcats.

The 2023 edition of the rivalry between the Florida Gators and Kentucky Wildcats is set to kick off at noon EDT. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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The Athletic makes their pick for Florida-Kentucky

The Athletic is taking the narrow upset for Saturday’s rivalry game

Another day closer to Saturday’s rivalry and another sports publication booked their selection for a winner between the Florida Gators and Kentucky Wildcats.

The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel made his picks against the spread on Thursday and he says he’s taking the underdog Florida Gators in a tight contest. The spread is set at one point and Mandel is taking the Wildcats, who are the favorites at home.

“We have a good sense of Florida’s identity thanks to its Tennessee win, but Kentucky largely remains an unknown due to playing four cupcakes thus far, Mandel said. “(Kentucky) Quarterback Devin Leary has been inconsistent, but not to the point of mass concern. Florida will live and die with its rushing attack, and the Wildcats have been stout against the run so far.”

Mandel added a final score prediction with Kentucky winning by a touchdown, 24-17.

The Florida Gators and Kentucky Wildcats kick off at noon EDT on Saturday and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.

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Florida football’s stop rate has been essential to team’s success

The Florida Gators have been keeping opponents out of the endzone, boosting its stop rate percentage after four weeks.

Sports publication The Athletic has been keeping track of “stop rates” for college football programs around the nation and dropped its first ratings list after four weeks of action.

What exactly are “stop rates” and how does a sports news website keep track? The Athletic staff writer Max Olson explains it very well.

“It’s a basic measurement of success: the percentage of a defense’s drives that end in punts, turnovers or a turnover on downs. This simple metric can offer a more accurate reflection of a defense’s effectiveness in today’s faster-tempo college football than yards per game or points per game.”

The Florida Gators have been playing well on defense since the beginning of the season, never allowing more than 25 points to opposing teams. Analysts at The Athletic studied Florida’s efficiency and ranked them at No. 27.

According to the list, 75.8% of drives by opposing teams failed to finish with a field goal or a touchdown.

Florida defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong has flipped the Gators from being a defensive laughing stock to one of the best in the nation. The defense created 19 tackles-for-loss and put fear into quarterbacks with seven sacks.

A hit on Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Joe Milton III during the Week 3 battle caused the only interception for the Gators this season. The Gators ranked one spot ahead of the Volunteers, leading by a thin margin of 0.2%.

As for Florida’s future foes, the Georgia Bulldogs are the best SEC team on the list, stopping 83.8% of opponent drives. The LSU Tigers fell far below to No. 107 with a rate of 53.1%.

The Florida State Seminoles were tested heavily by Boston College and Clemson, dragging their stop percentage to 68.1%. The Seminoles escaped both games with a win but the defensive unit looks penetrable.

The Florida Gators will look to keep up its defensive effort as they travel to Lexington to challenge the Kentucky Wildcats. Kickoff is set for noon EDT and the game will broadcast on ESPN.

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Gators nearing top 20 in latest CFB re-rank from The Athletic

Florida’s win over Charlotte on Saturday didn’t impress everyone, but the Gators did move up a few spots on The Athletic’s Week 4 re-rank.

It seems that the various polls and re-ranks around college football are having a tough time figuring out exactly how good (or bad) the Florida Gators are following four weeks of action.

Despite boasting a 3-1 record, including an upset win over Tennessee, the Gators looked shaky against a lesser UNC Charlotte 49ers squad on Saturday. The USA TODAY Sports re-rank punished UF by dropping the Gators three spots in its weekly re-rank, but the folks at The Athletic believe that a win is a win.

In The Athletic’s Week 4 re-rank, Florida is just one spot shy of a top-20 berth after moving up four spots to No. 21 overall. Georgia remains on top of the rankings this week, while No. 12 LSU and No. 15 Alabama continue to fight for a spot in the top 10.

Missouri moved up five spots from No. 24 to No. 19 this week. The Gators and Tigers won’t meet until the penultimate week of the season, but that matchup is shaping up to be an important one with both teams on an upward trajectory.

Florida’s upcoming opponent, Kentucky, is ranked No. 33 by The Athletic this week, but senior writer Chris Vannini thinks it will be one of the biggest matchups of the weekend.

Perhaps the Gators move into the top 20 with a win over the undefeated Wildcats.

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The Athletic matches AP Poll for Florida in Week 4 re-rank

The sports media as a whole is feeling more bullish on the Gators, including The Athletic.

The Florida Gators took down the Tennessee Volunteers in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium this past Saturday night, and now the media is acknowledging Billy Napier and his squad.

The Athletic’s Chris Vannini placed the Gators at No. 25, matching the latest poll from the Associated Press.

“Not much change in this group. LSU‘s 41-14 demolition of Mississippi State is the LSU team we expected entering the season,” Vannini wrote. “They jump up to No. 12. Alabama falls into this group after escaping USF. Missouri’s last-second win against Kansas State and Florida’s 29-16 win against Tennessee see the Tigers and Gators move into the top 25.”

The stock is slowly rising for the 2023 Florida Gators.

They’re receiving votes in the US LBM Coaches Poll and snuck into the No. 25 spot on the AP poll. The Gators will face off against Charlotte on Saturday night at 7 p.m. EDT.

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Report: Jimbo Fisher’s job is very much in jeopardy according to Bruce Feldman, ‘A&M will find that money’

According to Bruce Feldman, Jimbo Fisher’s job is very much in jeopardy if the Aggies don’t turn things around. He went so far to say, “A&M will find that money.”

Jimbo Fisher is gearing up to play UL Monroe later this afternoon, but according to a new report, he could be playing for his coaching tenure in College Station.

While appearing on Fox’s Big Noon Kickoff, Bruce Feldman of The Athletic shared the latest on Fisher’s future at Texas A&M. When asked point blank if Fisher’s job was in jeopardy following last week’s loss to Miami, Feldman responded with “Absolutely.”

One of the deciding factors hanging over Fisher’s coaching tenure is his enormous contract buyout number. But according to Feldman, that won’t be an issue if this season goes sour.

“Now Jimbo is 1-7 in his last eight against Power Five opponents. The buyout is huge, $77 million dollars. But I’m told if he doesn’t get it going this year, A&M will find that money.”

Feldman’s report comes off the heels of sports personalities such as Paul Finebaum and Joel Klatt echoing the same tune this past week. Fisher’s recent track record against Power Five competition, highlighted by his 5-7 campaign in 2022, has left much to be desired. Those feelings are only underscored by the amount of money he’s being paid.

As Feldman notes later in his report, the arrival of No. 4 Texas to the SEC next year, who is coming off a big win over No. 10 Alabama, has only heightened the pressure on Fisher to deliver. If these hurdles were coming in year two or three, it would be one thing. Instead, the fanbase is understandably losing patience as Fisher embarks on his sixth season in Aggieland.

Fisher’s first step toward righting the ship begins in Texas A&M’s Week 3 matchup against UL Monroe, which kicks off at 3 p.m. CT on the SEC Network.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes, and opinions. Follow Pete on Twitter: @PeteThreee.