Florida entered the AP Top 25 poll on Tuesday ranked 12th, the program’s biggest one-week jump in the current iteration of the AP poll (1989-present). The unranked Gators knocked off No. 7 Utah last weekend in the debut of head coach Billy Napier.
“We said at the beginning that it was going to take a team effort to get this done, to build and create momentum, to create positive energy on the outside.” – @coach_bnapier
📰 An Opener For the Ages — by @GatorsChris #GoGators | #jOURney https://t.co/idbWWvmU1S
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) September 4, 2022
“I think we’ve got a little bit of the best of both worlds here,” Napier said Monday. “I think we’ve got some momentum. But we also have a team that is very self-aware. I think we’ve got a smart group. I think they understand good football. They watched the tape. They know that they can do better.”
The Gators entered the Utah game as a 3-point underdog, marking the first home opener since 1978 in which the Gators were not favored. Florida was among those receiving votes in the AP preseason poll, tied at No. 37 with Kansas State (14). At the same time, the Pac-12 defending champion Utes garnered attention as a possible College Football Playoff team in the preseason.
However, quarterback Anthony Richardson rushed for three touchdowns and Amari Burney delivered a game-clinching interception in the final seconds, lifting Florida to a pulsating 29-26 victory over the Utes in front of the largest home-opener crowd in school history.
The Gators host No. 20 Kentucky on Saturday in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams. The Wildcats defeated Miami (Ohio) 37-13 in their opener last weekend.
Florida has won 33 of the last 35 meetings between the schools, but the series is 2-2 in the previous four. Kentucky won 20-13 last season for its first home win over the Gators since 1986.
Alabama remained at No. 1, with Georgia jumping Ohio State for the second spot. The SEC has eight teams ranked: 1. Alabama; 2. Georgia; 6. Texas A&M, 12. Florida; 16. Arkansas; 20. Kentucky; 22. Ole Miss; 24. Tennessee.
The Gators debuted in the USA Today/AFCA Coaches Poll at 19th, one spot ahead of the Wildcats.
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