GAINESVILLE, Fla. — With the arrival of midseason for his team, Gators head coach Billy Napier knows what’s ahead, starting with Saturday’s UF Homecoming game against Missouri.
Florida (3-2, 0-2) opens a six-game stretch against Southeastern Conference opponents. The Tigers (2-3, 0-2) are in the same position as the Gators. Both teams are looking for their first conference win and momentum for the second half of the regular season.
“There’s no easy outs here,” Napier said this week. “Each team in our league, they got their own set of problems. Everybody’s working hard to come up with solutions. They’re trying to put the best product they can out there each week.”
The Gators did a good job of that on Sunday, defeating Eastern Washington 52-17 in a game pushed back a day due to Hurricane Ian. Missouri put a scare into No. 1-ranked Georgia before losing at home.
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While the Florida-Missouri game has become a staple on the schedule since 2012, this is the first matchup between the programs pitting former Sun Belt Conference coaches Napier (Louisiana) and Eli Drinkwitz (Appalachian State) against one another. Drinkwitz is in his third season at Missouri.
Napier encouraged the Gators to show up for the noon game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium ready to play.
“I have a ton of respect for Missouri, relative to what I see on film,” Napier said. “They’ve been very competitive against good Auburn and Georgia teams in the SEC. “An absolute fight, we all understand and know that.”
The Gators have dropped six consecutive SEC games after losing to Kentucky and Tennessee last month. A win over Missouri would not only snap the streak, but provide a dose of confidence heading into next week’s Saturday night showdown against LSU.
First, they have work to do.
“We can’t go 0-3 in the SEC,” cornerback Jaydon Hill said. “That’s like bottom of the barrel. So, we gotta step it up and win, win on out. And I honestly believe in us.”
For more on Saturday’s game between the Gators and Tigers, here is The Opening Kickoff:
THREE STORYLINES
- Florida and Missouri are both winless in conference play, so one will depart The Swamp on Saturday afternoon no longer in the basement of the Eastern Division. Beyond that, this is an important game for the Gators to…
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