Florida football must take back The Swamp for the sake of Billy Napier…

October 1, 2024 admin Florida gators 0

Florida football needs to reclaim The Swamp, for Billy Napier’s sake.

Florida football fans are a loyal lot.

Gator Nation has posted sellout after sellout at The Swamp through two-plus seasons of middling results under head coach Billy Napier, who is 10-6 at home in his tenure.

Other than freshman quarterback DJ Lagway’s dazzling starting debut for the Florida Gators against FCS opponent Samford, there hasn’t been much to cheer about at The Swamp in 2024. Florida is 1-2 at home and has dropped four of its last five in Gainesville dating to the 2023 season. That includes a 39-36 overtime loss to Arkansas in which UF entered the game as a 6-point favorite.

Familiar face returns to The Swamp at QB for UCF

Florida faces a challenge in UCF dual-threat quarterback KJ Jefferson. Yes, that’s the same Jefferson that led Arkansas to an upset win over the Gators at The Swamp last season. The 6-foot-3, 261-pound Jefferson passed for 255 yards and two TDs that game while rushing for 92 yards and another TD.

Jefferson will run a different offense with different personnel under UCF coach Gus Malzahn.

“The issues that he can create because he’s a big man, ultimately I think that’s what you take away from that (Arkansas) game,” Napier said. “A lot of the players on our team now were out there in those situations last year. So, we have a ton of awareness.”

Marshall said the key Saturday is to try to take away Jefferson’s rushing ability and make him one-dimensional.

“Then … being a defender in the back end, taking away his reads and things like that,” Marshall said. “Just trying to make the game hard for him.”

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