A few thoughts to jump start your Wednesday morning: Tyrese Samuel averaged 10.8 points per game last year at Seton Hall. It was typical slug it out Big East basketball where scores in the 60s were commonplace. An outside shot for Samuel was typically something from about three feet out. A season later, Samuel is discovering what wide open offense means as a Florida Gator. Not only does he have the green light to launch a 3-pointer if he’s wide open, but he can put the ball on the deck and drive to the rim. Last week in Brooklyn in the NIT Season Tipoff, Samuel showed skills Seton Hall people may not have known he has when he got a steal, blew by two guards and went coast-to-coast for a dunk. That highlight reel play was part of a two-day showing of 38 points, 16 rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocked shots as the Gators knocked off Pittsburgh then went white knuckles with top ten Baylor before falling 95-91. Heading into tonight’s SEC-ACC Challenge matchup with Wake Forest (3-3) in Winston-Salem (7:15 p.m., ESPNU), Samuel is averaging 14.8 points and 8.3 rebounds per game playing for Todd Golden, who puts plenty of trust in his players. “He’s like, ‘If you’re open, take it, I know you can make plays,’” Samuel said Tuesday. “So he puts a lot of trust in me doing those things.” This is a big man friendly offense, which has plenty of appeal to Samuel, although the Gators are going to start a small-ball offense against Wake Forest, in part because 7-1 Micah Handlogten still isn’t 100 percent after suffering an ankle injury against Pittsburgh. Samuel will get the start surrounded by four very physical but talented guards. In the win over Pitt last week the Gators had 24 assists on 31 made baskets with just eight turnovers. Against Baylor it was a 17-11 assist-to-turnover ratio. When the ball is shared, there are good shots for everyone. “I think you can see that we share the ball a lot,” Samuel said. “We score a lot of points. Against Baylor we scored 91 points. Even though we lost that’s a lot of points. Coming from the Big East a lot of games are like 60, 70 points, maybe even the 70-point range. So, just the fact we’re able to share the ball and score a lot of points, I think a lot of people get to see us making assists and just sharing the ball and just being like unselfish.” Starting lineups FLORIDA (4-2): Tyrese Samuel (6-10, 239, GR); Will Richard (6-4, 206, JR); Riley Kugel (6-5, 207, SO); Walter Clayton Jr. (6-2, 195, JR); Zyon Pullin (6-4, 206, GR) Wake Forest (3-3): Zach Keller (6-10, 228, SO); Andrew Carr (6-4, 220, SR); Hunter Sallis (6-5, 185, JR); Cameron Hildreth (6-4, 195, JR); Kevin Miller (6-0, 175, SO) SEC basketball Tuesday’s scores: No. 12 Kentucky (6-1) 95, No. 8 Miami (5-1) 73; Georgia Tech (3-2) 67, No. 21 Mississippi State (6-1) 59; Clemson (6-0) 85, No. 23 Alabama (5-2) 77; South Carolina (6-0) 65, Notre Dame (3-3) 53; Missouri (6-2) 71, Pittsburgh (5-2) 64; Syracuse (5-2) 80, LSU (4-3) 57; Ole Miss (6-0) 72, North Carolina State (4-2) 52 Wednesday’s games: FLORIDA (4-2) at Wake Forest (3-3); No. 10 Tennessee (4-2) at No. 17 North Carolina (5-1); No. 14 Texas A&M (6-1) at Virginia (5-1); No. 7 Duke (5-1) at Arkansas (4-3); Boston College (4-2) at Vanderbilt (3-3); Georgia (3-3) at Florida State (4-1); Virginia Tech (5-2) at Auburn (4-1) Finding replacements for Raymond, Spencer With the transfer portal set to officially open for business Sunday and the early National Signing Day on December 20, Billy Napier needs to move quickly to find replacements for former secondary coach Corey Raymond and defensive line coach/co-defensive coordinator Sean Spencer. There is $1.755 million of available salary money for the two positions based on 2023 salary. A secondary coach to keep an eye on: Although it might seem like wishful thinking to land him, former Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard should be worth a call. He is currently an analyst at Illinois, having taken the job after being passed over for head coach at Wisconsin when Paul Chryst was fired. From 2016-22, Wisconsin’s defense never finished lower than 5th in the Big Ten. The Badgers led the country in total defense in 2021. There is a connection for Florida. D-Line coach Sean Spencer, who was also let go along with Raymond, held the title of co-defensive coordinator. Would Leonhard come to UF as a co-coordinator and a mentor for DC Austin Armstrong? Leonhard walked on at Wisconsin, made All-America at safety three years, then spent 10 years in the NFL after going undrafted. Graham Mertz was at Wisconsin from 2019-22 and reportedly is friends with Leonhard. Two other names you may hear: Texas A&M secondary coach TJ Rushing, who does not know if he will be retained by new coach Mike Elko. Rushing was on the Arizona State staff with Billy Napier in 2017. At A&M, Rushing was making $600,000 a year. Doug Belk, the defensive coordinator at Houston, is a Valdosta native who was on the Alabama staff as a grad assistant when Napier coached the wide receivers in 2015. His base salary at Houston is $550,000. He had a great reputation as a recruiter when he was at West Virginia and that carried over to Houston. He’s a free agent since the firing of head coach Dana Holgorsen. A D-Line coach to keep an eye on: A familiar face for Gator fans and someone Napier is familiar with from his days in the Sun Belt Conference is Troy’s Bam Hardmon, who has coached D-line and outside linebackers in nine seasons on the Troy staff. He is a former Broyles Award nominee. Troy had 39 sacks this year, seventh in the country (The Gators had 22 sacks, 94th). Troy gave up 102.08 yards per game on the ground, 14thnationally. He makes $173,000 a year so Florida could offer a significant raise. Another name you may hear: Jess Simpson, D-line coach at Duke, former Miami D-line coach, played at Auburn, coached high school ball at Burford, Georgia where he won seven state championships. College Football Playoff: Four unbeatens at the top College Football Playoff top 25: 1. Georgia 12-0; 2. Michigan 12-0; 3. Washington 12-0; 4. Florida State 12-0; 5. Oregon 11-1; 6. Ohio State 11-1; 7. Texas 11-1; 8. Alabama 11-1; 9. Missouri 10-2; 10. Penn State 10-2; 11. Ole Miss 10-2; 12. Oklahoma 10-2; 13. LSU 9-3; 14. Louisville 10-2; 15. Arizona 9-3; 16. Iowa 10-2; 17. Notre Dame 9-3; 18. Oklahoma State 9-3; 19. North Carolina State 9-3; 20. Oregon State 8-4; 21. Tennessee 8-4; 22. Tulane 11-1; 23. Clemson 8-4; 24. Liberty 12-0; 25. Kansas State 8-4 SEC football No. 8 Alabama (11-1): Linebacker Dallas Turner is one of three finalists for the Bednarik Award, given yearly to the best defensive player in college football … Placekicker Will Reichard is one of three finalists for the Groza Award. Arkansas (4-8): Arkansas is on the verge of hiring Bobby Petrino as its next offensive coordinator. Petrino was the head coach at Arkansas from 2008-11 where he compiled a 34-17 record … Linebackers Chris Paul (6-1, 233, SO) and Jordan Crook (6-0, 220, SO) are in the portal. Paul was in on 74 tackles in 2023, 62 in 2022. Crook was in on 28 tackles in 2023. Also in the portal is WR Sam Mbake … Michigan State OG Keyshawn Blackstock (6-5, 310, JR) has committed to Arkansas. Auburn (6-6): DL Enyce Sledge (6-2, 311, FR) and DL Stephon Johnson (6-3, 337, FR) have entered the transfer portal. No. 1 Georgia (12-0): Georgia secondary coach Fran Brown is the new head coach at Syracuse. Brown spent two years on the Georgia staff after a 2-year stint at Rutgers … Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo is a finalists for the Broyles Award … Former 4-star linebacker Darris Smith (6-5, 240, SO) is in the portal. Smith is from Baxley, GA. Kentucky (7-5): Starting center Eli Cox will return to Kentucky for a sixth season in 2024 … DL Jamarius Dinkins (6-5, 280, SO) and WR Dekel Crowdus (5-10, 171, SO) are in the portal along with safety Jalen Geiger (6-1, 199, SR) and OL Grant Bingham (6-5, 321, FR). No. 13 LSU (9-3): Quarterback Jayden Daniels is a finalist for the Maxwell Award along with Oregon QB Bo Nix and Washington QB Michael Penix. It is expected these three will be the finalists also for the Heisman Trophy … Wide receiver Malik Nabers is a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award … Offensive coordinator Mike Debrock is one of five finalists for the Broyles Award, given to the nation’s top assistant coach … Running backs Corren Norman (5-9, 205, SR) and Armoni Goodwin (5-8, 200, JR) are in the portal. Mississippi State (5-7): New HBC Jeff Lebby will retain WR coach Chad Bumphis … QB Will Rogers (6-2, 215, SR) is in the portal, joined by running back Simeon Price (6-0, 215, SO) and wide receivers Nakai Poole (6-3, 210, FR) and Jacobi Bellazar (5-11, 165, JR). Rogers has thrown for 12,315 yards and 94 touchdowns in his career. No. 9 Missouri (10-2): Cody Shrader is a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, presented to the nation’s top running back. Shrader led the SEC and finished second in the country in rushing with 1,499 yards (13 TDs) … Tight end Max Whisner (6-4, 242, RFR) is in the transfer portal. No. 11 Ole Miss (10-2): TE Jayvontay Conner (6-4, 220, FR) will enter the transfer portal. South Carolina (5-7): EDGE Donovan Westmoreland (6-1, 234, SO) will enter the transfer portal. Tennessee (8-4): Although snubbed by both the Associated Press and Coaches polls, the Vols claimed the No. 21 spot in the College Football Playoff top 25. Texas A&M (7-5): QB Max Johnson (GR) is in the transfer portal and expected to commit to North Carolina. Johnson has thrown for 5,853 years and 47 TDs at both LSU and Texas A&M … Also in the portal is wide receiver Raymond Cottrell (6-3, 210, FR), who is from Milton, FL. Vanderbilt (2-10): In the transfer portal are quarterbacks AJ Swann (SO) and Ken Seals (GR). Swann threw for 1,457 yards and 12 TDs this year while Seals threw for 1,183 and 11 TDs. Also in the portal is OL Kevo Wesley (6-4, 317, SR) … Middle Tennessee State DE Zaylin Wood (6-2, 273, JR) has committed to transfer to Vandy. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Paul Finebaum has one word for the folks who think the Southeastern Conference could be shut out of the College Football Playoff if 8th-ranked Alabama knocks off No. 1 Georgia in the SEC Championship Game in Atlanta Saturday afternoon. “Preposterous” is Finebaum’s word to describe an SEC-less final four but there are plenty of pundits who suggest it could happen. Finebaum used the Florida-Florida State game as exhibit No. 1 for why the SEC champ will get in no matter Saturday’s outcome. “In the AP poll yesterday, five of the top 11 teams are from the SEC, and you’re going to tell me that Florida State, without its best player, struggled against a 7-loss Florida team Saturday deserves to be in, should be in over Alabama or Georgia?” Finebaum said. “That is preposterous … it would be patently absurd.” Not only would it be patently absurd, can you imagine ESPN not having a say in who gets in? It would be one thing if the SEC champ had two losses, but it is guaranteed that the SEC champion will either be unbeaten Georgia or once-beaten Alabama. Leaving one of those two out would be a ratings and financial disaster for ESPN. In its wildest dreams, Florida State will never command the ratings of either Alabama or Georgia. Nor will Washington or Oregon. Michigan? Maybe. Here is a scenario that could play out: Alabama beats Georgia, Oregon beats Washington, Michigan beats Iowa, Florida State beats Louisville and Texas beats Oklahoma State. Texas is out because Okie State is a 3-loss team that was hosed by both UCF and South Alabama. Florida State and Michigan are in because they are unbeaten and the committee picks Alabama and Georgia to fill out the bracket. It could happen.

Shane Mathews, Franz Beard with host Buddy Martin talk about the fallout from the recent firings in Gainesville. Guests: Shane Matthews Franz Beard Brenden Martin

Florida goes cold in the second half to fall to Florida State in the BackUp Bowl. The Florida Gators stormed to a 12-0 lead early in the second quarter and looked primed to pull the upset in front of a sold-out Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Looking for their sixth win as well as a victory against their hated rival, the Gators began with a brand of defense that had been absent all season, moving the ball efficiently. Unfortunately that initial burst of energy would slowly be devoured by stagnant offense, penalties and enough missed opportunities that allowed Florida State to outscore the Gators 17-3 in the second half to complete an undefeated regular season and take its second straight win in the Sunshine Showdown. What We Thought: The play of both quarterbacks would be the main attraction in this contest. Florida would be without quarterback Graham Mertz while Florida State would be without the services of Jordan Travis. In their absence Max Brown and Tate Rodemaker would be tasked with leading their teams in the game. While Brown would have a limited bag of tricks his ability to stress the Seminole defense with his legs could possibly be the x-factor to allow Florida to run the ball against a very good defensive front. Add to that the ability to attack Florida State horizontally with Eugene Wilson III could give Max Brown an opportunity to gradually work himself into the game as it progressed. For Florida State, Tate Rodemaker would have a full complement of weapons to attack the Gators with including running back Tre Benson and receiver Johnny Wilson. Ultimately that would prove to be the difference between the two quarterbacks as Florida State would have too many weapons for the Florida defense to deal with. Florida State would arguably be the best defensive front the Gators had faced this year with Jared Verse and Fabian Lovett making life hard for Brown as the game progressed. The Seminoles would be vulnerable to passing plays over the top as they would crowd the line of scrimmage to keep the Gator run game in check. The Florida defense would need to play the best it has played since September as an upset would be hard to come by without at least two turnovers. What We Got: For most of the game the Florida Gators were playing to a stalemate with the nations #5 team. The Gators needed more than that. Late in the second quarter an inspired Florida defense sacked Rodemaker for a safety to go up 12-0. On the ensuing drive, another head-scratching call that has been the theme of the season led to an intentional grounding penalty essentially killing the drive before it started. FSU would score on its next possession and breathe a little life into what had been a listless Seminole team. Florida failed to bring much creativity into its offensive attack and the Nole defense was able to pin its ears back and pressure Max Brown most of the second half. The Gators had success in the first half running the football and throwing it on occasion. That success slowly waned as the game progressed. While there were key (questionable) penalties and near misses by both teams. Florida State was able to muster just enough in the running game to squeak out a win. The Gator offense lacked the consistent diversity and imagination it has lacked all season, with limited touches for Wilson in the second half and only 3 targets for Ricky Pearsall Jr. The defense played inspired, the lack of consistent playmaking once again was its undoing. The Skinny: Forget the second guessing -- it’s time for a change. Billy Napier has stated that he will evaluate “each and every part of our organization” and make the necessary changes if needed. The problem is there are issues both on and off the field. Looking back on the 2023 version of the Gators, the consistent mistakes that initially showed themselves in Salt Lake City, remained until the final play. The army of individuals that have been enlisted into duty by Napier have failed to harp on the little things during the week that eventually get you beat on Saturdays. Nearly from top to bottom this was not a very good football team based upon talent and worse based upon the way it was coached. When a coach is constantly defending moves with empty answers, changes need to be made. Too many times, the Gators failed to utilize the few weapons it had on a consistent basis and with a historically bad defense leaning on those players should have been more of a priority. Communication issues, a lack of transparency and numerous excuses lend itself to a third straight losing season and the second under Napier. While many will point to the youth of this football team as reason for its shortcomings, many of the mistakes that were made were by some of the programs most experienced members. To add more food for thought, in Week 12 are you truly young anymore? There is not much to say because Napier doesn’t give you much. What has been offered is 14 losses with consistent questions. What will become of this offseason? The Gators currently have a top five recruiting class that is primed to bring the program back to prominence and is full of talent, for now. With the transfer portal and the changes going on in college football transformation can take place quickly but without a change in the organization it may be tougher for Napier and the Gators.

It did not take long for Billy Napier and company to start making changes to the Florida football program. Just days after losing to Florida State in the regular season finale, defensive line coach Sean Spencer and defensive backs coach Corey Raymond were relieved of their duties.

Too many years of bad recruiting along the offensive line

For a nano-second, there was a merged heartbeat as one in The Swamp, full of hopeful expectation.

Florida Gators forward Tyrese Samuel was named the SEC Player of the Week after a pair of tremendous performances at the NIT Season Tip-Off in Brooklyn last week. The league announced the honor Monday a few days after Samuel was named to the All-Tournament Team as well. Samuel finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three steals and three blocked shots against Pitt in Florida's opening game of the tournament. With that performance, the Seton Hall transfer became the first SEC player in more than seven years to post a 20/10/3/3/3 stat line. He was also the first Florida and seventh SEC player in the last century to record that stat line. He followed up that game with 18 points while adding six rebounds and two steals against No. 13 Baylor. Despite the close loss, the Gators showed that they could hang around with some of the nation's best. For the entire tournament, Samuel missed just one two point field goal, shooting a .941 field goal percentage from inside the arc. It's been a great start to the year for Samuel, who is nearly averaging a double-double with 14.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest. Florida basketball as a whole has opened the season in good form, posting a 4-2 record to start the season. But most importantly, Golden's team has addressed it's biggest concerns from last year by adding some much needed big-man talent. The Gators will return to action Wednesday in the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge against Wake Forest.

Todd Golden didn’t get the signature win over 13th-ranked Baylor in the championship game of the NIT Season Tipoff at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn Friday evening but he may have learned something every bit as valuable. On a night when it seemed that Baylor was constantly on the verge of sprinting to a blowout, Golden and the Florida Gators showed they can not only take a punch, but they are more than capable of fighting back. Baylor’s 95-91 win had everything to do with a barrage of 3-point shots. The Bears won the battle of the 3-point line by 18 points but even 14-25 shooting from beyond the arc couldn’t make the Gators go away. “We out-rebounded them, turned it over less than they did, shot a better percentage from two than they did, but they won the game today because they shot the ball better from three than we did,” Golden said. Florida won the battle of the backboards 38-33 and the Gators’ 12 turnovers resulted in just 13 Baylor points. Florida, on the other hand, converted 14 Baylor turnovers into 21 points. The Gators outscored Baylor in the paint, 38-26, and on the fast break, 21-2. Baylor scored 42 points from the 3-point line. Florida scored 24 on 26 3-point shots and that proved to be the difference in the game. Baylor had ample opportunities to run away with the game in both halves. Behind their 3-point shooting, they led by as many as 11 points on two occasions in the first half before going into the halftime locker tied at 41-41. In the second half, Baylor led by nine on two occasions but couldn’t deliver the haymaker to put the Gators to rest. Some of it had to do with defense, or lack of. “As I examine the box score, [an] even game all the way around with the exception of the 3-point line,” Golden said. “They obviously shot incredibly well, 56 percent. There were plenty of things we could’ve done a little better defensively in terms of guarding the three. “Like I told our guys in the locker room, we need to limit attempts better, but once that ball is in the air there is only so much you can do about controlling the outcome and 56 percent is going to be tough to overcome – 14 made threes for them. Obviously, we only made eight out of our 26.” It wasn’t just the volume of Baylor’s threes, it was how timely they were. There was a three-minute stretch midway through the second half in which Florida kept clawing away at the Baylor lead, only to have the Bears hit four critical 3-pointers that were like daggers. Every time the Gators looked to spurt past Baylor, the Bears rained down another three to turn it into a catch-up affair once again. The one that hurt the most was at the 9:56 mark when Jonathan Tchamwa Tchatchoua launched and landed an unlikely 3-pointer at the top of the key, which was followed by a Jalen Bridges bomb 38 seconds later. RayJ Dennis hit a step-back 3-pointer with 8:01 to go, Baylor’s third straight 3-pointer that gave the Bears a 70-64 lead. “Obviously, they hit big, big shots at big moments,” Golden said. “I think we had it tied and then No. 23, their third-string center [Tchamwa Tchatchoua], hit that big pick-and-pop three in the middle of the floor. They hit like two or three in a row as a team, that was the separation.” Then came the fourth 3-ball, the only one Jayden Nunn hit the entire evening with 6:54 to go in the game for a 75-69 lead. From that point onward, it was a game of chase. The Gators were constantly in a catch-up mode while Baylor hit its free throws and just enough clutch shots to maintain at least a 2-possession lead and that sealed the deal. Depth was an issue the entire night for UF. Micah Handlogten, who injured his ankle in the first minute of the win over Pittsburgh, was dressed Friday but spent the night on the bench because Golden wasn’t comfortable playing the 7-1 sophomore until his ankle has done a bit more healing. That wasn’t a problem against Pitt because freshmen Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh played well off the bench in support of Tyrese Samuel. Samuel had another big game against Baylor with 18 points, six rebounds and two steals, but Condon and Haugh combined for just six points, five rebounds and three blocked shots. Against Pitt, they were good for 18 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots. Where Handlogten was missed most was on the defensive end. The Gators missed his presence in the paint, but it also left UF one down in the big man rotation and that was costly. “It was more on the defensive end, I think, where it affected us in terms of putting Tyrese and Condon in these ball-screen coverages all game long where they’re getting fatigued a little bit,” Golden said. “We didn’t have one more guy to rest them or give them a little more time.” Clayton, who lit up Pittsburgh for 28 points Wednesday night when he hit 6-8 from the 3-point line, was visibly under the weather. He was instrumental in numerous Florida mini-comebacks when it seemed Baylor had the Gators on the ropes, but he just didn’t have the same lift on his jump shots. Clayton wound up with 11 points, six rebounds, four assists, two blocked shots and two steals, but he hit only 1-8 from the 3-point line and only 4-6 from the foul line. Picking up the offensive slack were Riley Kugel, who had 25 points, nine rebounds, three assists, a blocked shot and a steal, and Zyon Pullin, who had 17 points, two rebounds, five assists and a steal. Additionally, Denzel Aberdeen played productive minutes off the bench with eight points, three rebounds and an assist. Kugel was a one-man wrecking crew in the second half when he scored 17 points on 7-14 shooting including 2-4 from the foul line. He had five rebounds, an assist and a blocked shot to conclude his best game of the season. Next up for the Gators is a Wednesday night game in Winston-Salem with Wake Forest as part of the SEC-ACC Challenge. SEC basketball Friday’s games: No. 13 Baylor (6-0) 95, FLORIDA (4-2) 91; No. 19 Florida Atlantic (4-1) 96, No. 12 Texas A&M (4-1) 89; No. 14 North Carolina (5-1) 87, No. 20 Arkansas (4-3) 72; No. 16 Kentucky (5-1) 118, Marshall (2-4) 82; Ohio State (4-1) 92, No. 17 Alabama (4-1) 81; No. 25 Mississippi State (6-0) 74, Nicholls (3-4) 61; Georgia (3-3) 78, Winthrop (4-3) 69; LSU (4-2) 75, North Florida (4-3) 63; Arizona State (3-2) 82, Vanderbilt (3-3) 67 Saturday’s games: Loyola (1-4) at Missouri (4-2); No. 17 Alabama (4-1) vs. Oregon (4-1) at Destin, FL Sunday’s game: Iowa State (5-1) vs. No. 12 Texas A&M (4-1) at Kissimmee, FL

As has happened numerous times this season, the Florida Gators found themselves unable to overcome a series of mistakes, leading to their defeat in the regular-season finale and bringing their overall record to 5-7 for the season and 11-14 in two years under head coach Billy Napier. In Florida fashion, this was a winnable game for the Gators against the #5 Seminoles, it stings. “Ultimately, we’ve got to get up off the ground, and I think we have to learn from failure. Growth comes through struggle. I think this season presents that opportunity,” Napier said following the loss. “Look, we have work to do. Ultimately as a staff, we have to evaluate where we’re at from top to bottom, every inch of what we do, and we have to work hard to try to position the players and do better. I think that’s what I’m consumed with. That’s my purpose, and that’s the way I view my platform opportunity.” While there were various factors contributing to Florida's downfall, none stood out more than critical moments on both sides of halftime, resulting in a 14-point swing in favor of the Seminoles. Holding a 12-0 lead with about four minutes left in the second quarter, the Gators failed to stop the Seminoles, allowing them to cover 91 yards on 10 plays and put seven points on the board. A questionable play call on offense following the safety that had The Swamp going nuclear also killed any momentum the Gators had built up. After the safety, the first play call was a trick triple reverse pass play that resulted in intentional grounding and really never stood a shot. This would lead to the 91 yard drive by the Seminoles. This sequence was significantly impacted by an unsportsmanlike penalty on Florida defensive tackle Jamari Lyons, who was ejected for spitting at an opponent. This penalty gifted the Seminoles an extra 15 yards in a game where the Gators were leading 12-0. Despite an opportunity to recover from defensive mistakes, a long run by running back Montrell Johnson in the closing seconds of the half was negated by a holding penalty, leading to a failed 52-yard field goal attempt by kicker Trey Smack. Entering halftime with a narrow 12-7 lead, the Gators quickly lost their advantage. A 36-yard run by Florida State's Trey Benson marked a 14-12 lead for the Seminoles in the opening drive of the second half. From there, the Gators struggled on both offense and defense. In the second half, poor pass protection exposed Florida backup quarterback Max Brown to constant pressure, and the receivers struggled to create separation. Despite scoring only three points on a third-quarter field goal, the Gators were unable to match the Seminoles' 17-point half. Defensive issues, including pass interference penalties, a late fourth-quarter targeting penalty, a critical offsides penalty with just three minutes left, and deficiencies in tackling and pass coverage, allowed the Seminoles to maintain their perfect 12-0 season, even without star quarterback Jordan Travis. "But the penalties obviously, those are things that we need to address. There’s no excuse for those. I think some of those were technical and some of those were decision-making. So, yeah, I think a lot of things contribute to the result," Napier said. "But we’ve been in the fourth quarter with some really good football teams the last couple weeks. We’ve got to learn to finish those games, no question about it. We’ve got to learn to coach better and play better." It was an abrupt collapse for Florida after a promising start to the game, a trend that has continued all season. Although they controlled the tempo in the first half and scored a touchdown, a field goal, and a safety, the Gators couldn't maintain their momentum. Following the loss to Florida State, the Gators now face uncertainty about their future. Questions arise about how they will address coaching staff shortcomings in 2023 and how they plan to reshape their roster through the transfer portal and high school recruiting. Napier is now 11-14 during his time at Florida while having three straight losing seasons. In all kinds of weather is earning its title right about now because this is not what Gator fans of any age are used to. "I think ultimately the record is what it is. Listen, there are things that without question I think that we can do better. I think we made some adjustments year one to year two. We need to continue to make adjustments," Napier said.

Happy Thanksgiving!!