Time warp Saturday. Take a little stroll down memory lane. The day was November 3, 2002 and the Georgia Bulldogs were riding high, having just blown the doors off a Kentucky team by 28 that the Gators had beaten only because Keiwan Ratliff did a fourth quarter pick six of the Pillsbury Throwboy (Jared Lorenzen) and sealed the win with a pick two (ran back a two-point conversion). In addition to being unbeaten and ranked fifth in the nation, the Bulldogs had one other reason to be confident. Longtime nemesis Steve Spurrier was coaching in the NFL and Ron Zook was coaching the Gators. Florida was 5-3, it’s last loss a 36-7 destruction at The Swamp by Nick Saban and Alabama. There were rumors floating that UF quarterback Rex Grossman had tendonitis in his right arm. Georgia fans were already adding another notch to their belts and plotting their first national championship since Vince Dooley outbid Southern Cal for Herschel Walker. What could possibly go wrong? Well, a couple of things went wrong. First off, Florida’s defense elected to show up unexpectedly. The Gators held Georgia’s vaunted offense to 294 yards. David Greene, who was getting some Heisman love, went 11-29 141 yards. DJ Shockley completed a pass to Florida safety Guss Scott, who took it to the house in the second quarter. Yes, Grossman had a sore arm, so rather than a vertical passing game, the Gators went horizontal. Most of Grossman’s passes went fewer than five yards past the line of scrimmage as he completed 36-46 for 339 yards and two TDs, both to his tight ends. Aaron Walker caught a 5-yarder in the second quarter and the game-winner went 10 yards to Ben Troupe in the fourth quarter. Florida held the football for 33:19, which factored in a fresh fourth quarter defense when Georgia’s deepest penetration into Florida territory was the UF 47. Final score: FLORIDA 20, No. 5 Georgia 13 The Gators went on to finish the season 8-5. Georgia won five in a row including a 26-13 thrashing of Florida State in the Sugar Bowl. At 13-1 Georgia finished third nationally behind national champ Ohio State and No. 2 Miami. Most experts agree that had Georgia beaten Florida, the Bulldogs would have played Miami for the national championship. So here we are 21 years later. When the Gators play Georgia in Jacksonville a week from today, they’ll be unbeaten (7-0), favored by at least two touchdowns and everybody’s favorite to at least make the national championship game for a shot at a third consecutive national title. Florida doesn’t have a chance. At least that’s what every expert with a keyboard or a mic in his face will tell you, and maybe they’re right. Georgia has depth, experience and the momentum of a 23-game winning streak in its favor. The Bulldogs are brimming with confidence, too. Unlike the stretch from 1990-2010 when Florida went 18-3 against Georgia (Spurrier 11-1, Zooker 2-1, Urban Meyer 5-1), the Bulldogs have owned the Gators in recent years (8-4 since 2011). Florida is in the second year of Billy Napier’s total team makeover. The Gators went 6-7 last year and thanks to consecutive wins over Vanderbilt and South Carolina, they’re 5-2 heading into this one. Florida is better defensively than last year when Georgia dominated the fourth quarter with two TDs for a 42-20 win. The Gators get off the field on third down (12th nationally, 129th last year) and they give up far fewer chunk plays. Florida’s run defense is 50 yards better than a year ago. The Florida offense keeps getting better. Graham Mertz completes passes (76.3 percent), doesn’t throw interceptions (two and both were tipped) and he’s as tough as it comes. He’s got a serious deep threat in Ricky Pearsall who now has help from Tre Wilson and Arlis Boardingham. If the O-line can create some creases for Montrell Johnson Jr. and Trevor Etienne and give Mertz a split second to throw, maybe the Gators will show they can move the football against Georgia. Maybe. Lots of maybes here. Georgia never expected to lose in 2002 when the Bulldogs seriously outmanned the Gators. They won’t be expecting to lose next Saturday either. For all practical purposes, Georgia should win this football game, but it would be wrong to say Florida doesn’t have a chance. It’s Florida-Georgia and strange things have been known to happen. One other thing. There’s a full moon next Saturday. Just saying. The SEC Soothsayer No. 17 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC) at No. 11 Alabama (6-1, 4-0, SEC): For Tennessee, this is the season. Win it and the Vols are still in the hunt to unseat Georgia at the top of the SEC East. Lose it and they can kiss any championship hopes good-bye. Of course, to beat Alabama, formidable in Tuscaloosa no matter who’s playing quarterback, the Vols have to rely on Joe Milton III to play like he actually knows what he’s doing. The expectation of Tennessee beat writers is that this is Milton’s last stand. Play well and he starts next week. Play poorly and lose and next week Josh Heupel turns it over to the QB of the future, freshman Nico Iamaleava. Expect Heupel to dumb it way, way down for Alabama. Run, run and run some more, and let the defense win it. Meanwhile, Alabama needs a win to avoid doing something that hasn’t been done since Nick Saban’s first year on the job in 2007, which is lose two games prior to November 1. There’s an open date next week so this is the last stand. Beat Tennessee and the Crimson Tide goes into the LSU game with only one loss on the agenda overall, zero in the SEC. The Vols aren’t the only ones who wonder which QB will show up, but Jalen Milroe has played well enough to win four straight games and there are signs he’s actually getting better. In Neyland, everything would favor a Tennessee win, but this isn’t Neyland, which might have something to do with Alabama as a 9-point favorite. At Bryant-Denny, it’s Alabama all the way although close enough to make the faithful sweat. The Sayer says sooth!: Alabama 21, Tennessee 10 No. 13 Ole Miss (5-1, 2-1 SEC) at Auburn (3-3, 0-3 SEC): Some folks are calling this a trap game for the Rebels, largely because Ole Miss hasn’t beaten Auburn back-to-back in 71 years. Auburn is a better team at Jordan-Hare but the Tigers have the most inept offense in the SEC and they’re going against a team that is capable of winning any game they play in shootout form. The only chance Auburn has is if Ole Miss leaves its offensive game back in Oxford and somehow Payton Thorne figures out how to complete a pass longer than six inches. Meanwhile, Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss find themselves very much in the SEC West championship hunt. The Rebels are only one game behind and Alabama has back-to-back-to-back with Tennessee, LSU and Kentucky. There may not ever be a time when Ole Miss is this close to grabbing the brass ring than right now, so first and foremost, the Rebels have to show up in beast mode against Auburn. The week off got Ole Miss healed up and there was some tinkering on the offensive line to gear things up now that Quinshon Judkins seems to have awakened from a lengthy slumber. If he’s running anything close to the way he was doing the last half of last year, the Rebels are going to have a chance to do the unthinkable. Of course, that will require a little help from their friends (Alabama opponents). Meanwhile, they’re taking care of business at Jordan-Hare.The Sayer says sooth!: Ole Miss 37, Auburn 20 Army (2-4) at No. 19 LSU (5-2): The goal for LSU is to get the starters some work, then get them off the field injury-free, after which let Garrett Nussmeier get in more work than he’s had all season. LSU could win this game with its second teamers. The Tigers are 31-point favorites and there is a really good chance they cover by halftime. If Jayden Daniels is in the game behind the first 20 minutes it’s only to pad his stats to keep him in the Heisman running. Those two losses are seriously hurting his cause. Daniels has 22 TDPs and four rushing TDs. Figure he’s good for any combo of five Saturday before he departs for good. The Sayer says sooth!: LSU 49, Army 7 South Carolina (2-4, 1-3 SEC) at No. 20 Missouri (6-1, 2-1 SEC): Missouri has replaced Kentucky as the new media darling. Okay, the Tigers played LSU tough and then they beat a Kentucky team that took a 38-point whomping by Georgia. Everybody thinks the Tigers are good, but they still have that 3-game gauntlet of Georgia, Tennessee and Florida. Meanwhile, there is South Carolina, which has the worst defense in all of Division I, but has a quarterback in Spencer Rattler who could heat up any defense in the country if given the time to throw. The Gamecocks played Georgia within 10 in Athens and had North Carolina on the ropes until the pass protection broke down for good late. Mizzou was torched by Jayden Daniels of LSU a couple of weeks ago. Can Rattler heat it up and help the Gamecocks score the upset? The folks in Las Vegas give the Gamecocks a puncher’s chance because the line is only 7.5 points. The Sayer says sooth!: South Carolina 38, Missouri 37 Mississippi State (3-3, 0-3 SEC) at Arkansas (2-5, 0-4 SEC): The one certainty of this game is one of the two teams will avoid an oh-fer the SEC season. Some folks seem to think that the losing head coach will not be gainfully employed at the end of the season, but there is a lot of football to be played and way too soon to be contemplating who stays and who goes. This could actually turn out to be a very entertaining game. If Will Rogers is healthy and Mississippi State can give him some protection, he could light up the Arkansas secondary. If Arkansas can run the ball a little bit, it will take the pressure off KJ Jefferson, who might be the most physically gifted quarterback in the Southeastern Conference. In Starkvegas, Mississippi State would get the nod because a zillion cowbells can seriously affect a visitor with a shaky offensive line. In Fayette-Nam, the odds favor the Hogs. The Sayer says sooth!: Arkansas 31, Mississippi State 28

On Sunday evening the Florida Women held a live scrimmage against the Gators scout team with SEC officials.

Thoughts of the Day:

After coming off such an emotion win in Colombia, the Gators have a nice boat of momentum they can take into the bye week and prepare for the showdown in Jacksonville with Georgia. Game weeks are very methodical and planned out fir Billy Napier's players and staff and is usually down to the minute.

The SEC announced the results of the preseason media poll on Tuesday and the Gators were predicted to finish eighth in the conference standings. A panel of national and SEC media members voted on the poll.

Florida sophomore guard Riley Kugel was named to the preseason All-SEC second-team on Tuesday, the league announced.

Hush your mouth all you Mertz haters. He is a bonafide Gator hero.

It’s amazing how a single game can change so many perceptions. Prior to Florida’s 41-39 come-from-behind win over South Carolina in Columbia, there were still plenty of college football writers questioning Billy Napier’s judgment for signing Graham Mertz out of the transfer portal. That Napier said on more than one occasion that Mertz was Florida’s top choice from the 24 portal quarterbacks that were evaluated has been a lightning rod for criticism, and not just from writers but Wisconsin fans as well. Wisconsin fans celebrated Mertz’s departure and the arrival of Tanner Mordecai, who threw 72 TDPs in two seasons at SMU. Just a couple of weeks ago, one online publication had Mertz ranked outside its top 10 ranking of Southeastern Conference quarterbacks. Prior to the South Carolina game, one writer, using Pro Football Focus analytics, downplayed the fact that Mertz is one of the nation’s most accurate passers by noting the high percentage of completions thrown either behind the line of scrimmage or just beyond. Then came South Carolina when Mertz went 30-48 for 423 yards with 11 completions of 15 or more yards and three TDPs. If his 45-yard bomb to Kahleil Jackson didn’t open eyes, then maybe that 26-yarder to Ricky Pearsall, thrown on the run and on fourth-and-10 with the game on the line should have. It even caused one of Mertz’s more vocal critics to give an inch. Matt Hayes of Saturday Down South wrote Monday, “Graham Mertz had the best game of his career and looked like a quarterback who could win more road games in the 2nd half of the season.” But Hayes followed that up with, “Now a bit of reality: South Carolina has the statistically worst defense in the SEC.” The Gamecocks do have a bad defense, but Florida’s offensive line is still shaky and the tough guy that Mertz is never flinched in the face of constant pressure and getting hit nearly every time he threw the ball. It takes a tough guy to take the physical punishment Mertz did and yet have the wherewithal to come through with big time throws with the game on the line. It doesn’t really matter who you’re playing, when you’ve been beaten up and still have it in you to make your best throws when your team needs it the most, you can flat out play. Maybe some of the critics will admit Napier got the right guy. Mertz is 170-223 (76.23 percent) for 1,897 yards (8.5 per attempt) and 12 TDs with only two interceptions. Tanner Mordecai, the guy the Wisconsin faithful were so giddy to sign as the replacement QB, is 114-179 (63.7 percent) for 1,128 yards (6.3 per attempt) with three TDPs and three interceptions. Florida basketball: Roster observations With just a little more than two weeks before the Gators hold their Orange and Blue Scrimmage at the O-Dome, here is the roster and some observations about each player. Zyon Pullin (6-4, 206, GR/TR): Suspended the first three games due to an NCAA ruling. At Cal-Riverside scored 1,312 points while making All-Big West last year when he averaged 18.3 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. He’s a point who is big enough and a good enough shooter to play on the wing as well. Tyrese Samuel (6-10, 235, GR/TR): Starter. Big, physical guy who is a space eater in the paint. Seton Hall transfer who averaged 11 points and 4.3 rebounds. Excellent defender and strong rebounder. Knows how to score on the inside. Shot 55 percent from the field at Seton Hall last year. Julian Rishwain (6-5, 200, GR/TR): Tough guy who can shoot. Played for Todd Golden at San Francisco. He’ll come off the bench with orders to let it fly when he’s got an open shot. Will Richard (6-4, 206, JR): Starter. Out of necessity often had to play inside a year ago. The Gators have the size this year so he’ll be out on the wing where he can heat up in a hurry from the 3-point line. Averaged 10.4 points and 4.5 rebounds last year when he hit 39.8 percent of his 3-pointers and 85.7 percent of his free throws. He will be a mismatch as a small forward. Walter Clayton Jr. (6-2, 195, JR/TR): Starter. He was the Metro-Atlantic Conference Player of the Year at Iona where he was coached by Rick Pitino. Averaged 16.8 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Deadly 3-point shooter who hit 43.1 percent from deep at Iona. Can start at the point or the wing. Automatic at the foul line. Led the country at 95.3 percent a year ago. Riley Kugel (6-5, 207, SO): Starter. He could have the kind of season that will vault him into the top half of the first round of the NBA Draft. He’s stronger and playing with so much more confidence. He can slash and get to the rim off the bounce, and he’s a good enough 3-point shooter that defenders can’t sag off him. Averaged 9.9 per game a year ago, but 17.3 while scoring in double figures each of the last 10 games a year ago after he was elevated to a starting role. Denzel Aberdeen (6-5, 190, SO): He’s much improved over last year. Although he’s gained only one pound, he looks much stronger and plays a more physical game. Pure point guard who has knockdown ability from the 3-point line. Aleks Szymczyk (6-10, 250, SO): He’s been unable to practice because of a broken foot, so it will take the month of November to get back into basketball shape. He’s added muscle and should be a contributor off the bench. Micah Handlogten (7-1, 235, SO/TR): Rim protector. Transferred in from Marshall where he averaged 7.6 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.3 blocked shots per game. He runs the floor well and erases in the paint. Offensive skills aren’t as developed as the defense, but he can definitely score any time he gets the ball inside five feet. With another 10 pounds of muscle he will be a beast. Alex Condon (6-11, 230, FR): Pencil him in as a starter. He runs the floor, scores both inside and outside and is a better than average defender. Australian rules football taught him toughness. He’s a much better rebounder than anticipated. At the top of the key he’s a threat to knock down shots or find open shooters inside. Thomas Haugh (6-9, 210, FR): How this guy was only a 3-star prospect is anyone’s guess. He’s got skills. Handles the ball quite well, has a nice stroke from the outside and is not the least bit afraid to mix it up inside. He can play the wing, run the baseline and handle the high post as a stretch four. Kajus Kublickas (6-2, 171, FR): He’s skinny and needs to add strength, but the potential is there and easy to see. He shoots the ball very well from the 3-point line, handles the ball well against pressure and is an unselfish passer. He’s better than anticipated. SEC football No. 11 Alabama (6-1, 4-0 SEC): Asked Monday if sacks are an issue with the Crimson Tide, Nick Saban replied, “I would say hell yeah.” Alabama has given up 31 sacks in seven games, which ranks 130th nationally. Describing further what is going wrong with the offensive line, Saban said, “These are not all capability issues.” Arkansas (2-5, 0-4 SEC): Sam Pittman says he has no clue when stud running back Rocket Sanders will be back. Sanders, who is recovering from a knee injury, didn’t make the trip last week to Alabama and Pittman says he won’t be playing Saturday against Mississippi State. Sanders ran for 1,443 yards and 10 touchdowns a season ago. He has 91 yards on 34 carries in three games this season. Auburn (3-3, 0-3 SEC): Payton Thorne’s numbers are abysmal. He’s thrown for 745 yards in six games with four touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s averaging only 6.4 yards per attempt. This is a far cry from what Auburn expected when Thorne transferred in from Michigan State. Thorne threw 19 touchdown passes a year ago at Michigan State, 27 the year before. No. 1 Georgia (7-0, 4-0 SEC): All-America tight end Brock Bowers will undergo the tightrope procedure on his injured ankle. Best case scenario is he will be back again mid-November. Bowers has 41 catches for 567 yards and four touchdowns this season. Kentucky (5-2, 2-2 SEC): Another team whose transfer quarterback hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations is Kentucky. When Devin Leary transferred in from North Carolina State, expectations were UK was getting the quarterback who threw for 35 touchdowns with only five interceptions in an injury-free 2021. This year’s version is completing only 54.4 percent for 7.1 per attempt and he’s thrown seven interceptions with 14 TDPs. In his last three SEC games against Florida, Georgia and Missouri, Leary is a combined 33-72 for 317 yards, a meager 4.4 per attempt. No. 19 LSU (5-2, 4-1 SEC): At their present pace, both Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. will surpass the 1,000 receiving yards mark. Nabers has caught 52 passes for 860 yards (16.54 per catch) and seven touchdowns, while Thomas has 39 receptions for 610 yards and nine touchdowns. Mississippi State (3-3, 0-3 SEC): Zach Arnett still won’t give an injury update on quarterback Will Rogers and running back Jo’Quavious Marks, both of whom were injured against Western Michigan a couple of weeks ago. Rogers has thrown for 1,275 yards and 10 touchdowns while Marks has run for 458 and four TDs. No. 20 Missouri (6-1, 2-1 SEC): Running back Cody Shrader has run for 648 yards and seven touchdowns with five games of 100-plus yards. With a big game against South Carolina Saturday, Shrader could eclipse the 744 yards he gained in 13 games a season ago. No. 13 Ole Miss (5-1, 2-1 SEC): Lane Kiffin anticipates wide receiver Jordan Watkins (hand) will be available Saturday when the Rebels go on the road to face Auburn. Watkins leads the Rebels with 36 catches for 536 yards (14.89 per catch) and two touchdowns. South Carolina (2-4, 1-3 SEC): South Carolina’s pass defense, which ranks dead last in the SEC, has serious problems dealing with opponents’ slot receivers. In the last three games, opposing slot receivers have averaged 8.67 catches for 175.33 yards. As a team, the Gamecocks are giving up 321.7 yards per game through the air and 8.4 yards per pass attempt. No. 17 Tennessee (5-1, 2-1 SEC): A year ago the Vols ranked 92 among the nation’s top defenses, allowing 405.3 yards per game. Through seven games this season, they’ve cut more than 100 yards per game (303) and they’re ranked 17th. Texas A&M (4-3, 2-2 SEC): In SEC games against Auburn and Arkansas, the Aggies averaged 206.5 yards per game on the ground. In losses to Alabama and Tennessee, they’ve gained a combined 121 yards on 63 carries, an average of 1.92 per carry. The Aggies averaged 38.6 points in their first five games, just 16.5 in their last two. Vanderbilt (2-6, 0-4 SEC): The Commodores have lost their last six games after starting the season 2-0, which means they’ll have to win three of their last four simply to equal last year’s 5-7 record. ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: At the Knoxville Quarterback Club, Urban Meyer squashed the idea that he may be considering a return to coaching college football – “No desire” – citing NIL and the transfer portal as the chief reasons he has no intention to make a comeback. “It has never been harder, I am telling you right now," Meyer said per the Knoxville News-Sentinel. Meyer lamented the fact that it’s legal now for players to have agents. “… Remember those days?” Meyer asked. “Maybe a coordinator every once in a while had an agent. There is nothing wrong with agents. They're great, but when I am the head coach having to deal with a high school player that [says] 'meet with my agent first,' I am going I want to meet with your family because you are talking about recruiting and other stuff.”

Following Florida's miraculous 41-39 win in Columbia, quarterback Graham Mertz and kicker Trey Smack both earned SEC Player of the Week honors. This was Mertz's first nod of the year as a conference player of the week, meanwhile Smack earns his second honor of the season. Mertz played lights out against the Gamecocks, finishing the game with a 62% completion percentage while throwing for a career-high 423 yards and adding three touchdowns. He also led the Gators down the field flawlessly for their game-winning drive. For Florida, Mertz's performance and final drive are prime examples of why Billy Napier and his staff viewed Mertz so highly once he entered the transfer portal. His experience simply cannot be matched and that was put on display in the game's final three minutes. In addition to earning the SEC Offensive Player of the Week, Mertz was also named to the Davey O’Brien Great 8 List for Week 7. By making the list this past week, he will now be eligible for the 2023 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award. As for Smack, he is named the SEC Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season. He had first earned the honor after the Florida week four matchup with Charlotte. Smack has been excellent for Florida after taking over the job from Adam Mihalek early in the year. He finished Saturday making four of five field goals and all three extra points. Smack had been perfect on the year, but saw his field goal attempt blocked early in the fourth quarter. Nonetheless, Smack has been very consistent for the Gators and even tied his career long in Columbia with a 54 yard field goal. He is now 11/12 on the season. Mertz, Smack and the rest of the Florida football program will enjoy their bye week ahead of their tilt with Georgia in Jacksonville just under two weeks from now.

“We challenged the players and the staff to do a little extra” -Florida Head Coach Billy Napier Game Day Williams-Brice Stadium By Loren Meadows, GatorBaitMedia.com, Football Analyst Sooner or later you have to find a way to win on the road. The Gators finally found theirs' with determination and grit to pull out their first road win since November of 2022. They were 1-9 in true road games under Coach Billy Napier and the past two road games have been the least impressive of his tenure. Fortunately this time it would be different as they overcame a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Graham Mertz, Eugene Wilson III and Ricky Pearsall made key plays on offense while the defense got the stop it needed and the Gators left Williams-Brice Stadium with a win. What We Thought: South Carolina’s offensive line had been porous the entire season allowing close to five sacks per game. While quarterback Spencer Rattler had carried the team with his arm, the lack of protection would be a key factor in the Florida defense’s ability to thwart the Gamecock attack. The Gators needed to wake up on the right side of the bed in order to be the best version of themselves. The offense needed to start fast and put the team in a position to play from the front for the first time on the road this season. With South Carolina lacking experience at linebacker and in the secondary, Graham Mertz and company would have very few issues moving the ball and the ground while looking for chunk plays in the passing game. What We Got: South Carolina made life extremely hard on the Gators early. The offensive line that had been criticized used the bye week to retool its lineup and played much better. South Carolina rushed for 152 yards on 33 carries and the offensive line only surrendered two sacks. Spencer Rattler was 23 of 30 for 313 yards and four touchdown passes. As expected both wide receiver Xavier Legette and tight end Trey Knox created issues for the Gators combining for 13 catches for 160 yards. For the first time this season the Gators found a way to match the energy and output of its opponent on the road. Florida used creative, balanced play calling to insure it made the most of each early drive scoring its first four possessions. For the game the Gators gained almost 500 yards of total offense and took advantage of one of the worst pass defenses in the country. Mertz, often criticized for his inability or lack of desire to throw the ball downfield, completed passes of 20, 26, 30, and 45 yards, dispersing the ball to eight different receivers. The Skinny: This was a game the Gators needed to win and they did. What was on display was the teams positive attitude that Napier speaks about on a weekly basis. As he stated the Gators “had something to prove” and they found a way. It is wise to not look at the score or the opponent but take note of the fact that road wins don’t come easy in the SEC. The Gators showed growth and got the job done. While the defense struggled to play its best football they managed to force a punt and turnover when they needed it most. The offense responded in complementary fashion and turned its last two true possessions into touchdowns. This was possibly the Gators' most innovative and diverse offensive game plan of the season. With a creative 2-point play as well as an appearance Wilson in the backfield, Napier and staff seemed to be willing to leave it all on the table to get the win. “We challenged the players and the staff to do a little extra,” Napier stated. It was clear he led by example. By the end of the game the Gators while elated, looked like a team in need of a reboot. Fortunately reboots are much easier after a win. As they regroup the Gators can take the week off knowing they went into a hostile environment took the onslaught and fought off the knockout. Final Score | Florida Gators 41 - South Carolina Gamecocks 39 Prediction | Florida 31 - South Carolina 21