(Photo by Chris Spears) When Billy Napier sees South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown on film, he’s reminded of Hendon Hooker, now the backup quarterback of the Detroit Lions. Back in 2022, Napier’s first season as Florida’s football coach, Hooker led Tennessee to a 38-33 win over the Gators in Knoxville. Hooker threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 112 and another score.   The defensive coordinator of that Tennessee team was Alex Golesh, now the head coach of the South Florida Bulls (1-0), who come to Gainesville Saturday (4:15 p.m., SEC Network) to face the 15 th -ranked Gators (1-0) at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Napier sees a lot of the Tennessee system that gave the Gators fits back in 2022, in part because of Brown, a 6-3, 230-pound dual threat who has thrown for 4,742 yards and 33 touchdowns, while running for 1,300 yards and 19 TDs in his South Florida career.   Limited by a lower leg injury a year ago, Brown is trying to regain the form that led to a sophomore season in 2023 in which he threw for 3,292 yards and 26 touchdowns while running for 809 yards and 11 more TDs. Based on his first game performance while leading the Bulls to a 34-7 win over then 25 th -ranked Boise State, Brown seems to be fully recovered and ready to lead South Florida to a third straight bowl game.   Against Boise, Brown completed 16-24 passes for 210 yards but he did the most damage with his legs. He scored on a 23-yard run in the second quarter to cap an 80-yard scoring drive. In the third quarter, he completed a 55-yard pass and followed that up with a 15-yard touchdown run.      “Big, physical player, will drop his pads,” Napier said. “Tackling him, there’s some physical things that come with that. I think he does break tackles. He has the ability to outrun angles and he has arm talent. It’s a good scheme fit, in my opinion. If you go back to the Hendon Hooker days at Tennessee, where the quarterback was a little bit more of a run threat, I think there’s some similarities in that regard. He’s a good competitor as well. You see the leadership.”   When Brown was healthy two years ago, the Bulls ran a vertical passing attack that averaged nearly eight yards per attempt but the run element was always there. Against Alabama in 2023, Brown ran for 92 yards in a 17-3 loss. A year ago, prior to his season-ending injury, Brown ran for 108 against the Bama defense.   The Gators are coming off a shutout of D1AA Long Island in which they gave up only 86 total yards and two first downs. Containing Brown will be a completely different task.   “You got some read elements to the offense in the run game, whether it’s zone read or some type of gap-perimeter combo,” Napier said. “And then it’s just the unannounced play, they’re covered and he takes off. Those are always an issue, especially with the types of coverages that we play. It’s going to be important. We’re going to have to rush as a team and work together there to compress the pocket and keep the guy in the pocket.”   WEEK ONE OBSERVATIONS IN COLLEGE FOOTBALL   Predicting the Associated Press top 25: 1. Ohio State 1-0; 2. Penn State 1-0; 3. Georgia 1-0; 4. LSU 1-0; 5. Miami 1-0; 6. Texas 0-1; 7. Oregon 1-0; 8. Arizona State 1-0; 9. Notre Dame 0-1; 10. Clemson 0-1; 11. South Carolina 1-0; 12. Illinois 1-0; 13. Michigan 1-0; 14. FLORIDA 1-0; 15. Oklahoma 1-0; 16. Indiana 1-0; 17. Texas A&M 1-0; 18. SMU 1-0; 19. Ole Miss 1-0; 20. Florida State 1-0; 21. Alabama 0-1; 22. Tennessee 1-0; 23. Utah 1-0; 24. Iowa State 2-0; 25. Tulane 1-0   The national MVP of week one had to be Ohio State defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. Bill Belichick’s former defensive coordinator with the New England Patriots and former head coach of the Detroit Lions had all the answers for the Buckeyes in their win over then No. 1 Texas. Patricia’s Ohio State defense made Arch Manning and the Texas offense look very, very ordinary.   Speaking of Belichick – or as he’s now known, Darth Tar Heel – North Carolina scored on its opening possession then gave up 41 consecutive points in a 48-7 loss to TCU. Belichick should know by now that the college game isn’t really different than the pros because the team with the best players almost always wins. The Tar Heels have a serious talent deficiency.   By trying to win with a horizontal passing attack, Notre Dame played right into Miami’s hands Sunday night. Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr either couldn’t or wouldn’t throw the ball downfield. Miami is way too fast to beat with 2-inch horizontal passes. I was surprised Notre Dame only ran the ball 28 times with Jeremiya Love only getting 10 carries (for 33 yards).   LSU’s defense is definitely improved, but Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik helped make the Tigers look better. Klubnik completed only 19-38 passes for 230 yards (6.1 per attempt) with one interception. Clemson was only 3-13 on third down, in part because Klubnik kept missing receivers.   It has been a long, long time since Alabama looked so physically pathetic as the Crimson Tide did against Florida State. FSU beat up Alabama on both the offensive and defensive lines. Bama fans are going nuts but if they want to send HBC Kalen DeBoer packing they will have to pony up $70 million.   Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos is selling T-shirts and sweatshirts on his website that feature the line “Nick can’t save them,” a reference to his prediction that Florida State would whip Alabama in the season opener.   Tulane coach Jon Sumrall asked Northwestern to allow the Green Wave to wear white uniforms to honor the 2005 team that had to endure Hurricane Katrina. Northwestern denied the request. Tulane took it out on Northwestern, beating the Wildcats from the Big Ten, 23-3. The Green Wave recovered one fumble and intercepted five Northwestern passes.   AJ Swann, who began his career at Vanderbilt, then transferred to LSU, has re-emerged at Appalachian State, where he threw for 368 yards and three touchdowns in the Mountaineers 34-11 win over Charlotte … Former Alabama running back Justice Haynes ran for 156 yards and three touchdowns in Michigan’s 34-17 win over New Mexico … Georgia Tech’s sixth-year quarterback Haynes King, who began his collegiate career at Texas A&M in 2020, ran for 156 yards and three TDs in the win over Colorado. King has run for 1,630 yards and 25 touchdowns while passing for 6,678 yards and 51 touchdowns in his career … Another former Aggie quarterback, Conner Weigman, threw for three touchdowns in Houston’s 27-0 win over Stephen F. Austin … Former Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava was 11-22 passing for 136 yards with a TD and a pick in UCLA’s 43-10 loss to Utah.   SEC FOOTBALL No. 8 Alabama (0-1): Wide receiver Ryan Williams is undergoing concussion protocol and is day-to-day. Wide receiver Isaiah Horton has a lower leg injury but is expected to be ready to go by Saturday. Defensive lineman Tim Keenan is out this week and his return is listed week-to-week. Saturday: Louisiana-Monroe (1-0)   Arkansas (1-0): Getting a win Saturday against Sun Belt Conference Arkansas State is a must since six ranked teams remain on the schedule. For Sam Pittman to remain gainfully employed he has to get the Razorbacks to a bowl game, which requires six regular season wins. Saturday: Arkansas State (1-0) in Little Rock   Auburn (1-0): Jackson Arnold’s 137 rushing yards were the most by an Auburn quarterback since Nick Marshall ran for 214 against Tennessee in 2013. Saturday: Ball State (0-1)   No. 5 Georgia (1-0): The Branch brothers stood out in the win over Marshall. Safety Zion Branch had seven tackles, while wide receiver Zachariah, a transfer from Southern Cal, had three catches for 95 yards and a TD. Saturday: Austin Peay (1-0)   Kentucky (1-0): HBC Mark Stoops says it would be “premature to pull the plug” on quarterback Zach Calzada. In the win over Toledo, Calzada completed only 10-23 passes for 85 yards with an interception. He gained only 14 yards on 10 rushing attempts even though he wasn’t sacked. Saturday: No. 21 Ole Miss (1-0)   No. 9 LSU (1-0): Pro Football Focus graded only center Braelin Moore with an above average grade in the win over Clemson. Left tackle Tyree Adams graded average with the other three grading below average. Saturday: Louisiana Tech (1-0)   Mississippi State (1-0): Placekicker Kyle Ferrie set a Mississippi State record in the win over Southern Miss with a 55-yard field goal. Ferrie is 28-36 on field goals during his MSU career. Saturday: No. 11 Arizona State (1-0)   Missouri (1-0): Placekicker Blake Craig could be done for the season after an injury in game one. For insurance, HBC Eli Drinkwitz added juco placekicker Ryder Goodwin to the roster Sunday. Saturday: Kansas (2-0) No. 18 Oklahoma (1-0): Cal transfer running back Jaydn Ott only played four snaps in the season opening win over Illinois State. HBC Brent Venables said Ott didn’t play much because injuries had curtailed his practice time in August. Saturday: No. 14 Michigan   No. 21 Ole Miss (1-0): Lane Kiffin has to be concerned about the Rebels’ run defense after giving up 191 yards (5.46 per carry) to Georgia State in the season opener. The Rebels gave up only 69 passing yards. Saturday: at Kentucky (1-0)   No. 13 South Carolina (1-0): Utah State transfer running back Rahsul Faison, who was only cleared to play by the NCAA a couple of days prior to the season opener, gained 40 yards on seven carries against Virginia Tech. Saturday: South Carolina State (1-0)   No. 24 Tennessee (1-0): The Vols already depleted secondary got bad news when junior corner Rickey Gibson III was ruled out for an extended period of time with an “upper body” injury suffered against Syracuse. The Vols are already without Jermod McCoy, who is trying to come back from an ACL injury suffered last year. Saturday: East Tennessee State (1-0)   No. 1 Texas (0-1): The Texas defense did its part against Ohio State, holding the Buckeyes to 203 yards, but the UT offense generated only 336 yards, was 1-5 on fourth down and 0-2 in the red zone. Saturday: San Jose State (0-1)   No. 19. Texas A&M (1-0): After giving up a 75-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second half against UT-San Antonio, the Aggie defense registered six 3-and-outs and a 4-and-out. Saturday: Utah State (1-0)   Vanderbilt (1-0): The Commodores hope to clean up the play on the offensive line before Saturday’s game at Virginia Tech. In the season opening win over Charleston Southern the Commodores committed five false starts. A holding penalty was nullified on an offsetting pass interference call. Saturday: at Virginia Tech (1-0)

Vernell Brown III makes spectacular 1-hand catch against LIU (Photo by Chris Spears) The 15 th -ranked Gators (1-0) will take a step up in competition Saturday when South Florida (1-0) comes to The Swamp (4:15 p.m., SEC Network) fresh off a surprising 34-7 win over No. 25 Boise State in Tampa. The win over Boise was the Bulls’ first over a ranked Division I team in HBC Alex Golesh’s tenure. Golesh has led the Bulls to back-to-back 7-6 seasons that ended with wins in a bowl game.   The Bulls took advantage of Boise mistakes to pull off the upset. Boise dominated time of possession by nearly 13 minutes, but South Florida forced five fumbles and held the Broncos to a lousy 5.3 yards per pass attempt. Offensively, South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown hit 16-24 of his passes for 210 yards, an impressive 8.8 yards per attempt. Brown also ran for 43 yards and two touchdowns. Boise was unable to force any turnovers, but the Broncos did sack Brown four times.   The Gators scored an easy 55-0 win over Long Island University in their season opener, holding the Sharks to 86 total yards and only two first downs. The Gators rank No. 1 in the SEC and No. 2 in the nation in total defense, No. 1 in fewest first downs allowed, No. 10 against the run (37 yards per game, 1.16 per carry) and No. 5 against the pass (49 yards, 4.5 yards per attempt).   “I thought we were assignment sound and pursued the ball inside out and in general,” Florida coach Billy Napier said. “Look, we're going to be tested in the future, so it's a good start, but obviously we got work to do as a team to turn this thing around and get ready for a really good South Florida team. ”   Florida ran a very vanilla offense against LIU in large part to get DJ Lagway accustomed to dealing with a live pass rush once again. “Really, that was his first scrimmage if you think about it,” Napier said Saturday night after Lagway completed 15-18 passes for 120 yards (6.7 per attempt) and three touchdowns. Freshman backup Tramell Jones Jr. was 12-18 for 131 yards (7.3 per attempt) and two touchdowns.   Led by Jadan Baugh (9-104, 1 TD, 11.56 per carry), Florida’s running game was good for 200 yards and 5.26 yards per carry. South Florida was good against the run as Boise managed only 122 yards and 3.21 yards per carry.   Fifteen different Gators caught passes against Long Island, led by freshman Vernell Brown III, who had three catches for 79 yards. Brown also ran back three punts for 45 yards and returned a kickoff for 25 yards.     The Gators didn’t turn the ball over against Long Island and for the second time in school history went an entire game without committing a penalty.   SEC FOOTBALL No. 8 Alabama (0-1): Two things were quite evident in Bama’s 31-17 loss to Florida State. 1. Bama is woefully soft on both lines of scrimmage. 2. Ty Simpson is not the answer at quarterback. … Paul Finebaum reminded Bama fans calling for HBC Kalen DeBoer’s scalp that his contract buyout is a mere $70 million. Saturday: vs. Louisiana-Monroe (1-0)   Arkansas (1-0): New Mexico State transfer Mike Washington (9 carries, 79 yards) led a running attack that gained 194 yards in the Razorbacks’ win over Alabama A&M. Arkansas threw for 358 yards.  Saturday: Arkansas State (1-0) in Little Rock   Auburn: Jackson Arnold can run with the ball (16-137, 2 TDs), but his passing needs work after going 11-17 for 108 yards against Baylor. Saturday: Ball State (0-1)   No. 5 Georgia (1-0): Georgia’s defense throttled Marshall, holding the Thundering Herd to 207 yards and seven points. Of concern, the Bulldogs didn’t get to the quarterback even one time. Saturday: Austin Peay (1-0)   Kentucky (1-0): Quarterback Zach Calzada struggled against Toledo, completing 10-23 passes for 85 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. There isn’t much in the way of backups, the most experienced of which is Beau Allen, who threw for more than 2,800 yards and 23 touchdowns in 2022 at Tarleton State. Saturday: No. 21 Ole Miss (1-0)   No. 9 LSU (1-0): Clemson couldn’t run the ball against the LSU defense. LSU held Clemson to 31 yards on 20 carries. LSU turned Clemson’s Cade Klubnik very ordinary. He completed 19-38 passes for 230 yards, no touchdowns and one interception. Saturday: Louisiana Tech (1-0)   Mississippi State (1-0): Oklahoma transfer Brenen Thompson caught seven passes for 92 yards. Quarterback Blake Shapen threw for 270 yards and a TD. Saturday: No. 11 Arizona State (1-0)   Missouri (1-0): Louisiana-Monroe transfer Ahmad Hardy solidified his hold on the No. 1 tailback job by running for 100 yards on 10 carries and a touchdown in the win over Central Arkansas … Missouri ranks No. 9 in the nation in total offense (580 yards per game).  Saturday: Kansas (2-0)   No. 18 Oklahoma (1-0): The Sooners broke out a pass heavy offense against Illinois State. Led by John Mateer (392 yards, three TDPs), the Sooners rank sixth nationally in passing. Saturday: No. 14 Michigan (1-0)   No. 21 Ole Miss (1-0): Sophomore QB Austin Simmons picked up right where Jackson Dart left off. Simmons passed for 341 yards and three touchdowns in the season opening win over Georgia State … Ole Miss put up 695 yards against Georgia State, which is No. 1 in the country.  Saturday: at Kentucky (1-0)   No. 13 South Carolina (1-0): In their 24-11 win over Virginia Tech Sunday, the Gamecocks had two explosive plays. The first was an 80 yard punt return for a TD by Vicari Swain, the second a 64-yard TD pass from LaNorris Sellers to Nyck Harbor to seal the win in the fourth quarter. Saturday: South Carolina State (1-0)   No. 24 Tennessee (1-0): The Vols were within one yard of a perfectly balanced offense in the win over Syracuse. Tennessee ran for 246 yards, passed for 247. Saturday: East Tennessee State (1-0)   No. 1 Texas (0-1): Arch Manning’s hype bubble is fizzling after his performance against Ohio State. Arch appeared indecisive, struggled to hit wide open receivers and converted only 1-5 fourth downs. You can’t win a Heisman Trophy the first week of the season, but you can all but lose one. It might take help from Benny Hinn to revive Arch’s Heisman chances. Saturday: San Jose State (0-1)   No. 19 Texas A&M (1-0): It should be a major concern for the Aggie coaching staff that UT-San Antonio ran for 203 yards and averaged 6.15 per carry. The Aggies rank No. 113 nationally against the run. Saturday: Utah State (1-0)   Vanderbilt (1-0): Quarterback Diego Pavia completed 20-25 passes for 275 yards and three touchdowns against Charleston Southern … The Commodores put up 45 points and 481 yards in winning their season opener. Saturday: at Virginia Tech (0-1)

DJ Lagway gets off a first half pass (Photo by Chris Spears) GAINESVILLE – The Long Island Sharks left Gainesville Saturday night with exactly what they came for – a hefty check that will go a long way toward balancing the athletic department books and no serious injuries. That LIU was on the short end of a 55-0 beating at the hands of the 15 th -ranked Florida Gators is of little consequence. The Sharks knew coming into the game there was a better chance of seeing a fly-by of Haley’s Comet than there was of springing an upset.   The Sharks got what they needed and they weren’t the only ones. The Gators needed a cupcake of an opponent so that quarterback DJ Lagway could get the feel of things once again. Prior to Saturday, the last time he had faced live fire against a defense manned by folks other than the ones he sees in the Heavener Center every day was last December when the Gators whomped up on Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl. After missing all of the spring and all but a handful of practices in August when he had to read a defense and throw the ball with an incoming pass rush, Lagway got to shake off the rust in a first half in which he completed 15-18 passes for 120 yards and three touchdowns.   Sure, it was Long Island, which probably doesn’t have a single player on its roster that could suit up for the Gators. That’s irrelevant. It was real football and although Lagway was sporadic in the early going, it started feeling like old times all over again as the first half wore on.   “Really, that was his first scrimmage if you think about it,” Florida coach Billy Napier said. “He didn't participate in the scrimmages [in August], been practicing for about two weeks, so, yeah, he'll get in his rhythm. He'll continue to get better. You saw him get better as he kind of got comfortable and settled in. ”   Lagway led the Gators to a 38-0 halftime lead, throwing touchdown passes to Tre Wilson (4 yards), Hayden Hansen (4 yards) and J Michael Sturdivant (8 yards). The Gators also got touchdowns from Jadan Baugh (4-yard run) and Bruce Thornton (37-yard scoop and score run with a fumble on the game’s third play). Trey Smack kicked a 56-yard field goal in the second quarter.   Lagway missed a couple of throws he’d like to have back, but he did scramble to his right in the second quarter and with a flick of the wrist tossed a 41-yard dart to true freshman Vernell Brown III who made a leaping 1-handed grab at the LIU eight. It was a big night for Brown, who totaled 149 all-purpose yards (3-79 receiving; 3-45 returning punts; 1-25 on a kickoff return).   Brown joined the ranks of Percy Harvin (2006) and Antonio Callaway (2015) as the only true freshmen to start at wide receiver in the season opener. Based on what he’s been seeing of Brown during the spring and again in August, Napier said the decision to start VBIII wasn’t all that difficult. The 1-handed catch only affirmed his decision.     “It wasn't a very complicated decision based off what I watch every day,” Napier said. “But, yeah, those are the ones you don't forget, right? That picture's in your mind just like the (Ricky) Pearsall catch a couple years ago. Those are unique and people will be talking about that catch for a long time. Yeah, it was incredible. ”   While Lagway was getting his sea legs under him, Jadan Baugh carried the offense. Playing only the first half, Baugh carried nine times for 104 yards. On Florida’s first offensive scoring drive, Baugh had carries of 16 and 17 yards on his first two carries. He finished off the 65-yard scoring drive on which he had 44 yards on four carries with a 4-yard blast off the right side for a touchdown.   In the second quarter Baugh had a 26-yard run that was a thing of beauty to jump start a 6-play, 88-yard scoring drive that put the Gators ahead, 31-0. Baugh fought his way through the line of scrimmage, found the second level and then cut halfway across the field before he was corralled at the Long Island 38. It took a facemask to yank him down, so another 15 yards was tacked onto the end of the run.   “Jadan is special, obviously a lot of creativity,” Napier said. “I thought he made something maybe wasn't there sometimes and he made some plays. I have been impressed with Jadan because he played as a rookie, experienced some success, but I haven't seen him – there’s been no complacency there and I think that's a tribute to his character. ”   Lagway gave way to Trammell Jones Jr. in the second half and the true freshman from Jacksonville Mandarin showed why he has moved past Aidan Warner and Harrison Bailey as the No. 2 quarterback on the depth chart. Playing the entire second half, Jones completed 12-18 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns.   Jones led an 8-play drive that ended with a 41-yard field goal by Smack that made it 41-0 in the third quarter. He led a 64-yard drive that culminated with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Tony Livingston and finished off the scoring in the fourth quarter with an 11-yard TDP to Taylor Spierto. “I think Tramell has earned the job [as the No. 2 quarterback],” Napier said. “He's really had a strong surge the last few weeks. I think we've seen him as he got healthy and we started to give him more reps with the first and second unit. We saw him, he just kept getting better and he's a pure passer, man. He can really throw it. He's got velocity on the ball. The spin rate is impressive and then he's a very accurate quarterback. “I think you can see he's got some savvy, made a few plays with his feet but in general, he's impressed us and he earned that job. He earned that role. This is an opportunity to give him a lot of work and we felt strongly about that.” While no one thought Long Island would be able to move the ball with any consistency against the Florida defense, what the Gators did was impressive. Florida held the Sharks scoreless and to only 86 yards of offense (37 rushing yards, 49 through the air). The Gators forced two fumbles, both of them recovered by Bryce Thornton, whose first quarter scoop-and-score was Florida’s first since 2019.   Freshman Jayden Woods (15) celebrates knocking down the LIU quarterback (Photo by Chris Spears) More impressive, the Gators held the Sharks to two first downs. LIU got a first down on its first two running plays of the game and got the second late in the fourth quarter when Luca Stanzani completed a 28-yard pass to Deion Richardson along the East sideline. The way the Florida defense pursued the football made it next to impossible for the Sharks to get into any kind of offensive rhythm. “We emphasize it [pursuing the football],” Napier said. “We're fanatical about the effort we practice and play with and there's no doubt that you could see that show up tonight. I always talk about the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth defender showing up. We got some takeaways, which is a positive. We're going to face the best teams in the country, some of the better offenses in the country and the real challenges are ahead. ” Game notes: T he Gators played penalty-free football for just the second time in school history (LSU, 2021 was the other time) … The shutout was Florida’s first in 46 games, the last one previously a 42-0 win over Vanderbilt in 2021 … The Gators are 31-3 in their last 34 season openers … The Gators have won five consecutive games. That ties Ohio State for the longest current winning streak in the country. SEC FOOTBALL No. 3 Ohio State (1-0) 14, No. 1 Texas (0-1) 7: Texas had chances to win but went only 1-5 on fourth downs. The much-hyped Arch Manning was 17-30 passing for 170 yards with a touchdown and an interception. No. 5 Georgia (1-0) 45, Marshall (0-1) 7: Gunner Stockton passed for two touchdowns and ran for two to lead Georgia past Marshall. Florida State (1-0) 31, No. 8 Alabama (0-1) 17: Florida State beat up Alabama’s defensive front for 230 rushing yards. The FSU defense held Bama’s All-America receiver Ryan Williams to five catches for 30 yards. No. 9 LSU (1-0) 17, No. 4 Clemson (0-1) 10: LSU held Clemson to 31 rushing yards in 20 attempts and turned Clemson over on downs with 59 seconds remaining to preserve the win. No. 18 Oklahoma (1-0) 35, Illinois State (0-1) 3: John Mateer threw for 392 yards and a touchdown while running for 24 more with another TD to lead Oklahoma to an easy win. Keontez Lewis caught nine passes for 119 yards and two TDs. The Sooner defense held Illinois State to 34 passing yards. No. 19 Texas A&M (1-0) 42, UT-San Antonio (0-1) 24: Sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Aggies. Mario Craver caught eight passes for 122 yards and two TDs. No. 21 Ole Miss (1-0) 63, Georgia State (0-1) 7: In his first career start, Austin Simmons threw for 400 yards and three touchdowns. Kewan Lacey ran for 108 yads and three touchdowns. No. 24 Tennessee (1-0) 45, Syracuse (0-1) 26: Joey Aguilar threw for 247 yards and three touchdowns in his first start as an SEC quarterback. Mississippi State (1-0) 34, Southern Miss (0-1) 17: The Bulldogs put the game away by outscoring Southern Miss 21-0 in the third quarter. Kentucky (1-0) 24, Toledo (0-1) 16: Dante Dowdell scored a fourth quarter touchdown on a 79-yard run. He finished the game with 129 yards on 14 carries. Arkansas (1-0) 52, Alabama A&M 7: Taylen Green tied a school record with six touchdown passes. O’Meaga Blake caught seven passes for 121 yards and a TD. Vanderbilt (1-0) 45, Charleston Southern (0-1) 3: Diego Pavia threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns plus ran for 44 more.

It was buried on the opening weekend of Gator football.

The Gators handle their first game assignment. A clean, healthy game to start the season. By Loren Meadows, GatorBaitMedia.com , Football Analyst, Host-The Lowdown with Loren Meadows The Florida defense dominated LIU allowing only 87 yards of total offense (Chris Spears photo) The Florida Gators were one of five SEC teams with an FCS opponent to open the season. The Gators welcomed Long Island to The Swamp in what many coined as a pseudo-preseason game for the Gators after a training camp that saw many key players including quarterback DJ Lagway limited during preseason preparations. After three years of Top 25 foes to open the season, the Gators would get a dress rehearsal of sorts in the visitors from Long Island. With that, the Gators who have patterned their organization after many NFL teams, would go into this game looking to play a clean, mistake free game and leave the contest as healthy as possible with the nation’s toughest schedule looking them in the face. The Gators were looking for a solid premier. Play balanced football on offense and continue the ferocious defense that saw them dominate the back quarter of 2025. Finally, set a standard in all three phases to be a consistent football for the entirety of the season. What We Thought: The Gators would dominate Long Island with a clear advantage on both lines of scrimmage. Long Island would look to use motion and shifts to confuse the Florida defense and maybe slip a back out of the backfield to get a quick one on the more talented Gators. On offense Florida would look to establish the running game early and then hit a couple deep shots to its talented group of receivers and take command early. DJ Lagway would be a factor with his size and running ability and add stress to an overmatched Long Island front as the Gators would score points early and coast into the second half as the Gators would clear the depth chart to get a look at its deepest roster under Billy Napier. What We Got: The football was clean, the defense played well, and the Gators seemed to leave the game healthy. The Florida defense looked connected, communicated well, and played with the same fire that saw them take a drastic jump at the end of the 2024 season. The Gators shut out Long Island holding them to just 87 yards total offense and forcing two turnovers deep in LIU territory. Myles Graham and Kamran James led the Gators with five tackles while George Gumbs Jr. added 1.5 tackles for loss. Bryce Thornton recovered two fumbles and the defense played as expected putting up its first zero since 2021.  Offensively the Gators started slowly through the air, but the run game was dominant early and often as the Gators used their size advantage to create running lanes for Jaden Baugh who rushed for 104 yards and touchdown on just nine carries. Florida was efficient through the air as DJ Lagway shook off early rust to throw for three scores completing 15 of 18 passes for 120 yards. Backup Trammell Jones who surprised many with his rise up the depth chart was sharp as well completing 12 of 18 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns. While many expected Lagway to show off the arm talent that made him an instant star last season, Long Island did a great job of mixing drop coverages and showing Lagway some looks he may not have been prepared for. Possibly the brightest spot of the evening was the play of freshman receiver Vernell Brown III. The legacy freshman who gained early praise from Napier for his meticulous preparation and effort was sharp last night grabbing three catches for 79 yards. Brown would save his best for last as his third catch has already been packed away as a catch of the year candidate. Brown would get behind the defense on a Lagway scramble and would make a one-handed acrobatic catch that reminded many of another one-handed grab by Ricky Pearsall Jr. in 2023. The Skinny: It was Long Island, but it was clean, and the Gators left the game intact physically. That was the goal. The offense wasn’t great but the nucleus of it all missed substantial time in preparation for the season. There is a lot to clean up before the next contest but that’s why they call it coaching. The organization looks to be as together as  they have been since Napier’s arrival, and this is a team that is built to find ways to win due to its improved depth and the ability to take the hard look in the mirror. If there was a blemish on the night it was the inconsistency in the kicking game that can be the difference in close games. But as any golfer will tell you, sometimes your driver or putter just isn’t there on that day. Outside of that, the Gators will get ready for an 11-game gauntlet that begins with an in-state foe coming off one of its biggest wins this decade. Many saw the first two weeks as a tune-up before a huge trip to Baton Rouge. As South Florida showed Thursday, that tune-up has turned to buckle-up. These Gators are built to dance and as DJ Lagway admitted “I need to and will play better”. Winning is hard, preparing and playing well against an inferior foe even harder. The Gators checked the box last night and will look to do the same next week. Final Score: Florida Gators 55 Long Islan Sharks 0 (Prediction Florida 45 LIU 0)

One of the brightest spots in Gators win over Long Island was DB Bryce Thornton (Photo by Chris Spears) Almost Getting Screwed By ESPN, But Gators Prevail 55-0. I kicked off my Saturday by devouring 14 hours of CFB, the greatest game on the planet, awaiting the debut of the Florida-LIU game that I would never see on my home TV. It was a long time coming, the continuance of that splendid Gator Football turnaround season and we couldn’t wait to find out if it was real or not. Would DJ Lagway be fit enough to build  on his fabulous rookie season? Would Billy Napier lose many players to a sweeter deal, as he did when Jack Pyburn went to LSU? Could this become the core of a championship contender? It was finally football season 2025 and I didn’t want to miss a minute. But we’d have to wait a bit because I needed a place to see it.  After a Thursday-Friday debut of what looked like a stout South Florida team and an emerging Auburn club, I flipped on the Saturday Showcase. While patiently awaiting the most anticipated Gator football season in maybe a decade,  here’s how my day began at 9 a.m., Saturday.  Breakfast with Lee Corso and Game Day, as he was justifiably canonized, making his final headgear pick. Honestly it was a three-hour vigil that felt almost spiritual enough to warrant three puffs of white smoke from the Vatican.  I kicked off my Saturday by devouring every morsel of CFB, the greatest game on the planet, awaiting the debut of the Florida-LIU game that I would never see on my home TV — despite 10 phone calls, six hours of trying to explain why  suddenly I could not receive it anymore on ESPN despite three different subscriptions.  Surely there would be a way. I was determined not to get bummed about tech issues — so I focused on what I could see, delighting in things like the Ohio State student winning the $250,000 from Pat McAfee for kicking a field goal.  And Lee Corso ceremoniously making his 431st and final selection. His  first one ever was Ohio State in 1996 and I figured Ohio State  would be his 431st. I was correct.  “Gimme my first love,” Corso commanded, and they served him up the head of Brutus for the 45th time. He got it right. And the Ohio Band spelled out “CORSO!” ESPN says, “Corso has worn 69 different schools’ mascot headgear and has dressed up as Notre Dame’s Fighting Irish leprechaun, the Stanford tree, and historic figures James Madison and Benjamin Franklin.” However, Brutus remains Corso’s first love, having worn his headgear 45 times. I became deeply ensconced in “the greatest opening game ever” as The Golden Boy Arch Manning struggled in his first takeover start, muffled by the Buckeye defense.  At the half he was 5x10 for just 26 yards, could not punch in the score and wound up throwing a costly pick which led to a 14-0 fourth quarter lead before finally putting a touchdown on the board. Then almost another interception in the final period, until it was reversed by replay. In particular, the 14-7 loss by Texas stung for all those proud SEC fans who vowed the Big Ten’s back-to-back natties were an anomaly about to come to a halt. Oh well, we’ll see the Longhorns when they come to The Swamp in October.  On to a more important game on Steve Spurrier Field: LIU Saturday night. And in the process watching FSU and it’s newly rejuvenated Gus Malzahn offense. As opposed to traveling 700 miles round trip, I chose to stay home in Panama City to enjoy a great TV Armchair Feast Saturday, including the big games before Florida’s opener. Not a good choice — especially when I found out ESPN could not deliver the LIU game to my condo due to its format change. I finally gave up. So I joined my friends from The Panhandle Gator Club in Panama City at their Rock!It Lanes watch party — fun times except for having to endure for the last half of FSU’s 31-17 win over Alabama and the suddenly loud/obnoxious Nole fans.  But isn’t that why God made earphones and gave us the GatorRadio Network?   Meanwhile the first word I received was from social media: “LIU head coach Ron Cooper is absolutely furious that some players on his team stepped on the Florida Gators logo before the game. But nobody able to get video of it.Tight end Jaiden Dozier was one of them.” He said: “Get off the logo. You idiots.” That’s the Sharks’ lone moment in the spotlight.  Not that it was a spectacular opening night for Florida. Lagway looked a bit rusty and clearly the decreased reps have taken their toll. I was a little surprised the running game started sluggishly and at the offensive line’s lack of dominance , but as Lagway began to find his targets in the second quarter, the running game picked up, too.  Jadan Baugh had his 100 yards (104) in two quarters. DJ  played just a half but  pitched three touchdown passes, one each to WR Trey Wilson, newcomer WR J. Michael Sturdivant and TE Hayden Hansen. The real star of the first half was on defense. Veteran DB Bryce Thornton recovered two fumbles, one of them a scoop and score. One of the brightest newcomers was Vernell Brown III, whose brisk punt returns, touchdown catch and his spectacular one-handed grab were impressive. The 15x18 from Lagway with three TD passes, two turnovers and 38-0 halftime lead didn’t get Billy Napier excited. He felt the offense was sluggish. And of the two turnovers, he pointed out “we said we were going to try and get five,” but with two quarters yet to go. I also saw some things I liked by quarterback Trammel Jones, including his touchdown to TE Tony Livingston.  Obviously there’s plenty of coaching still needed for this team, including for Saturday’s South Florida game, because the Bulls are clearly much better and their up-tempo offense can cause problems. For the night, this can be labeled a moderate success because we got to see some of the new talent and there were no apparent new injuries and in view of the tasks ahead and the mean streets of this schedule, Gator fans would do well to take this fifth straight win, tuck it away and hang on for the ride. It was the first shutout in 45 games for the UF defense 55-0 will do just fine dor a day's work.

(Photo by Chris Spears) For the Long Island University Sharks, the goal tonight is to pick up a hefty paycheck that will go a long way toward balancing the athletic department books while escaping without any injuries that require surgery. That just about sums up half the equation for tonight’s season opener for 15 th -ranked Florida (7 p.m., Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, ESPN+/SEC Network+).   Florida’s half of the equation goes something like this: First team guys play the first half, then cede the rest of the game to backups, many of whom will be playing before a sellout crowd in a big stadium for the first time in their lives. Productive reps for quarterback DJ Lagway, who needs to play two full quarters but might not if the Gators are scoring at will. No sacks given up by the O-line. No points given up by the defense. No injuries that could force a player to miss even one game of a rather brutal Florida football schedule.   One other thing for the Gators: Don’t come out of this blowout win thinking you’ve accomplished anything monumental. The Gators will be going against perhaps the worst team to come to The Swamp since Charleston Southern departed with a paycheck and a 62-3 beatdown in the 2009 home opener. Think of this game as nothing more than a tuneup for a legitimate opponent next week, a South Florida team that hosed 25 th -ranked Boise State 34-7 Thursday night.   Because LIU is a D1AA opponent the oddsmakers in Las Vegas haven’t bothered with a spread, but if they were to stoop that low, it would probably be something like 45 points. Billy Napier most likely wants to see all four of his quarterbacks play (Aidan Warner, Harrison Bailey and Trammell Jones are the other three beside Lagway) but even with a QB shuffle going on, it might be hard to hold down the points.   Florida is going to win this game. The only question is by how much.   SEC FOOTBALL No. 8 Alabama at Florida State: Since winning their first 13 games in 2023, the Seminoles are 2-11. They will be 2-12 after today. Alabama is a 14.5-point favorite. It might be close for a half, but that’s about it. The pick: Alabama   Alabama A&M at Arkansas: Paycheck game to start the season for the Razorbacks. They will struggle to get to six wins, the absolute minimum for Sam Pittman to keep his job. The pick: Arkansas   Auburn (1-0) 38, Baylor (0-1) 24: Auburn ran for 307 yards with QB Jackson Arnold going for 137 and two touchdowns. That’s all well and good, but he was only 11-17 for 108 yards passing. If the throwing game doesn’t improve Auburn is going to have some problems moving ahead.   Marshall at No. 5 Georgia: The Poodles are favored by 39.5 points. Marshall has 62 newbies on its roster plus a new coach who is converting to the Rich Rod offense, which goes heavy on the run. It’s going to be a long day at the office for Marshall. Georgia isn’t as good as the final margin will seem to indicate. The pick: Georgia   Toledo at Kentucky: Wins are going to be hard to come by for Kentucky this year, so non-conference games against teams from the Mac and Cheese are a requirement. The UK QB is Zach Calzada, now in his seventh season of college football. The Wildcats are 10.5-point favorites. The pick: Kentucky   No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson: Brian Kelly thinks he has a contender, so this game is critical to start the season. An 0-1 start to the season with Florida looming on the horizon in two weeks will not bode well for LSU. If the Tigers with their brand new offensive line protect Garrett Nussmeier as well as they did at The Swamp back in November, then the air is going to come out of the LSU balloon in a hurry. Clemson is a 4.5-point favorite. Clemson will cover and then some. The pick: Clemson   Mississippi State at Southern Miss: This is one of three winnable games on the Mississippi State schedule. It would be a good idea for the Bulldogs to win because this is going to be a long season. Mississippi State is a 14.5-point favorite. The pick: Mississippi State   Missouri (1-0) 61, Central Arkansas (0-1) 6: Penn State transfer Beau Pribula threw for 283 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 65 more and two more scores. So much for a quarterback controversy.   Illinois State at No. 18 Oklahoma: It will be somewhat disappointing if Oklahoma doesn’t win this one by at least five touchdowns. The first look at Washington State transfer QB John Mateer will be impressive. The pick: Oklahoma   Georgia State at No. 21 Ole Miss: Once again Ole Miss will have a bazillion transfers on the field. A problem for everyone else, no problem for Lane Kiffin, who can somehow cobble together a winning team with newbies every year. Austin Simmons is the real deal at QB. The Rebels are 33.5-point favorites. They will cover. The pick: Ole Miss   Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 South Carolina (in Atlanta Sunday): Are the Gamecocks for real or way overhyped? Everything about them except QB LaNorris Sellers screams over-hyped, but Shane Beamer has made the Gamecocks perpetual over-achievers. Even if they win this one and cover the 7.5-point spread, we won’t know a whole lot moving forward. The pick: South Carolina   Syracuse vs. No. 24 Tennessee: The Vols break in a new quarterback (Joey Aguilar) against a Syracuse team that won 10 games a year ago in Fran Brown’s first year as a head coach. It’s going to seem like a home game for the Vols, who are favored by 13.5 points. They should win this game, but cover? That might be a stretch. The pick: Tennessee   No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State: This is a rematch of last year’s College Football Playoff semifinal only this time it’s at Ohio State and the Texas quarterback will be Arch Manning, grandson of Archie, nephew of Peyton and Eli. The Ohio State QB will be Julian Sayin, who started out at Alabama in the spring of 2024, then transferred to Ohio State in the summer. The winner will be hyped as the favorite to go on and win the national title. The loser should still make the playoff. Depending on who you trust when you wager a few bucks, the Longhorns are either a 1-point fave on the road or a 1.5-point road dog. The Texas defense has me convinced they’ll beat the Buckeyes. The pick: Texas   UT-San Antonio at No. 19 Texas A&M: Only God and the Longhorns have more money than the Aggies, who have proven they can write big checks with the best of them. This is a good A&M team, but playoff contender good? We won’t know after this one. A&M is a 23.5-point favorite and will easily cover. The first chance to figure out if the Aggies are legit will be in two weeks when they travel to Notre Dame. The pick: Texas A&M   Charleston Southern at Vanderbilt: Vanderbilt shocked the world by winning seven games a year ago. Seven wins would be an accomplishment this season. It will be one down and six to go after Saturday. The Commodores will win this one in a blowout. The pick: Vanderbilt

Florida has one job this week.  Play clean injury free football. Long Island will have a hard time scoring against a hungry Florida defense with a lot to prove. By Loren Meadows, GatorBaitMedia.com , Football Analyst, Host-The Lowdown with Loren Meadows Defenders Tyreak Sapp (94) and Jordan Castell (14) When Long Island first showed up on the updated Florida Football schedule in place of Florida A&M, the first thing most people did was wonder if they had heard of Long Island University. The second was to ask themselves if they knew the school played football. Finally, many HBCU fans including myself grimaced with disappointment because while FAMU was not a marquee matchup, their band certainly fits the bill. So enter Long Island who will play both Florida and Eastern Michigan in consecutive weeks for a combined pay day of over $900,000 that will definitely help the football team and other sports. LIU finished 4-8 last season and 3-3 in the NEC. While the record is less than impressive, to the LIU’s credit 4 games were decided by a touchdown or less. Just like the Gators, LIU finished strong winning 3 of their last four games. Now for the bad news. The business trip to Gainesville. I say business trip because anyone would think a chance for a school of 15,000 that normally plays in front of about 4,500 would be thrilled at the opportunity to play in front of a sellout crowd of 88,000 plus. Going a step further the business of athletics has placed LIU football in the money-making business but also in the the cross -hairs of one the nation’s potential sleeper playoff teams. Let’s get this out the way now. Many are picking a big score with a 3 or 7 for LIU, but not me, I would be shocked and even disappointed if they score at all.    LIU Offense Key Players: #14 QB Ethan Greenwood (5-11, 188, R-Jr.), #6 WR Corey Nicholls (5-11, 197, So.) Matchups To Watch: LIU Offensive Line v. Florida Defensive Line, Devin Moore v. Corey Nicholls Both Greenwood and Nicholls were named to the NEC Preseason All-Conference Team while Greenwood added a nomination to the Walter Payton Award Watchlist. Nicholls had a solid freshman campaign snatching 21 catches and one touchdown averaging 13.6 yards per catch. Underwood was effective both as a runner and a passer in 2024. He was the top rusher for quarterbacks in the NEC with 913 yards and five touchdowns. Through the air Greenwood was third among quarterbacks in the NEC with six touchdowns and two interceptions. Long Island will lean heavily on Greenwood with read option and short throws to keep the Florida defense off balance and try to get in second and third and manageable to sneak a back out of the backfield against the Florida linebackers that have struggled in pass coverage. The inexperienced LIU offensive line will be in for a tough day against a deep group of edge rushers for Florida. LIU Defense: Key Players #5 DL DQ Watkins (6-3, 271), #0 DB Todd Bowles Jr. (6-1, 195) If there is a player for LIU that could really get paid the old way to play football it could be DQ Watkins. At 6-3 271, the Oxford, MS native has had long road to this level after spending two years at Northeast Mississippi Community College. Watkins was named to the Phil Steele Preseason NEC Team and will look to improve on a 2024 campaign where he amassed 41 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks which ranked 5th in the NEC. Watkins will look to make his mark against one of the nations top offensive lines. A good showing on Saturday for a player with next level potential.  In the secondary LIU will lean on the play of safety Todd Bowles Jr. The son of Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles Sr., Bowles played his high school ball at Tampa Jesuit one of Florida’s top prep programs. Bowles originally enrolled at Rutgers before transferring to LIU. While Bowles has been limited with injuries the redshirt senior has the experience and pedigree that LIU is hoping will help against the deepest group of pass catchers the Gators have had under Billy Napier. Bowles was named to the Preseason All-NEC Team in what will be his final collegiate season.   LIU will most certainly have a tough time holding up against the weight of the Florida running game and will have to work to get a turnover or two to make it halfway interesting. The depth at running back alone will be unlike anything LIU has seen even in a game against TCU in 2024.  The Skinny: I always do my best to highlight some of the better players on any team. To disregard what these young men go through at any level would be disrespectful. So as we look at Long Island, their most impressive trait is that they are led by a great football coach in Ron Cooper. A former head coach who had success at Louisville and Eastern Michigan, he will have his team prepared organized and they will know what they want to do. The problem will be getting it done and at every level of the organizations Florida just has more. LIU has garnered the respect of those in the know as they were picked to finish third in the NEC, which speaks volumes for what Cooper is building at LIU. The Sharks were even featured on a segment of ESPN’s Gear Up because of their unis with the Long Island flavor. Once again this is a different beast, a mammoth at quarterback with five 300 pound secret servicemen sworn to protect him, an infantry behind him, and a defense poised to get back to the glory days as soon as possible. Thump, thump, shot early and often as Lagway chills after the seven minute mark in the third. I don’t see it going well in any way for LIU and the only reason I’m not putting down 50 is because Billy don’t play that.  Predication: Florida 45 LIU 0

SPOT THE DANG BALL!

You can call Billy Napier “Mr. Fed Ex” because he delivered.

(Photo by Chris Spears) Three more days and the 2025 football season kicks off against Long Island, as outmatched an opponent the Gators have faced in a season opener since 2009 when Charleston Southern took its paycheck and limped back home after a 69-0 beatdown. If the Gators score a few touchdowns, hold the Sharks out of the end zone and emerge from this encounter without injuries, then it should be consider it a raging success.   Any way you slice it, we aren’t going to learn much of anything from this game. There is no reason to do anything that isn’t as plain vanilla as it gets. Just line up and go at it. Give DJ Lagway a chance to make some throws against live competition. Give the young wide receivers a chance to run routes and catch the football with 90,000 people watching. Let the offensive line open huge holes so Jadan Baugh and Ja’Kobi Jackson can run the ball. Run it a lot. Limit the blitzes on defense. Swarm to the football. Don’t miss tackles. No silly penalties.     And once again, emerge from this encounter without injuries. Also, don’t leave the stadium with young guys who have little in the way of experience thinking is this all there is to college football?   Starting week two against South Florida, the schedule takes a serious upgrade but even against a second straight schedule that can only be described as brutal, the Gators have an opportunity to be very good this year. SEC Championship Game good? College Football Playoff good? Only time will tell, but competitive depth and a championship mentality will go a long way toward giving the Gators an opportunity to play for and possibly win a championship. It has been since 2008 that the Gators won a national championship. They made it to Atlanta four times – 2009, 2015, 2016 and 2020 – but came up empty. Had there been a College Football Playoff in 2009, the Gators would have made it. If they hadn’t shot themselves in the feet until they were playing on nubs in 2020, they would have beaten eventual national champ Alabama and made the playoff. If only. The worst two words in the college football vernacular. For too many years since Urban Meyer retired, Florida football has been defined by if only. It is time to put if only in the rearview and turn the here and now into a consistent push for a championship.   Credit Billy Napier with a plan to rebuild the program from the ground up and re-establish Florida as a consistent occupant on championship radars. He has certainly upgraded the talent from what he inherited in 2022. Per 247Sports, which, based on recruiting, evaluated the talent of every Division I team, Napier will take the field Saturday with the 12 th most talented roster in the country. A roster that good should have a shot at a very big season.   The top 25: 1. Georgia; 2. Alabama; 3. Ohio State; 4. Texas; 5. Oregon, 6. LSU; 7. Clemson; 8. Texas A&M; 9. Notre Dame; 10. Penn State; 11. Michigan; 12. FLORIDA; 13. Auburn; 14. Oklahoma; 15. Miami; 16. Tennessee; 17. Southern California; 18. South Carolina; 19. Florida State; 20. Nebraska; 21. Ole Miss; 22. Missouri; 23. Arkansas; 24. Mississippi State; 25. SMU.   Also worth noting: 27. Kentucky; 43. UCF; 55. Vanderbilt; 61. South Florida; 82. Florida Atlantic; 98. Florida International.   From a purely offensive standpoint, few teams can match or exceed the talent the Gators have accumulated. Lagway is a consensus top 10 quarterback who respected Fox Sports college football analyst believes could emerge as a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender.   “If they (Gators) get to 10 (wins) with that schedule and Lagway is playing well, guess where he’s gonna be? New York.” Klatt said on the Joel Klatt Show. “The hype surrounding Lagway will be tremendous. They’ll have massive wins, in particular in some of those matchups that you know are gonna be primetime affairs down in the SEC schedule.”   Lagway alone can’t do it all, but Napier has surrounded his sophomore quarterback with an offensive line that is top five in the country, a running backs room that is flat out loaded and the most speed a Florida team has had at wide receiver in years.   Scoring won’t be an issue even after Saturday’s feeding frenzy in The Swamp. Teams that rely too heavily on winning games in shootout fashion rarely win championships. The defense is going to have to come through, but Napier is confident in coordinator Ron Roberts, now in his second year on the staff. Once Roberts moved to the booth and took over the defense last year, the Gators suddenly were formidable. Roberts has potential star power in Tyreak Sapp and Caleb Banks on the defensive line, Myles Graham and Aaron Chiles at the linebackers and Devin Moore and Jordan Castell in the secondary.   Star power is a good thing, but for there to be defensive carryover, some of the young guys who were backups last year will have to step up their game and newbies who find themselves in the rotations will have to prove they are capable of doing it when 90,000 people in the stadium and millions on TV are watching. Depth, even though much of it is young, and Roberts have Napier feeling better than he’s felt at any time since he took the Florida job.   “I do think that number one, we have more competitive depth than we've ever had, and we also have some veteran players that I think provide really good leadership,” Napier said Wednesday morning on the SEC Coaches Teleconference. “We also have Coach Roberts going into year two, which I think we will benefit from, and a couple new assistant coaches over there that I think have done a really good job.   “And don't forget that this is our fourth year in the system. Although we've had different coordinators, I think we've been able to keep the same system intact, and that's helped the players develop. But I do see a little bit more maturity on that side of the ball, and I think that in particular, the secondary group has grown up quite a bit over the last couple of years. So, look, we have the potential to play championship-caliber defense, but we have to go do that when the time comes. So, you gotta prove it on the field, but I do think the makeup of that group not only from a talent perspective, but also from a mindset is a positive for our team right now."   When the Gators went on that 4-game winning streak at the end of the 2024 season, the Gators gave up an average of 321.8 yards and 13 points per game. For the season the Gators gave up 386.9 yards and 23.1 points per game. In the last four games, the Gators got to the quarterback 19 times (20 in the other nine game) and 12 turnovers (13 in the other nine).   By finishing on a winning note – the Gators actually bring the longest winning streak in the SEC to the 2025 season – there is a level of confidence that hasn’t been there since Napier took over. In Napier’s first season (2022), the Gators lost their last three games to finish 6-7. In 2023, they finished on a 5-game losing streak.   Some might call Florida’s 4-game winning streak momentum, but the 2024 season ended nine months ago. Confidence does have a way of carrying over, however. It has shown in Napier’s press conferences throughout the month of August. His demeanor is very self-assured. When he speaks he doesn’t sound like a coach trying to sell the public but instead sounds like someone who has answers where there were far too many questions in years before.   End of the year winning streaks will do that for you.   "I think that there was a belief factor that maybe resonated that hasn't before,” Napier said. “This was the first time in our tenure that we have finished strong in the regular season and postseason, and I do think that that belief in what we do and how we do it has helped our offseason. I think our players have a certain level of confidence that's built around how we prepare. Their work, their confidence in each other, and ultimately some guys that have played a lot of football around here.   “So I think, we still have, about 30 percent of the team is new, and I think it's critical that we onboard those guys the right way here as we start the season. To get the result you want on gameday, you have to execute your process throughout the week a certain way, and I think that's where our focus is at right now."   LAGWAY NO. 8 IN CBS RANKING OF THE TOP 50 QUARTERBACKS The top 10: 1. Cade Klubnik, Clemson; 2. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU; 3. Drew Allar, Penn State; 4. Arch Manning, Texas; 5. Julian Sayin, Ohio State; 6. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina; 7. Sam Leavitt, Arizona State; 8. DJ LAGWAY, FLORIDA; 9. John Mateer, Oklahoma; 10. Josh Hoover, TCU   No. 11-20: 11. Nico Iamaleava, UCLA; 12. Jalon Daniels, Kansas; 13. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt; 14. Demond Williams, Washington; 15. Jayden Maiava, Southern California; 16. Sawyer Roberton, Baylor; 17. Kevin Jennings, SMU; 18. Rocco Becht, Iowa State; 19. Miller Moss, Louisville; 20. Ty Simpson, Alabama   No. 21-50: 21. Avery Johnson, Kansas State; 22. Carson Beck, Miami; 23. Haynes King, Georgia Tech; 24. Darian Mensah, Duke; 25. Luke Altmeyer, Illinois; 26. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana; 27. Behren Morton, Texas Tech; 28. Dylan Raiola, Nebraska; 29. Taylen Green, Arkansas; 30. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M; 31. Dante Moore, Oregon; 32. Austin Simmons, Ole Miss; 33. Noah Fifita, Arizona; 34. Alonza Barnett, James Madison; 35. Bryce Underwood, Michigan; 36. Blake Horvath, Navy; 37. Gunner Stockton, Georgia; 38. Devon Dampier, Utah; 39. Maverick McIvor, Western Kentucky; 40. CJ Bailey, North Carolina State; 41. Maddux Manson, Boise State; 42. Mark Gronowski, Iowa; 43. Braylon Braxton, Southern Miss; 44. Owen McCown, UT-San Antonio; 46. Caden Veltkamp, Florida Atlantic; 47. Colton Joseph, Old Dominion; 48. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee; 49. Parker Navarro, Ohio; 50. Aidan Chiles, Michigan