Florida football (4-2, 1-2 SEC) will look to close out a three-game homestand with another conference win when it hosts LSU (4-2, 2-1 SEC) in front of a sold-out crowd at The Swamp on Saturday (7 p.m., ESPN).
“Certainly when you play LSU, you know they’re going to be unique mismatch players on the field, and they have a lot of them,” Florida coach Billy Napier said.
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The Gators picked up their first SEC win in nearly a year on Saturday, beating Missouri despite being outgained 370-297. Florida won, scoring 14 points on two Missouri turnovers and making a big play on special teams — a 48-yard punt return from Xavier Henderson that set up an early field goal.
“We’ve made some strides in a lot of areas,” Napier said. “Then to finally make a game-changing punt return play. Then a good third quarter on offense to try to take control of the game and find a way to win at the end of it.”
Here are three things the Gators learned from the Missouri game:
Third down defense remains an issue
On Saturday, Florida allowed Missouri to convert 9 of 17 third-down conversions, including 3rd-and-18, 3rd-and-15 and 3rd-and-22.
“It’s all very well,” Napier said. “Some of it has to do with missed tackles. Some of it is lane integrity. Some of it is coverage usage. And then there’s something we just don’t have — maybe we’re not in a great challenge here or there.”
UF’s third-down defense (52.2 percent conversion rate) ranks last in the SEC and 125th nationally.
“We’re going to go back to work there and evaluate it objectively and try to put our players in a better position and then try to get the players to perform a lot better,” Napier said.
A run game can cause big plays
Florida had four runs of 30 yards or more in the second half, led by a 41-yard run by Montrell Johnson Jr. and a 39-yarder by freshman Trevor Etienne. Quarterback Anthony Richardson also had 32 yards on a scramble.
Overall, Florida rushed for 212 yards in the second half after gaining 19 yards in the first half.
“Part of the identity of this offense is that we do what the defense allows,” Florida offensive lineman Ethan White said. “So Missouri was moving a lot in the first half. They looked at us differently. And then in the second half (we) just got a better feel for them and had a better idea of what they were trying to do.”
The Gators have a knack for winning close games
After the win over Missouri, Florida improved to 3-1 in games decided by a touchdown or less, with the only loss coming at Tennessee, 38-33.
Florida ended the game with a defensive stop on 4th-and-2 when pressure from linebacker Ventrell Miller forced Missouri quarterback Brady Cook to commit an incompletion.
Earlier this season, Florida capped a close win over Utah with an interception in the end zone by quarterback Amari Burney.
“Your offseason program is where you build those intangibles,” Napier said. “I think if you’re deliberate about it – what I’m saying is the difficulty of development. Everything we do in terms of training, both physically and mentally, we try to develop a challenge for the players. That’s the only way you can create growth is to make it difficult. The harder the better.”