This past weekend the Gators snapped a two-game losing streak after a great performance against Texas A&M. Anthony Richardson arguably had the best performance of his career going 17/28, for 201 yards and two touchdowns. While also averaging 11 yards per carry; Richardson accounted for two more touchdowns and 78 yards rushing in last Saturday’s match-up. Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne combined for 180 yards on the ground while the defense went on to hold the Aggie offense scoreless in the second half.
Overall, the Gators finally looked like they were getting closer to becoming a complete football team against the Aggies. This is a great sign for a Florida Gator football team looking to close out the season strong in Billy Napier’s first year as head coach.
The stakes are still high for this football team. Now sitting at (5-4) on the year and looking to become bowl eligible, Florida is ready to carry the momentum into the swamp and build on it this Saturday as they prepare for South Carolina.
“I thought our staff did a really good job from a leadership perspective throughout the week, as well as ownership from the players,” Napier said.
“I think those two things, in particular, worked together to help our team play, not what I would describe as a complete game, but we’re getting closer.”
This team has continued to fight and battle back in big games for most of the season, but unfortunately have fallen short almost every time. The hard-fought win against Texas A&M was a huge sigh of relief for this football team, as their grit had finally paid off.
“I think we’ve worked on the connection and relationship part. Brotherhood is a term that was used last week to kind of describe what we’re trying to create here. I think that there’s also a level of — they’re starting to understand the football component of it a little more,” Napier said on this team continuing to rally back. “I think it’s easier to maintain your poise when you understand what happened, why it happened, what you can do to fix it. I think we’re starting to get to that point.”
“The defense would be a great example of that,” Napier said. “I think they understood what the issues were, and they knew they could go in the locker room, adjust and fix it in the second half.”
The level of frustration has been high for these Florida players after continuing to fight and coming up short in big games earlier in the year. They’ve always known that they have what it takes to get the job done in big games.
“The frustration level was really high because we knew that we had the talent in the room to do it,” Montrell Johnson said on coming up short in big games. “We knew we had the players to put it all together we’ve just got to keep champing at the bit and keep getting better.”
It’s going to take a lot more than just two quarters of solid defensive football to finish out the season on a good note. Starting out strong on defense will be key for the Gators the rest of this season.
“I just feel like we just need to come in from the jump, pumped up, riled up, because at halftime we had to get right with each other,” Antwaun Powell-Ryland said. “We had to get together and make sure we were good. We knew coming in we could win. We could beat these guys.”
“In the second half we played together and started talking more,” Powell-Ryland said. “We were pumping each other up every play, every series and all that. The whole defense. Ventrell, especially, he sent a hard message telling us let’s go. Like we can deal with these guys, like we can really shut them out.”
This defense and team are starting to improve every week. Anthony Richardson is leading the pack here. The Gators are getting closer and closer to turning that corner.
“Getting closer, I really believe that,” Napier said on this team turning the corner. “I think to go three-and-out, to get a big punt return, and to put a touchdown on the board. I think what I’m seeing is kind of what I described after the game, that human element.
“That team dynamic — the, quote/unquote, culture or brotherhood, however you want to describe that — the expectation from each other, the accountability at the player level, actually I’m not necessarily worried about my coach getting on me, but I’m worried about letting my teammate down. I think there’s a place in this game, for an elite team, you’ve got to have that. You’re starting to see some of that show up I think,” Napier said.
In a way, the win against Texas A&M was one of the most important games of the year given where this team is at in terms of development. To finish out this season strong, it was exactly what this team needed.
“It was very important for the program because we’ve had a lot of downsides,” Montrell Johnson said. “It was important for us to get going here and finish out the season strong.”
Offensively in the running game, things are starting to pick up again for running backs Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne. The biggest strength of this football team is its run game, and It’s vital that it keeps going strong for the remainder of the season.
“I would say the rhythm has been going great between us,” Johnson said on how well he and Etienne play together. “Trevor is a great player. He’s going to be great in the future, and he’s great now. I think that going further in the season we’re going to continue to get better, continue to break those long runs that the fans want to see and we’re going to be grateful to Gator football.”
Johnson didn’t mince words either when speaking highly of quarterback Anthony Richardson and wants to see him return next season. Richardson is starting to get hot under center at just the right time for the Gators.
“I’ve just seen him approach practice with more confidence,” Johnson said on Richardson. “He’s more, like, shaking to the program if you know what I mean. He’s gotten more comfortable in the program since he’s played a couple of games. He knows the offense a little bit better.”
“You can see him growing throughout games and he’s going to be great. We need him back another year.”
It started to show a couple weeks ago, and after last weekend, it’s clear that this team has continued to grow, learn from their mistakes, and get better in different aspects each week. That’s all you can ask for from a football team with a first-year head coach. The culture building here at Florida has been a huge difference for this football program.
Going into the final stretch of the season, this team’s grit and determination will be tested on a different level with two straight SEC games left to play, FSU, and bowl game hopes all standing in the way.