The Florida Gators return to The Swamp for the first time since Nov. 12 of 2022 this Saturday where they will face off against McNeese State (0-1).
DATES, TIMES, AND BROADCAST INFO
The game will kick off at 7:30 EST on Sep. 9th inside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and will air on ESPNU.
ESPNU
Play-by-Play: Beth Mowins
Analyst: Kirk Morrison
Reporter: Stormy Buonantony
Channel (Cox): 251 / 1251 [HD]
Channel (DirecTV): 208 [HD]
Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD
Play-by-Play: Sean Kelley
Analyst: Shane Matthews
Reporter: Tate Casey
Channel: Local Affiliates
SiriusXM Channel: 136 or 201
STORYLINE
Week two’s matchup not only marks the first-ever meeting between Florida and McNeese on the gridiron, but also the Gators’ first-ever football game against a Southland Conference opponent.
Florida has won seven straight games over FCS opponents and is 22-1 against FCS opponents since 1981, with the Gators’ only loss during that span to Georgia Southern in 2013. The Gators have outscored FCS teams 205-69 since 2019, while averaged 51.3 points a game.
Florida has lost three straight games to non-conference opponents (FSU, Oregon State, Utah). Prior to that, the Gators rallied off 15-straight wins against non-conference opponents since the start of the 2018 campaign.
The Orange and Blue boast a 355-113-13 (.752) all-time record at The Swamp, holding the second-highest home winning percentage in the nation since 1990 with a 174-34 (.837) record. The Gators have outscored opponents, 7,828 to 3,369 in 208 games inside The Swamp since 1990, putting the average outcome at 37.6 to 16.2 (21.4 points).
McNeese State
The Cowboys finished the 2022 season with a record of 4-7 but ended the season with three straight wins over Eastern Illinois, Houston Christian, and Lamar.
Head Coach Gary Goff is in his 12th season as a head coach and 2nd with McNeese State. Goff holds an all-time record of 64-61.
Goff was hired at McNeese State after he led Valdosta State to the program’s sixth NCAA National Championship appearance on Dec. 18, 2022 and back-to-back Gulf South Conference titles in his two playing seasons as head coach in Titletown (three overall seasons).
“Two things I think, for me, first of all, playing FCS level football and knowing the history of the program relative to what they’ve been able to accomplish,” Napier said on McNeese’s offense. Matt Viator was on our staff at Louisiana and was a legendary coach there. When I was a player, every playoff bracket I can remember, you know, they were in there and they were always a contender. And then you magnify that with the talent in that area, at any level, you know, and I think that’s the key thing for our players is to understand. Look, there’s gonna be a lot of good football players on that field Saturday. And look, these guys have had tremendous success, what they were able to accomplish at Valdosta. Schematically, they present variables and they can present issues for you. So, we’re gonna have to be ready to go.”
McNeese State dropped their home opener to Tarleton State 52-34, allowing 554 yards in the contest. The Cowboys gave up 210 rushing yards and sacked the quarterback just one time in week one.
One strength for Goff’s squad in week one was their ability to create turnovers. The Cowboys forced three turnovers and finished +2 in turnover margin, despite the loss.
Offensively, McNeese State generated just 278 yards, despite scoring 34 points.
WHAT TO EXPECT
Expect Billy Napier to rotate a ton of players into this game, especially the freshmen.
In Florida’s most-recent FCS matchup vs. Eastern Washington in 2022, 81 different Gators saw game action as Florida erupted for 666 total yards, which marked the sixth-most yards in a single game in program history. The Gators should be able to put up a lot of points regardless of who is on the field on Saturday night.
Some of the younger players I expect to see that didn’t get many snaps in the opener are Andy Jean, Aidan Mizell, Ja’Keem Jackson, Kelby Collins, Sharif Denson, Knijeah Harris, and Arlis Boardingham. All of these guys could help Florida at some point this season, and their development should be a priority in this game.