After last Thursday’s disappointing loss to Utah to begin the 2023 season, the Florida Gators will return home to The Swamp for the first of three straight games in Gainesville.
McNeese at Florida: An Opportunity to Regroup for Gators
First up in the three-game stretch is an FCS opponent, the McNeese Cowboys, at 7:30 PM EST on ESPNU on Saturday. Night games in The Swamp are something to behold, and the energy will be infectious, so McNeese is exactly the matchup the Gators need to regroup before facing their first SEC East opponent in Tennessee next Saturday.
McNeese is coming off a season-opening loss of their own to Tarleton State 52-34. Tarleton State put up 554 yards of total offense, rushing for 210 yards and passing for 344.
This McNeese matchup is the game you want to empty your bench with if you’re the Gators. The score should be one-sided by halftime and that would allow the Gators to play some freshmen and other young players that likely will end up redshirting this season in the second half. Florida has a ton of young talent, and getting those players as many live game reps as possible would be very beneficial for the future.
Offense: Can they correct the procedural mistakes?
The Gators should have no issues moving the ball on offense. What they will have to focus on is limiting the self-inflicted errors that plagued them against Utah.
Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier said in his press conference on Monday in reference to those self-inflicted errors, “The things that have nothing to do with the opponent are the things we need to correct.”
The matchup on Saturday against McNeese provides an opportunity to correct those issues before facing an arch-rival.
The Gators offensive line was pushed around up front by the Utes defensive line, with the offense rushing for just 13 yards (which includes QB Graham Mertz’s sack yardage).
Florida Gators RB Montrell Johnson (2) – Molly Kaiser/Florida Athletics
Against McNeese, the Gators have an opportunity to run the ball efficiently and should do so all game long with RBs Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne. It will not only benefit the offense’s production, but it will help the offensive line get more accustomed to playing alongside each other.
Gators starting center Kingsley Eguakun, who missed the game against Utah due to injury, is questionable to play against McNeese. If he is unable to suit up, Jake Slaughter would once again start at center as he did against the Utes.
In the passing game, the offensive line should be able to keep QB Graham Mertz upright after allowing five sacks to the Utes. Keeping Mertz healthy is of utmost importance, and he took some hits against the Utes. Keeping Mertz’s jersey clean against McNeese should be priority number one on offense.
A player who needs to touch the ball more on offense is WR Eugene ‘Tre’ Wilson. Wilson only got three touches against Utah, but each one allowed him to show off his explosive playmaking ability. McNeese can’t match up with Wilson’s speed, so getting him involved early and often is key.
When asked about getting Wilson more touches, Napier said, “We’ve observed Tre in the practice setting, and he proved to be a really good competitor on gameday.”
Wilson adds something to the Florida offense that it hasn’t had in quite some time: world-class speed on the outside at receiver.
Defense: An Opportunity to Flex Their Muscles
Florida DT Jamari Lyons (95) – Molly Kaiser/Florida Athletics
On defense for the Gators, limiting any type of big play from McNeese is key. Utah set the tone early against the Gators with their 70-yard touchdown pass from QB Bryson Barnes to WR Money Parks. Florida’s defense has an opportunity to put up a shutout, and limiting any big plays or busted coverages will be imperative.
The defense will have the home crowd behind them, which will undoubtedly cause issues for McNeese’s offense.
The defensive line didn’t record a sack against Utah, but that should change Saturday night. Florida defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong is going to dial up blitz after blitz, which will allow more opportunities for the defensive line and linebackers to go after McNeese QB Nate Glantz.
With the blitz calls from Armstrong come one-on-one coverage opportunities for the defensive backs of the Gators. The defensive backs should have no issues keeping up with the McNeese receivers and will have ample opportunities to create turnovers on passes in the air.
Final Thoughts
The Gators can dominate McNeese from the first to the last snap of the game. It’s just a matter of them actually doing so. Some pent-up aggression/frustration that stemmed from the Utah loss will undoubtedly be exerted, but playing smart and sound football will be the number one goal on Saturday.
