OGT-Florida Gators @ #14 Missouri Tigers 11-18-2023 7:30 ESPN

Florida Gators (5-5, 3-4 SEC) at #14 Missouri Tigers (8-2, 4-2 SEC)

November 18 // 7:30 PM // Columbia, Mo.
Faurot Field/Memorial Stadium (62,621)
Game 11

ESPN
Play-by-Play: Joe Tessitore
Analyst: Jesse Palmer
Reporter: Katie George
Channel (Cox): 7 / 1007 [HD]
Channel (DirecTV): 8 [HD]
Gator Sports Network from LEARFIELD
Play-by-Play: Sean Kelley
Analyst: Shane Matthews
Reporter: Tate Casey

Station Freq: Local Affiliates
Sirius Channel: 384
Compass Media Networks
Play-by-Play: Gregg Daniels
Analyst: Chad Brown
Host: Tim Cates
Sirius Channel: check local listings

 

TEAM INFORMATION​

FLORIDA
Head Coach: Billy Napier
Career Record: 51-24 (27-5 Sun Belt) [5th season]
Record at UF: 11-12 (6-9 SEC) [2nd season]
Record vs. MIZ: 1-0
Rankings: NR (AP) / NR (Coaches)
2022 Record: 6-7, 3-5 SEC (T-4th in East)

MISSOURI
Head Coach: Eliah Drinkwitz
Career Record: 37-22 (8-1 Sun Belt) [4th season]
Record at UM: 25-21 (15-17 SEC) [3rd season]
Record vs. UF: 1-1
Rankings: 11 (AP) / 11 (Coaches)
2022 Record: 6-7, 3-5 SEC

SERIES HISTORY
Overall: Tied, 6-6
Last Meeting: Florida 24, Missouri 17
(Oct. 8, 2022 - Gainesville, Fla.)
Recent History: Florida, W1
Florida is 3-1 since 2019
In Columbia: Missouri leads, 3-2
In Gainesville: Florida leads, 4-2
Neutral: Missouri leads, 1

 

NUMBERS OF NOTE
226 / 322​

QB Graham Mertz has not thrown an interception across a school-record
226-consecutive pass attempts. Mertz has thrown just one interception in his last 322 attempts dating back to Week 1

 

THE STORYLINE​

• Week 12 represents the 13th all-time meeting between Florida and Missouri including the sixth matchup in Columbia.

• The all-time series lead is on the line, as the two teams are tied at 6-6 dating back to the first meeting in 1965.

• Florida has won three of the last four meetings against Missouri, outscoring the Tigers, 111-64, in that span (11.8 PPG).

• Prior to the last two matchups (2022: UF 24, MIZ 17 | 2021: MIZ 24, UF 23 - OT), each of the last-eight games in the
series had been decided by 17 or more points (from 2013-2020).

• Florida’s last trip to Faurot Field featured an overtime matchup (2021). Last season, UF gashed UM for 231 rush yards.

• This is the fourth meeting between UF HC Billy Napier and Missouri HC Eliah Drinkwitz as HCs, as both first found success in the Sun Belt Conference - Napier with Louisiana (40-12) from 2018-21, and Drinkwitz with App. St. (12-1) in 2019.
» Drinkwitz’s 2019 App. St. team went 2-0 vs. Napier’s Cajuns. After last year’s win, Napier is 1-2 vs. Drinkwitz.

• This is a matchup of two of the FBS’ top-25 teams in passing efficiency (Missouri: 163.0, 10th | Florida: 155.9, 24th).

• Dating back to the 2018 season, Napier is tied for 10th in the FBS with 51 total victories alongside Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz, trailing only Nick Saban (70), Kirby Smart (69), Dabo Swinney (65), Brian Kelly (61), Lincoln Riley (60), Luke Fickell (58), Jim Harbaugh (55), Ryan Day (55) and Josh Heupel (53). He has more wins than James Franklin, Kyle Whitting-
ham, Sonny Dykes, Mike Gundy, Mark Stoops, Mario Cristobal and Mike Norvell in that time, among others.

• Florida ranks 16th in the FBS with a 92.7% red zone conversion rate. The Gators have converted on 36 of 37 trips to the red zone across their last nine games.

• Florida ranks fifth in the FBS in kick return defense, allowing an average of 13.8 yards per pick (17.9 per game).

• QB Graham Mertz has completed 73.3% of his passes (247-for-337), which leads the SEC and ranks fifth nationally.

• Mertz ranks fourth in the FBS and first in the SEC in TD-INT ratio (9.0), owning 18 touchdowns and two interceptions.

• Mertz has thrown multiple touchdown passes in four of the last five games while throwing for 250-plus yards in four of five as well, including a career-high 423 yards and three touchdowns at South Carolina in Week 10.

• WR Eugene Wilson III leads all FBS true freshmen in receptions (51) and receptions per game (6.4) while sitting second in receiving yards per game (59.9) and third in receiving yards (479).

• Wilson III has caught four touchdowns while totaling 228 yards on 25 receptions in the last three games.

• RB Trevor Etienne delivered his first-career multi-touchdown game in Week 11 at No. 19 LSU, rushing for a trio of scores while totaling 99 yards on 18 carries (5.5 YPC). Alongside La’Mical Perine (Sept. 30, 2017 vs. Vanderbilt), Etienne is one of two UF running backs to rush for three touchdowns in a game across the last 18 seasons.

• The Gators have won 13 of their last 16 games in The Swamp (including eight of 10), but are 2-15 in their last 17 contests outside The Swamp and 2-11 in their last 13 true road games.

• Florida has scored in 446 consecutive games dating back to 1988 - an NCAA record and 53 games longer than any other college football team in the history of the sport.

 

- THE GRAHAM MERTZ FILES -​

• QB Graham Mertz leads the SEC with a 73.3% completion percentage entering Week 12, ranking fifth in the FBS.

• Across the last five weeks, Mertz has thrown for 1,500 passing yards (300.0 YPG), 137 completions, a 69.2% completion percentage, 12 touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

• Mertz finished 26-of-38 (68.0%) for 311 yards and one TD for his third-career 300-yard passing game vs. LSU.

• Mertz has thrown a touchdown pass in 24 of his last 27 games including all 10 starts as a Gator.

• Mertz has now opened his UF career with 10-straight games completing 62.0% of his passes and one passing touchdown (70.5%, 82.4%, 79.2%, 87.5%, 83.3%, 83.3%, 62.5%, 71.0%, 62.0%, 68.0%).

• Mertz opened the campaign with six consecutive performances with a completion percentage above 70.0% (first Gator to ever do so) and has accomplished the feat in eight of 10 games this season.

• Mertz has started all 42 games he has played since 2020, ranking t-sixth among FBS QBs in games played.

• Mertz ranks 18th in the FBS and 15th in the Power Five with a 157.5 passer rating. Mertz is in line to have the highest rating by a UF quarterback since Kyle Trask in 2020, while ranking eighth all-time in single-season program history (second-highest since Tebow in 2009).

• UF 400-yard passing games: Trask (4), Wuerffel (4), Richardson (2), Grossman (2), Bell (1), Dean (1), Kresser (1), D. Johnson (1), E. Jones (1), Tebow (1)*, Mertz (1) *Tebow joined in last career game vs. Cincy on 1/1/2010

• In Week 6 vs. Vanderbilt, Mertz (30-for-36, 83% comp.) joined Tim Tebow (2010 vs. Cincinnati*) as the only Florida quarterback to complete 80.0% of his passes or better on 35 attempts or more since 1996.

• Mertz’s 87.5% comp. pct. in Week 4 is the ninth-best of any FBS quarterback in any game this year.

• In Week 4 vs. McNeese, Mertz’s 87.0% completion percentage (20-for-23) was the highest from a Gators QB .since Kyle Trask’s mark of 90.0% (18-20) against Towson on Sept. 28, 2019 (minimum 20 attempts).

• Mertz finished with 193 yards passing and one touchdown vs. McNeese for a 197.1 passing effieciency - the best by a UF quarterback in the Billy Napier era and the third-highest by a UF QB across the past three seasons.

• In his Gators debut at No. 14 Utah, Mertz became the fourth Florida quarterback in program history with 300 yards passing, 30 completions, and a 70% completion percentage in a game, joining Rex Grossman (2002 vs.Georgia), Tim Tebow (2010 vs. Cincinnati) and Kyle Trask (three times).

- ETIENNE EATING BEHIND JOHNSON JR. -​

• RB Trevor Etienne has led the UF backfield in each of the last two weeks and in Week 11 at LSU became the fifth SEC running back to rush for three touchdowns in a game this season, joining Kentucky’s Ray Davis (vs. Florida), Ole Miss’s Quinshon Judkins (vs. Texas A&M), Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson (vs. Virginia) and
Missouri’s Cody Schrader (vs. LSU).

• In Week 10, Etienne led UF with 80 yards on 12 carries (6.7 YPC) while scoring his 10th career TD (now at 13).

• Etienne has rushed for 179 yards and four touchdowns on 30 carries (6.0 YPC) across the last two weeks.

• Etienne sits fifth in the SEC with 5.9 yards per carry, owning 628 yards on 106 attempts.

• In Week 9, RB Montrell Johnson Jr. led the backfield with nine carries, 82 yards and 9.1 yards per carry as Florida finished with 109 yards rushing vs. Georgia -- the third-most allowed by the Bulldogs this season.

• Johnson Jr. and Etienne have combined for at least one touchdown in 17 of 23 games the last two years, scoring 29 total touchdowns. The duo has combined for 27 total rushing touchdowns in 23 games.

• In Week 6 vs. Vanderbilt, Johnson Jr. rushed 18 times for 135 yards and 7.5 YPC with one score.

• Johnson Jr.’s 26 career rushing TDs rank third among active SEC running backs (Quinshon Judkins, Ray Davis) and are tied for 21st among FBS players. He owns 28 multi-purpose TDs (16 at UF: 14 rushing, two receiving).

• Johnson Jr. is tied for eighth in the SEC (t-seventh among RBs) with 14 rushing touchdowns since 2022.

• Etienne rushed for a career-high 172 yards on a career-high 23 attempts while posting the third 100-yard

rushing game of his career in Week 3 vs. Tennessee, earning numerous national weekly honors.

• Etienne’s 172 rushing yards were the most by a Gator in a single game across the past nine seasons (2015-2023). His performance ranks eighth in UF history across the last 25 seasons (1999-2023).

• Florida posted its 10th 200-yard rushing game since 2022 (second of 2023) in Week 6 vs. Vanderbilt.

• Florida has rushed for 100-plus yards in 18 of their last 23 games dating back to last season (seven in 2023).

- #UFormula -​

• Florida brought in a plethora of experience this past
offseason, adding 13 players via the transfer portal.

• UF’s group of 2023 transfers wields more than 10,000 combined snaps and 123 career starts, helping to fill vital voids at quarterback, offensive line, defensive end and inside linebacker.

• Over 70% of UF’s scholarship players are in their first or
second year at Florida.

• 93% of the 2023 roster was on campus for the offseason, featuring 27 midyear enrollees (17 HS, 10 transfer).

• Staff attrition was minimal during the 2022-23 offseason,
as seven of Florida’s 10 full-time assistants returned.

• Despite last year’s 6-7 record, Florida outscored its
opponents, 384 to 375, including 70-42 off turnovers.

• Florida lost six regular-season games in 2022 by a
combined 61 points.

 

STATE OF THE O-LINE -​

• Florida was named to the Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll on Oct. 17, given to the nation’s top O-Line.

• Florida added three experienced offensive lineman out of the transfer portal this offseason in Micah Mazzccua (Baylor), Lyndell Hudson II (FIU) and Damieon George Jr. (Alabama).

• UF has allowed 47 sacks in 23 games under Billy Napier, which ranks seventh in the SEC (2.0 per game).

• C Jake Slaughter ranks as the No. 21 center in the FBS per PFF (72.8). His 79.7 pass block grade ranks 28th.

• Across the last three seasons (2021-23), Florida has allowed the 21st-fewest sacks in the P5 and second in the
SEC behind Georgia. During that span, the Gators have out-sacked opponents by a plus-16 margin (77-61).

- BACKFIELD+ -​

• UF has three RBs averaging at least 5.1 YPC with at least two rushing TDs (Treyaun Webb, Johnson Jr., Etienne).

• Webb rushed four times for 70 yards (17.5 YPC) in Week 6. He scored his first-career touchdown vs. McNeese in Week 2 – the first Gators true freshman running back to do so since Trevor Etienne vs. Kentucky in 2022.

• Johnson Jr. scored two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) in Week 3, marking his second-straight game with multiple scores and the sixth of his three-year career.

• In their first seasons as Gators, Johnson Jr. (155 carries, 841 yards, 5.4 YPC, 10 TD) and Etienne (118 carries, 718 yards, 6.1 YPC, 6 TD) teamed up to form one of the top backfield duos in the country.

• Florida averaged 5.5 YPC and 200.2 rushing YPG, posted eight 200-yard games and eclipsed 100 yards 12 times.

• As a duo, Johnson Jr. and Etienne averaged 5.7 YPC and 120.0 rushing YPG. They were one of 15 RB duos in the FBS to rush for over 700 yards apiece last season, including one of three duos to do so while each averaging over 5.4 YPC.

• Johnson Jr. is one of nine FBS players with 10-plus rushing TDs and 800 yards rushing each of the last two full seasons.

• Etienne’s ‘22 FBS ranks among true freshmen RBs: YPC (fourth - 6.1), TD (T10th - six), rush yards (eighth - 719).

• Etienne ranked fourth in the FBS among true freshman running backs with 6.1 yards per carry and was one of nine true freshman RBs in the FBS with over 700 rushing yards.

• From 2021-22, 24 FBS RBs surpassed 800-plus yards and 12 RBs eclipsed 10-plus rushing TDs in consecutive years. Johnson Jr. is the only player on either list to accomplish the feats at two different schools.
-

 

• OFFENSIVE GRAB BAG -​

• Over the last four seasons (2020-23), Florida ranks 12th in the P5 and fifth in the SEC with 454.6 yards per game.

• Since 2018, UF ranks ninth in the P5 in passing efficiency (152.9) and 13th in TD-INT ratio (3.04).

• Florida has out-gained its opponents in 23 of 36 games across the past three campaigns (2021-23).

• The Gators have totaled 500-plus yards in four of the last 20 games and in 16 of their last 47 contests.

• In Week 11, the Gators eclipsed 400 yards for the 11th time since the start of 2022 (fourth of 2023). Florida has amassed 400-plus total yards 28 times in its last 46 games including 41 of the last 65 contests.

• With 215 yards vs. Vandy, UF has rushed for over 200 yards 16 times since 2021 including 10 occasions in the Billy Napier era.

• Florida has scored 40 points eight times in 36 games from 2021-23 including four times in the Napier era.

• Florida has scored 30 points 18 times in 36 games from 2021-23 including 12 times in the Napier era.

 

Memorial Stadium/Faurot Face Field
Columbia, MO
61
Line: MIZ -11.5
O/U: 57.5