OGT-Florida Gators at Tennessee Volunteers 10/12/2024 7:00 PM (ESPN)

Florida Gators (3-2, 1-1 SEC)
at
#8 Tennessee Volunteers (4-1, 1-1 SEC)
October 12 // 7 p.m. ET // Knoxville, Tenn.
N e y l a n d S t a d i u m ( 1 0 1 , 9 1 5 )

ESPN
Play-by-Play: Bob Wischusen
Analyst: Louis Riddick
Reporter: Kris Budden
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
Channel: Local Affiliates
SiriusXM Channel: 390

 

TEAM I
FLORIDA
Head Coach: Billy Napier
Career Record: 54-28 (27-5 Sun Belt) [7th season]
Record at UF: 14-16 (7-11 SEC) [3rd season]
Record vs. UT: 1-1
Rankings: NR (AP) / NR (Coaches)
2023 Record: 5-7, 3-5 SEC (T-4th in East)

TENNESSEE
Head Coach: Josh Heupel
Career Record: 59-21 (19-5 AAC) [7th season]
Record at UT: 31-13 (15-11 SEC) [4th season]
Record vs. UF: 1-2
Rankings: 8 (AP) / 9 (Coaches)

SERIES HISTORY​

Overall: Florida leads, 32-21
Last Meeting: Florida 29, No. 11 Tennessee 16
(Sept. 16, 2023 - Gainesville, Fla.)
Recent History: Florida, W1
UF has won 17 of last 19 meetings
In Gainesville: Florida leads, 17-5
In Knoxville: Florida leads, 14-13
Neutral: Tennessee leads, 3-1
2022 Record: 9-4, 4-4 SEC (3rd in East

 

600 / 160​

Florida’s two-QB system features QB Graham Mertz
(61-for-79, 77.2%, 666 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT) and QB
DJ Lagway (38-for-55, 69.1%, 667 yards, 4 TD, 3
INT). Florida has one of two QB rooms in the FBS
with multiple 600-plus yard passers on the season
(along with Texas). Those are also the only two QB
rooms in the country with two qualified passers
with QB ratings over 160 (Lagway: 184.1, Mertz:
163.9). More on Page 3.

 

THE STORYLINE​

• Week 7 marks the 54th all-time meeting between Florida and Tennessee including the 28th matchup in Knoxville.

• The Orange & Blue boasts a 32-21 record in the series featuring victories in 17 of the last 19 matchups.

• The Gators have not lost a home game to the Volunteers since 2003, owning 10-straight home wins in the series.

• Despite falling, 38-33, in the team’s last trip to Knoxville in 2022, Florida is 6-2 in Knoxville since 2006.

• In last year’s meeting, unranked Florida upset No. 11 Tennessee by two scores in The Swamp, 29-16.

• In two games vs. Tennessee under HC Billy Napier, Florida is averaging 31.0 PPG and 471.5 YPG.

• Since 2018 (six games), Florida has outscored Tennessee by 101 points (212-111), equating to a spread of 16.8 PPG.

• Florida has totaled 300-plus yards of offense vs. Tennessee in nine-straight games and in 14 of the last 15 meetings.

• The Gators also have rushed for 100-plus yards in 17 of the last 18 matchups.

• Florida has scored 26-plus points in each of the last nine meetings vs. Tennessee.

• This is the third meeting (1-1) between Napier and UT’s Josh Heupel as head coaches (more on Page 9’s ‘Crossing Paths’).

• The Gators have won back-to-back games vs. Power Four opponents by a combined margin of 28 points (69-41).

• In Week 6 vs. UCF, Florida’s two-QB tandem of Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway finished with a combined completion
percentage above 82% for the second-straight game (23-of-28, 82.1% / 26-for-28, 92.9%, UF single-game record).

• Mertz and Lagway went a combined 49-of-56 passing (87.5%) with four touchdowns and zero interceptions as
Florida posted back-to-back wins in Weeks 4 & 6.

• Mertz and Lagway are one of two FBS QB duos with 600-plus passing yards apiece (the other being Texas).

• Led by first-year senior analyst Joe Houston, Florida ranks fourth in the FBS in net punting (45.59), eighth in punt
return defense (0.50), 14th in punt return average (16.67) and 37th in kick return average (22.86)

• Florida enters Week 7 ranking 15th in the FBS in passer rating (167.3) and 35th in passing offense (268.6).

• C Jake Slaughter grades No. 1 in the FBS in pass blocking (90.2) and No. 15 overall (75.0) out of 281 FBS centers.

• He pairs with Week 4’s SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week in T Austin Barber, who became UF’s first OL to score a
TD in 300 games in the win at Mississippi State, as well as one of two FBS OL to score this season (more on Page 4).

• The Gators have allowed just five sacks on the season, which ranks t-16th in the FBS and t-second in the SEC.

• Florida owns the No. 1 strength of schedule in the country, featuring eight Preseason AP Top-20 opponents.

• Since the 2018 season, Napier is tied for 13th in the FBS with 54 total victories alongside Lane Kiffin and Mike Gundy.
He has more wins than Mario Cristobal (53), Mike Norvell (51), Sonny Dykes (50) and Mark Stoops (50) in that time.

• The Gators have won 15 of their last 21 games in The Swamp (including 10 of 15), but are 3-16 in their last 19 contests
outside The Swamp and 3-12 in their last 15 true road games.

• Florida has scored in 453-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 (TCU, 400-straight games, active streak).

 

- MERTZ & LAGWAY EXCELLING IN TWO-QB SYSTEM -​

• Florida deployed a two-QB system for the third-straight game in Week 6, with QB Graham Mertz handling the first, second, fourth and fifth drives of each half and QB DJ Lagway taking the third and sixth possessions.

• The duo went 23-of-28 (82.0%) for 229 yards and one TD in Week 6 after going 26-for-28 (92.8%) for 277 yards last game at Miss. St. Mertz was 19-of-23 for 179 yards and one TD while Lagway was 4-for-4 for 50 yards.

• There are 17 qualified FBS quarterbacks with at least 600 passing yards, a 69.0% completion percentage and a 160-plus QB rating, with Florida and Texas both claiming two such players on that list (Mertz & Lagway).

• Mertz threw his 30th TD pass as a Gator to complete a 15-play, 75-yard opening drive in the Week 6 win.

• Mertz owns 63 career passing TDs, which ranks 12th among active players (one of 15 in FBS with 60-plus TDs).

• Lagway has not thrown a pick since Week 3: 7-for-7 in Week 4 and 4-for-4 in Week 6 on 11.5 yards per attempt.

• Across his last 10 games dating back to last season, Mertz has thrown for 2,349 passing yards (234.9 YPG), 212
completions, a 71.1% completion percentage, 19 touchdowns and three interceptions.

• Mertz has thrown just four interceptions across his last 432 passes.

• Mertz has started all 47 games he has played since 2020, ranking third among active FBS QBs in that time.

• In Week 4, the duo finished 26-of-28 (92.8%, UF single-game record) for 277 yards.

• Mertz (19-of-21, 201 yards, three TDs) recorded the third-highest completion percentage (90.5%) by a Gator.

• In his first SEC road game, Lagway led two scoring drives starting inside UF’s 10-yard line, becoming the first freshman QB to lead a pair of 90-plus-yard drives in a road SEC tilt since Jalen Hurts in 2016.

• Mertz has posted a completion % above 62.0% with at least one passing touchdown in 14 of his 15 starts at UF.

• Making his first-career start in the Week 2 win over Samford, Lagway passed for the most yards ever (456) by a Florida true freshman quarterback, breaking Chris Leak’s mark of 269 vs. Kentucky in 2003.

• Lagway’s 456 passing yards are the tied for the second-most in the FBS this season and rank ninth all-time at Florida (most since Emory Jones threw for 464 yards vs. Samford on Nov. 13, 2021).

• Lagway completed 18-of-25 passes (72.0%) highlighted by three touchdowns and a 264.8 rating.

• Lagway became Florida’s first true freshman starter at quarterback since Treon Harris in the 2014 Birmingham Bowl (UF’s seventh true freshman starter at quarterback overall).

 

- EXPERIENCED JOHNSON JR. LEADS RUSH ATTACK -​

• Now with four rushing TDs on the season, RB Montrell Johnson Jr. carried the rock 10 times for 54 yards and one TD while tying his career high with six receptions for 24 yards in the Week 6 win.

• Florida has rushed for 356 yards while winning back-to-back P4 games - its best two-game total of 2024.

• Florida has scored a rushing TD in every game this season (four with multiple) for 11 total ground scores.

• Through five games, Johnson Jr. leads Florida with 288 rushing yards on 5.0 yards per carry.

• Johnson Jr. owns 31 career rushing TDs (19 at UF), which is the most of any active SEC rusher.

• He owns 33 multi-purpose TDs (21 at UF: 19 rushing, two receiving).

• In Week 4, UF rushed for a season-high 226 yards, eclipsing 200-plus yards for the first time this season.

• Johnson Jr. ranks 16th in the SEC in rushing YPG, t-eighth in rushing TDs and 18th in yards per carry.

• Johnson Jr. rushed for 100 yards for the ninth time in his career and for seventh time as a Gator in Week 1.

• Johnson Jr. is tied for eighth in the SEC (sixth among RBs) with 19 rushing touchdowns since 2022, including third among active SEC rushers.

• Last season, Johnson Jr. led UF in carries (152) and net rushing yardage (817) for the second-straight year.

• Florida has punched in a rushing touchdown in 12-consecutive games and in 25 of 30 contests since 2022.

 

THE IMPACT OF EUGENE ‘TRE’ WILSON III​

• WR Eugene Wilson III paced UF with a career-high 141 yards on six catches and one touchdown in Week 2.

• Wilson III ranks 36th nationally with 185 yards after the catch despite missing each of the last three games.

• It marked his first-career 100-yard receiving game and his 141 yards came on 136 yards after the catch.

• It was the ninth time in the last 10 games that Wilson caught at least six passes.

• Wilson III’s 85-yard touchdown was Florida’s longest since Mark Thompson’s 85-yarder vs. Iowa in 2017.

• Since Week 4 vs. Vandy in 2023, Wilson III is averaging 6.9 catches and 69.4 YPG with seven TDs (10 games).

• In his last eight games, he has produced 561 yards on 54 catches including six TDs.

• Wilson III led all FBS true freshmen in receptions per game (6.1) in 2023 while ranking second in catches (61), t-second in receiving TDs (six), fourth in receiving YPG (53.8) and seventh in receiving yards (538).

• Wilson III was the first Florida true freshman to eclipse 500 receiving yards since Antonio Callaway in 2015.

• In Week 10 vs. Arkansas, Wilson III became the first true freshman receiver at Florida to record multiple touchdowns in a contest since Riley Cooper recorded three vs. Western Carolina on Nov. 18, 2006.

• Against Georgia in 2023, Wilson III set a UF freshman record with a career-high 11 receptions.

 

- THE 2024 RECEIVING ROOM -​

• Through five games, six different UF wide receivers have caught a TD, which is tied for first in the SEC.

• Eight different Gators have recorded a receiving TD this season, tied for second in the SEC.

• WR Elijah Badger recorded a reception for the 31st-consecutive game in the Week 6 win over UCF, which is tied for 11th-longest streak in the FBS.

• Badger had three catches for 41 yards and caught his second TD as a Gator on UF’s opening drive.

• WR Tank Hawkins set career highs with a team-high seven receptions for 60 yards receiving in Week 6.

• WR Chimere Dike passed 2,500 career all-purpose yards, finishing with four catches and a team-high 88 yards receiving.

• It was Dike’s first time pacing UF in receiving: Eugene Wilson III (2), Badger (2) and WR Marcus Burke (1).

• Badger leads UF with 346 receiving yards (11th in SEC), 69.2 YPG (10th), 20.4 YPC (fifth) and 17 catches (25th).

• Badger (20.4) and Dike (18.5) rank fifth and sixth in the SEC in yards per catch while Wilson III sits in 16th (14.7).

• UF returned four of its top-five receivers in terms of receptions AND yardage in 2024: Wilson III (61 for 538), Boardingham (26 for 289), WR Kahleil Jackson (21 for 251) and RB Montrell Johnson Jr. (30 for 236).

• Three of the four to catch multiple TDs last year were freshmen: Wilson III (6), Boardingham (4) and Hansen (2).

• Florida had two 100-yard receivers vs. Samford in Wilson III (6 catches, 141 yards) and Badger (3 catches, 123 yards) for the first time since Nov. 19, 2022 at Vanderbilt (Daejon Reynolds & Justin Shorter).

• In Week 2, WR Tank Hawkins became the first UF true freshman to catch a TD pass for his first-career reception since Caleb Douglas vs. Eastern Washington in 2022

 

- BOLSTERING THE BACKFIELD -​

• Florida has rushed for 100-plus yards in four of five games this season and 24 of 30 contests since 2022.

• RB Ja’Kobi Jackson scored a rushing TD for the third-straight game in Week 6 – the first-three of his career.

• RB Jadan Baugh and RB KD Daniels made collegiate debuts in Week 1 and RB Treyaun Webb scored his third-career TD.

• Acting as Johnson Jr.’s primary backup, sophomore Webb rushed 26 times for 163 yards and one touchdown in 2023 while pacing UF with 6.3 yards per carry. He also added four catches for 18 yards.

• Webb is one of seven FBS sophomore running backs to post over 6.2 YPC on at least 25 carries last season.

• True freshman RBs Baugh (No. 342 recruit per On3) and Daniels (No. 168 recruit per On3), along with Coahoma CC transfer Jackson, slot in on the depth chart behind Webb.

• Jackson started nine games at CCC in 2022, leading the team in rushing yards (661), TDs (7) and YPG (73.4)

 

- SLAUGHTER HIGHLIGHTS IMPROVING O-LINE -​

• In Week 6, Florida did not allow a sack for the third time in five games this season.

• The Gators have allowed just five sacks on the season, which ranks t-16th in the FBS and t-second in the SEC.

• On the Preseason Rimington Trophy Watch List, C Jake Slaughter rated as the No. 9 center in the FBS last year.

• This season, Slaughter ranks 15th out of 287 FBS centers through Week 6 with a 75.0 grade.

• Slaughter leads ALL FBS centers with a 90.2 pass block grade this season.

• Slaughter has allowed one QB pressure across 300 snaps so far in 2024 (10 in 897 career snaps).

• Slaughter allowed two sacks in the 2023 season opener at Utah, but has not allowed a single sack since then.
He allowed just two QB hits all year long, both of which came in the final two weeks of the year.

• In Week 4, OL Austin Barber became UF’s first OL to score a TD in 300 games (Thomas Moody vs. South Carolina on Nov. 11, 2000). He is one of two FBS OL to score this season (Brandon Henderson, Illinois).

• Florida has allowed 61 sacks in 30 games under HC Billy Napier, which ranks sixth-lowest in the SEC.

• Across the last four seasons (2021-24), Florida’s 75 sacks allowed are the t-33rd-fewest in the FBS and fourth-least in the SEC. During that span, the Gators have out-sacked opponents by a plus-20 margin (95-75

 

- OFFENSIVE GRAB BAG -​

• Over the last five seasons (2020-24), Florida ranks 13th in the P5 and sixth in the SEC with 447.4 YPG.

• Since 2018, UF ranks eighth in the P5 in passing efficiency (153.4) and 14th in TD-INT ratio (2.87).

• The Gators have totaled 500-plus yards in seven of the last 27 games and in 19 of their last 54 contests.

• In Week 4 at MSU, the Gators eclipsed 400 yards for the 14th time since the start of 2022 (first of 2024).

• Florida has amassed 400-plus total yards 31 times in its last 52 games including 44 of the last 71 contests.

• With 226 yards at MSU, UF rushed for 200 yards 18 times since 2021 including 12 occasions in the Napier era.
• Florida has scored 40 points 10 times in 43 games from 2021-24 including six times in the Napier era.

• Florida has scored 30 points 21 times in 43 games from 2021-24 including 15 times in the Napier era