OGT-Arkansas @ Florida 11/4/2023 ESPN2 12:00 pm

Nov 4 (Sat) 12 p.m.
SEC Florida
vs
Arkansas

Saluting Those Who Serve presented by Vystar Credit Union
Gainesville, Fla. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium


ESPN 2
Play-by-Play: Roy Philpott
Analyst: Roddy Jones
Reporter: Taylor McGregor
Channel (Cox): 27 [HD]
Channel (DirecTV): 200 [HD]

Gator IMG Sports Network
Play-by-Play: Sean Kelley
Analyst: Shane Matthews
Reporter: Tate Casey
Station Freq.: Local Affiliates
Sirius Channel: 134 or 191

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Gator Walk Access Pass - Arkansas
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Help The Equipment Staff Prep for Game Day - Arkansas
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Pregame Sideline Pass (North) - Arkansas
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Watch The Team Take The Field From Inside The Tunnel - Arkansas
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Sing and Sway on the Field at the End of the Third Quarter - Arkansas
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Postgame Field Pass - Arkansas
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Florida vs Arkansas Game Program - Publications

 

TEAM INFORMATION​

FLORIDA
Head Coach: Billy Napier
Career Record: 51-22 (27-5 Sun Belt) [5th season]
Record at UF: 11-10 (6-7 SEC) [2nd season]
Record vs. ARK: 0-0
Rankings: NR (AP) / NR (Coaches)
2022 Record: 6-7, 3-5 SEC (T-4th in East)

ARKANSAS
Head Coach: Sam Pittman
Career Record: 21-23 (10-21 SEC) [4th season]
Record at Ark.: Same
Record vs. UF: 0-1
Rankings: NR (AP) / NR (Coaches)
2022 Record: 7-6, 3-5 SEC (5th in West

2022 Record: 7-6, 3-5 SEC (5th in West)

SERIES HISTORY​

Overall: Florida leads, 10-2
Last Meeting: No. 6 Florida 63, Arkansas 35
(Nov. 14, 2020 - Gainesville, Fla.)
Recent History: Florida, W1
UF has won 10 of 11 since ‘95
In Gainesville: Florida leads, 5-0
In Fayetteville: Florida leads, 3-1
In Gainesville: Florida leads, 5-0
In Fayetteville: Florida leads, 3-1
At Neutral Sites: Florida leads, 2-1

 

NUMBERS OF NOTE​

119 / 242 QB Graham Mertz has not thrown an interception
in his last 119 pass attempts and has been picked off just once in his last 242 attempts. Mertz’s 119 passes without an interception rank sixth all-time at Florida. He needs two more attempts to tie Tim
Tebow (2009) for fifth.

 

THE STORYLINE​

• Week 10 marks the 13th all-time meeting between Florida and Arkansas including the sixth in Gainesville.

• The Gators wield a 10-2 series edge and are undefeated vs. the Razorbacks in five meetings inside The Swamp.

• In those five meetings in The Swamp, Florida has outscored Arkansas by 115 points (23.0 PPG), 217-102.

• Florida has won 10 of the last 11 meetings dating back to 1995. The two teams last met in 2020, with Florida posting a 63-35 home win. The Gators totaled 593 yards thanks to 356 yards passing and six touchdowns from QB Kyle Trask.

• The Gators will honor members of the armed forces, veterans and local first responders in style as part of this year’s
‘Saluting Those Who Serve’ game, presented by VyStar Credit Union, by wearing alternate black uniforms for the first time in school history.

• This is Florida’s first game on ESPN2 since Nov. 4, 2017 at Missouri (L, 45-16).

• It has been over eight years since the Gators last won a game on ESPN2 (Sept. 12, 2015 vs. East Carolina - W, 31-24).

• The Gators have won 13 of their last 15 games in The Swamp (including eight of nine), but are 2-14 in their last 16 contests outside The Swamp and 2-10 in their last 12 true road games.

• Dating back to the 2018 season, HC Billy Napier ranks 10th in the FBS with 51 total victories, trailing only Nick Saban (68), Kirby Smart (67), Dabo Swinney (63), Brian Kelly (60), Lincoln Riley (60), Luke Fickell (57), Jim Harbaugh (53) and Ryan Day (53) and Josh Heupel (52). He has more wins than Kirk Ferentz, James Franklin, Kyle Whittingham, Sonny Dykes, Mike Gundy, Mark Stoops, Mario Cristobal and Mike Norvell in that time, among others.

• UF has scored in 30 straight trips to the red zone (23 TD, 7 FG), ranking t-11th in the FBS with a 93.9% conversion rate.

• QB Graham Mertz has completed 75.9% of his passes (195-for-257), which leads the SEC and ranks third nationally
behind Oregon’s Bo Nix (78.3%) and Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy (78.1%).

• Mertz has thrown multiple touchdown passes in four-straight games including notching his first-career 400-yard passing game in Week 7, throwing for 423 yards and three touchdowns at South Carolina.

• WR Ricky Pearsall had six grabs for 99 yards in Week 9 to set career highs in receiving yards (718) and receptions (50).

• In year one under DC Austin Armstrong, Florida ranks sixth in the SEC, 24th in the P5 and 34th in the FBS in total defense with 334.0 yards allowed per game. Through eighth games last year, UF had allowed 429.3 yards per game.

• Florida boasts the fifth-best passing defense in the SEC (203.5), ranking 35th in the FBS and 20th in the P5.

• The Gators have limited teams to 22.9 points per game (t-50th in FBS), a six-point improvement from 2022 (28.9).

• Conversely, Arkansas ranks 122nd nationally and last in the SEC in total offense (305.9), 105th (13th in SEC) in passing offense (196.9) and 114th in rushing offense (109.0). Arkansas is averaging 26.5 points per game (73rd in FBS).

• Florida boasts a 359-113-13 (.753) all-time record at The Swamp, holding the second-highest home-winning percent age in the nation since 1990 with a 178-34 (.840) record.
» The Gators have outscored opponents, 7,966 to 3,413 in 212 games inside The Swamp, putting the average outcome at 37.6 to 16.1 (21.5 points).

• Florida has scored in 444-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 OPENING DRIVE (WEEK 9 vs. GEORGIA) -​

• WR Eugene Wilson III set a UF freshman record with a career-high 11 receptions, breaking the tie held between himself, Jabar Gaffney and Reidel Anthony with eight apiece. He finished with 75 yards and one touchdown.

• Florida scored on its opening drive on a 25-yard touchdown pass from Mertz to Wilson III, signifying UF’s first opening-drive score against Georgia since 2009.

• DE Princley Umanmielen set a career-high with nine tackles (six solo) and also notched a team-high 1.5 TFL.

THE GRAHAM MERTZ FILES​

• QB Graham Mertz leads the SEC with a 75.9% completion percentage entering Week 10, ranking third in the FBS.

• Across the last three weeks, Florida has gone 2-1 vs. SEC opponents and Mertz has combined for 907 passing yards (302.3 YPG), 85 completions, a 72.0% completion percentage, eight touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

• Mertz has now opened his UF career with eight straight games completing at least 62.0% of his passes and one passing touchdown (70.5%, 82.4%, 79.2%, 87.0%, 83.3%, 83.3%, 62.5%, 71.0%).

• 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 seven of eight games this season.

• Mertz has started all 40 games he has played since 2020, ranking fifth among FBS quarterbacks in games played.

• Mertz ranks 17th in the FBS and 12th in the Power Five with a 161.8 passer rating. He has reached 150.0 in seven straight games and has four performances above 165.0 in eight games this season.

• 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

• Mertz’s 163.0 rating is in line to be the highest 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).

• Mertz has thrown a touchdown pass in 23 of his last 26 games including all eight starts as a Gator.

• He has thrown multiple touchdown passes in four straight games.

• 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 87.0% comp. pct. in Week 4 was 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 efficiency - the best by a Florida 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).

• Mertz entered 2023 with more career games, starts, completions, attempts, yards, and touchdowns than six other SEC quarterback rooms: Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Missouri and Vanderbilt.

 

REVIEWING THE RUN GAME​

• 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.

• 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 touchdowns are the most of any current SEC running back and are tied for 14th among active FBS players. He owns 28 multi-purpose touchdowns (16 at UF: 14 rushing, two receiving).

• Johnson Jr. is tied for sixth in the SEC (t-fifth among running backs) with 14 rushing touchdowns since 2022.

• Johnson Jr. finished with 160 scrimmage yards on 21 touches and forced nine missed tackles in Week 6.

• RB Trevor Etienne sits fifth in the SEC with 5.9 yards per carry, owning 449 yards on 76 attempts.

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

• Etienne’s 172 rushing yards is the third-highest total of any SEC player this season, ranking 12th in the P5.

• Johnson Jr. and Etienne have combined for at least one touchdown in 15 of 21 games the last two years, scoring 25 total touchdowns. The duo has combined for 23 total rushing touchdowns in 21 games.

• 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 14 of their last 21 games dating back to last season (five 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.

 

YOUNG BREAKOUTS COMPLIMENT PEARSALL ​

• WR Ricky Pearsall has paced Florida in receiving yards in six of eight games this year. He led with 99 yards on six catches in Week 9 and set career highs in Week 7 at SC with 10 catches and 166 yards en route to his fifth-career 100-yard contest (fourth at UF). That equates to 265 yards and 16 grabs in the last two games.

• TE Arlis Boardingham led UF receivers with a career-high 99 yards in Week 6 vs. Vanderbilt while WR Eugene Wilson III paced pass-catchers in Week 3 vs. No. 11 Tennessee with 44 yards on six grabs.

• Wilson III led the team with a UF freshman-record 11 catches for 75 yards and one touchdown in Week 9.

• WR Kahleil Jackson set a career-high in receiving yards (52) and caught his first-ever touchdown in Week 7.

• Pearsall has surpassed 90 yards receiving five times and six-plus grabs in six contests this season.

• Pearsall has recorded a reception in 36-consecutive games, the seventh-longest streak in the FBS.

• Of Pearsall’s 83 catches at Florida, 60 (72.3%) have been for first downs (27 of 33 in 2022; 33 of 50 in 2023).

• Pearsall ranks t-22nd in the FBS, t-10th in P5 and third in the SEC with 50 receptions and fifth in the SEC (11th in P5) with 89.8 receiving yards per game.

• Wilson III paced UF receivers with a career-high eight catches in Week 6 while also catching his first career touchdown and totaling a career-high 64 yards receiving.

• As a true freshman, Wilson ranks second on the roster behind Pearsall in yards (326) and receptions (37).

• Boardingham (RS freshman) ranks third on the team in yards (219) and fourth in receptions (19).

• True freshman WR Andy Jean was the 17th UF player to catch a pass in 2023. Florida saw 18 players catch a pass all of last year, the team’s most since having 21 players do so in 2018.

• In Week 2, Wilson III became the first Gators true freshman wide receiver to start a home opener since Antonio Callaway in 2015 vs. New Mexico State.

• Pearsall ranked fourth in the FBS with 20.0 yards per catch in 2022 - which ranked third in program history.

• Pearsall was one of six FBS players with 110-plus rushing yards and 650-plus receiving yards last year.

 

BACKFIELD​

• UF has three RBs averaging at least 5.5 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 school.

 

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 40 sacks in 21 games under Billy Napier, which is tied for fourth in the SEC (1.9 per game).

• C Jake Slaughter ranks as the No. 14 center in the FBS per PFF (75.5). His 80.7 pass block grade ranks 18th.

• Across the last three seasons (2021-23), Florida is tied for the 17th-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 (70-54).

 

OFFENSIVE GRAB BAG​

• Over the last four seasons (2020-23), Florida ranks 11th in the P5 and fourth in the SEC with 455.2 yards per game.

• Since 2018, UF ranks eighth in the P5 in passing efficiency (153.2) and 14th in TD-INT ratio (2.96).

• Florida has out-gained its opponents in 23 of 34 games across the past three campaigns (2021-23).

• The Gators have totaled 500-plus yards in four of the last 18 games and in 16 of their last 45 contests.

• In Week 7, the Gators eclipsed 400 yards for the 10th time since the start of 2022 (third of 2023). Florida has amassed 400-plus total yards 27 times in its last 44 games including 40 of the last 63 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 34 games from 2021-23 including four times in the Napier era.

• Florida has scored 30 points 16 times in 34 games from 2021-23 including 10 times in the Napier era

 

YOUNG BREAKOUTS COMPLIMENT PEARSALL​

• WR Ricky Pearsall has paced Florida in receiving yards in six of eight games this year. He led with 99 yards on six catches in Week 9 and set career highs in Week 7 at SC with 10 catches and 166 yards en route to his fifth-career 100-yard contest (fourth at UF). That equates to 265 yards and 16 grabs in the last two games.

• TE Arlis Boardingham led UF receivers with a career-high 99 yards in Week 6 vs. Vanderbilt while WR Eugene Wilson III paced pass-catchers in Week 3 vs. No. 11 Tennessee with 44 yards on six grabs.

• Wilson III led the team with a UF freshman-record 11 catches for 75 yards and one touchdown in Week 9.

• WR Kahleil Jackson set a career high in receiving yards (52) and caught his first-ever touchdown in Week 7.
• Pearsall has surpassed 90 yards receiving five times and six-plus grabs in six contests this season.

• Pearsall has recorded a reception in 36-consecutive games, the seventh-longest streak in the FBS.

• Of Pearsall’s 83 catches at Florida, 60 (72.3%) have been for first downs (27 of 33 in 2022; 33 of 50 in 2023).

• Pearsall ranks t-22nd in the FBS, t-10th in P5 and third in the SEC with 50 receptions and fifth in the SEC (11th in P5) with 89.8 receiving yards per game.

• Wilson III paced UF receivers with a career-high eight catches in Week 6 while also catching his first career touchdown and totaling a career-high 64 yards receiving.

• As a true freshman, Wilson ranks second on the roster behind Pearsall in yards (326) and receptions (37).

• Boardingham (RS freshman) ranks third on the team in yards (219) and fourth in receptions (19).

• True freshman WR Andy Jean was the 17th UF player to catch a pass in 2023. Florida saw 18 players catch a pass all of last year, the team’s most since having 21 players do so in 2018.

• In Week 2, Wilson III became the first Gators true freshman wide receiver to start a home opener since Antonio Callaway in 2015 vs. New Mexico State.

• Pearsall ranked fourth in the FBS with 20.0 yards per catch in 2022 - which ranked third in program history.

• Pearsall was one of six FBS players with 110-plus rushing yards and 650-plus receiving yards last year.