OGT: FLORIDA at Texas -- November 9, 2024 -- 12 Noon (EST) [ABC]

Our second OGT in-a-row without GatorGrowl who is still recovering . . . so this will have to do. Get better soon. We miss you!

 

Florida Gators (4-4, 2-3 SEC) vs #5 Texas Longhorns (7-1, 3-1 SEC)

November 9 // 12 p.m. ET // Austin, Tex. Darrel K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium (100,119)

ABC
Play-by-Play: Joe Tessitore
Analyst: Jesse Palmer
Reporter: Katie George

* * * * * * * * * *

SERIES HISTORY

Overall: Texas Leads, 2-0-1
Last Meeting: Texas 26, Florida 0 (Dec. 7, 1940 - Gainesville, Fla.)
Recent History: Texas, W2
In Gainesville: Texas leads, 1-0
In Austin: Texas leads, 1-0-1 3

NUMBERS OF NOTE

4.8 / 88.2 / 53.5 / 66.7
Since Florida’s Week 5 bye, the Gators are allowing 4.8 fewer points per game (22.5) and 88.2 fewer yards per game (337.3). The UF defense has improved by surrendering 53.5 less rushing yards per game (135.3) and 66.7 less passing yards per game in the span. Florida also has eight interceptions in the last four games after registering just one pick in the first four contests of the campaign. The Gators have multiple takeaways in three-straight games for the first time since 2019.


THE STORYLINE:

• Week 11 marks the fourth meeting between Florida and Texas and the first in 84 years (since 1940).
• This is the third-ever matchup between the Gators and Longhorns in Austin, with Texas leading at 1-0-1.
• The first meeting between the two programs was a 7-7 tie in Austin over 100 years ago on Oct. 25, 1924.
• Florida and Texas faced off in consecutive seasons in 1939 in Austin (UT 12, UF 0) and 1940 in Gainesville (UT 26, UF 0).
• Having coached together at Alabama in 2016, this is the second meeting between HC Billy Napier and Texas’ Steve Sarkisian as head coaches. Sark’s Longhorns defeated Napier’s Louisiana, 38-18, in the 2021 opener (more on Page 9).
• Florida is the only four-loss team in the nation with a perfect record vs. teams ranked outside the current AP Top 10.
• In the Week 8 win over UK, Florida started a true freshman at both quarterback (DJ Lagway) and running back (Jadan Baugh) for the first team in program history, and is one of two FBS programs to do so this season (Stanford).
• Among quarterbacks with at least 90 pass attempts this season, Lagway (second, 10th - 169.3) and QB Graham Mertz (fourth, 15th - 164.1) both rank top-five in the SEC and top-15 nationally in passer rating.
• Florida is one of three teams in the country with two qualified receivers averaging 18.0 yards per catch in WR Elijhah Badger (second - 23.3) and WR Chimere Dike (25th - 18.6), with the others being Ole Miss and TCU.
• Since the team’s Week 5 bye, Florida is allowing just 22.5 points per game and 135.3 rushing yards per game.
• The Gators have logged multiple takeaways in three-straight games for the first time since delivering a four-week stretch during the 2019 campaign (Sept. 14-Oct. 5, 2019), with six in the last two games alone for nine on the season.
• The UF defense has posted three interceptions in back-to-back games for the first time since Sept. 14, 2019 vs. Kentucky (three) and Sept. 21, 2019 vs. Tennessee (three).
• Led by first-year senior analyst Joe Houston, Florida ranks third in the FBS in net punting (45.09), eighth in punt return average (17.33) and 46th in kick return average (21.33), and has been inside the top-13 all season in ESPN’s SP+ metric.
• Florida enters Week 11 ranking sixth in the SEC and 27th in the FBS in passer rating (150.5).
• C Jake Slaughter grades as the No. 6 center in the FBS (78.1) highlighted by the eighth-best pass block grade (85.7).
• The Gators have allowed just 12 sacks on the season, which ranks fourth-least in the SEC and t-42nd nationally.
• Since the 2018 season, Napier is tied for 15th in the FBS with 55 total wins, ahead of Mike Gundy (54), Mike Norvell (51), Sonny Dykes (51) and Mark Stoops (50) in that time.
• The Gators have won 16 of their last 22 games in The Swamp (including 11 of 16), but are 3-18 in their last 21 contests outside The Swamp and 3-13 in their last 16 true road games.

 

NEW BELLCOWS BE BAUGHLIN'

• Leading the backfield in carries for the second time in as many weeks, true freshman RB Jadan Baugh rushed 17 times for 64 yards in Week 10 vs. Georgia after a record-setting performance in Week 8.
• Baugh grades as the 14th-best FBS running back in pass blocking per PFF with an 82.6 grade.
• Baugh rushed 39 times for 170 yards in the last two games, with 107 of those yards after contact (62.9%).
• On the season, 217 of Baugh’s 323 rushing yards have come after contact (67.2%).
• Making his first-career start in Week 8 vs. Kentucky, Baugh scored the first-five rushing TDs of his career and finished with 22 carries for 106 yards (first-career 100-yard game) to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors.
• Baugh’s five rushing TDs are tied for the most in a game in program history (Trey Burton vs. UK in 2010, Tim Tebow vs. South Carolina in 2007) and are the most ever by a Gator in his first-career start.
• Baugh became the first UF true freshman with at least three rushing TDs in a game since QB Trey Burton also had five vs. Kentucky on Sept. 25, 2010 (five ties true freshman record).
• Baugh is the first UF true freshman running back with multiple rushing TDs in a game since Malik Davis on Sept. 30, 2017 vs. Vanderbilt (two).
• Florida has rushed for 806 combined yards vs. MSU, UCF, TENN, UK and UGA the past five games (161.2 YPG).
• In his first start, RB Ja’Kobi Jackson rushed 12 times for 74 yards (6.2 YPC) and his fourth TD in Week 10.
• Jackson scored the first three rushing TDs of his career in three-straight games vs. Texas A&M, Mississippi State and UCF.
• RB Treyaun Webb is one of seven FBS sophomore RBs to post over 6.2 YPC on at least 25 carries last season.
• Florida has rushed for 100-plus yards in seven of eight games this season and 27 of 33 contests since 2022.
• Florida has scored a rushing TD in seven of eight games this season, and 27 of 33 games in the Napier era

 

TRIPLE THREAT IN THE RECEIVING ROOM:

• The trio of receivers Elijhah Badger, Chimere Dike and Eugene Wilson III is perhaps the best in the SEC.
• All three Gators are averaging over 53.0 yards per game and 14.0 yards per reception.
• Badger leads the SEC and is second in the FBS with 23.3 YPC, pacing UF with 560 yards (10th in SEC) and 24 grabs.
• Dike (18.6) ranks seventh in the SEC and 25th in the FBS in YPC while Wilson III (14.0) is t-24th in the SEC.
• Florida is one of three teams in the country with two qualified receivers averaging 18.0 yards per catch.
• Badger ranks t-eighth in the SEC with 70.0 receiving YPG while Dike ranks 18th with 53.5 YPG.
• Florida is one of five SEC teams with multiple wide receivers averaging over 50.0 YPG.
• After going for 40 yards in Week 8, Wilson III passed 800 career receiving yards.
• WR Aidan Mizell’s 43-yard TD grab marked the longest reception of his career as well as his second-career TD, as both have come this season on 40-plus yard catches.
• Mizell finished with four receptions and a career-high 66 yards.
• Badger’s 10-yard reception from Warner in the third quarter extended his streak to 34-straight games with a catch (12th-longest active streak in FBS).
• Badger reached 100 yards receiving for the second time this season (sixth of career), finishing with three catches for a career-high 148 yards (49.3 YPC) in the Week 8 win over Kentucky.
• Each of Badger’s three grabs against Kentucky went for 40-plus yards (50, 58, 40).
• In Week 7 at UT, Dike led UF in receiving yards (76) for the second-straight week (88 vs. UCF).
• Badger, Dike, Boardingham and Mizell are all tied for the team lead in receiving TDs with two.
• 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).

 

SLAUGHTER HIGHLIGHTS AN IMPROVING O-LINE:

• Florida has not allowed a sack in three of its eight games this season.
• The Gators have allowed just 12 sacks on the season, which ranks fourth in the SEC and t-41st nationally.
• 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 sixth among FBS centers through Week 10 with a 78.1 grade.
• Slaughter sits eighth among FBS centers with an 85.7pass block grade this season.
• Slaughter has only allowed four QB pressures across 493 snaps so far in 2024 (13 in 1,090 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 68 sacks in 33 games under HC Billy Napier, ranking sixth-lowest in the SEC.
• Across the last four seasons (2021-24), Florida’s 82 sacks allowed are the 37th-fewest in the FBS and fifthleast in the SEC. During that span, the Gators have out-sacked opponents by a plus-18 margin (100-82).

 

We may see Montrell back some this Saturday . . .

MONTRELL JOHNSON, JR'S STELLAR CAREER:

• Owning four rushing TDs, 373 rushing yards, 62.2 yards per game and 5.3 yards per carry on the season, RB Montrell Johnson Jr. exited in the second half of the Week 7 loss before missing Weeks 8 & 10 due to injury.
• Johnson Jr. ranks 11th in the SEC in rushing YPG and 14th in yards per carry.
• Johnson Jr. owns 31 career rushing TDs (19 at UF), which is the most of any active SEC rusher.
• He has totaled 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. 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 10th in the SEC (eighth among RBs) with 19 rushing touchdowns since 2022, including t-fourth among active SEC rushers.

 

YOUTH & NEW FACES MAKE UP FLORIDA D:

• A mixture of second-year players, highly-touted true freshmen and transfers make up the 2024 UF defense.
• Oregon transfer DB Trikweze Bridges leads the team in tackles with 42 (15 solo) to carry a stat line of two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, one interception and 0.5 tackles-for-loss.
» Against No. 2 Georgia, he led the team in tackles for the second-straight game with eight (four solo) with a 0.5 tackle-for-loss and even lined up a corner for multiple snaps due to injuries in the game.
» He started the last three games at safety, posting 0.5 TFLs at Tennessee to help force back-to-back punts.
» Against UK, Bridges set a career-high in tackles with 11 (six solo) along with a forced fumble and interception.
• The sophomore trio LB Grayson Howard (37) DB Jordan Castell (36) and LB Jaden Robinson (35) rank three-five in tackles.
• According to PFF, Howard(87.5) and Robinson (87.2) own UF’s top tackling grades, ranking them fourth and fifth among SEC linebackers. The two have only missed one tackle each and have combined for 31 stops.
• Through eight games, 14 players have made their first starts at UF while seven made their first collegiate starts: DB Sharif Denson, DB Aaron Gates, ILB Grayson Howard, DB Ja’Keem Jackson, EDGE Kamran James, DB Dijon Johnson and EDGE T.J. Searcy.
• Of 88 starting opportunities on defense this year, a combined 52 have been from underclassmen (35) and transfers (17).
• Gumbs Jr. is tied for the team-high in tackles-for-loss with 5.0 (-28 yards) and is second in sacks with 3.0 (-21 yards).
» He had a career and team-best 1.5 sacks with both sacks coming on third downs against UCF.
» This is just his second season on defense after three seasons at Northern Illinois; 1 at WR, 1 at TE and 1 at DE.
• Through six games and just 90 defensive snaps, true freshman EDGE LJ McCray has a team-high four QB hurries, eight tackles, 1.0 tackle-for-loss, 0.5 sacks and led a goal-line stand at MSU in the fourth quarter.
• Freshman LB Myles Graham made his first-career sack vs. Georgia, which was 10-yard loss on 3rd & 2 in the 4th quarter.
• Colorado transfer DB Cormani McClain made his UF debut vs. Kentucky and had pick-six of 29 yards and a pass breakup in the endzone. Against No. 2 Georgia, he had four tackles (three solo) and 0.5 tackle-for-loss.