Florida is hoping this season becomes a repeat of last year at this point.
The Gators (2-4, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) will host Mississippi State (4-2, 0-2) on Saturday in Gainesville, Fla., and attempt to get their season turned around like they did in 2024.
This campaign has become even more disappointing for coach Billy Napier, however.
Florida and Mississippi State have conference commonality: Each lost its last time out at Texas A&M, which moved up to No. 4 in the latest AP Top 25 poll.
The Gators fell 34-17 Saturday night, starting well before wilting as the game played out and being outscored 20-3 over the final three quarters.
Defensively, the Aggies limited the Gators to 319 yards and 1-for-10 on third-down conversions.
“We’re close,” said Napier, desperately seeking a turnaround as his critics get louder. “I think we’re getting better on offense, and I think the defense has played really tough and hard the entire way.”
DJ Lagway threw for 245 yards and two touchdowns in that game.
Last year, Florida was 3-3 but rallied to end with consecutive victories over No. 22 LSU, No. 9 Ole Miss and rival Florida State to conclude a 7-5 regular season.
This season’s second half features matchups against No. 9 Georgia, No. 5 Ole Miss, No. 11 Tennessee and the improved Seminoles, who have rebounded after last year’s 2-10 disaster.
Under second-year coach Jeff Lebby, the Bulldogs also would fall into that improved category after going 2-10 themselves in 2024.
However, after a 4-0 start filled with non-conference games, they have dropped SEC contests against Tennessee and the Aggies.
Pass protection has been a problem, leading to 16 sacks surrendered in six games, tied for 112th nationally.
“There’s not going to be these new, perfect, crazy schemes that all of a sudden give us the ability to go hold the ball for five seconds,” Lebby stated. “It’s fundamentally playing cleaner, having great confidence in our fundamentals, and then being able to go execute that way.”
Lebby added that top running back Fluff Bothwell and safety Isaac Smith were “not a full go” Monday, but top wide receiver Brenen Thompson was “in a great spot physically.”
