GAINESVILLE, FL (352today.com) – Football season has returned and in just a little over 24 hours, thousands of fans will fill the seats of the Swamp to cheer on their team at home in Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
The Gators are set to face McNeese State University at 7:30 p.m. for their first home game of the season. Both teams will be hungry to win with the Gators coming off a loss to Utah 24-11 last Thursday, and McNeese State losing by 18 points to Tarleton State.
“We’ve got to continue to try and improve. We’re either getting better or we’re getting worse. We’re either going forwards or we’re going backwards,” said Gators head coach Billy Napier in a news conference on Wednesday, Sept. 6.
Napier says discipline has been a huge factor in response to their loss against Utah and preparing for Saturday’s game. He acknowledged that it is the first time they are playing at home with this group of players, which means new methods for the team. He says it is important they focus on what they can control and playing clean football.
For his first start, junior quarterback Graham Mertz threw for 333 yards, and senior receiver Ricky Pearsall had 8 catches totaling 92 yards. In the fourth quarter, Mertz was able to connect with sophomore receiver Caleb Douglas for a touchdown, and then was successful at completing a pass to freshman running back Eugene Wilson who was able to get in the end-zone for the 2-point conversion. With only 3 points on the board from a field goal in first quarter, this put the Gators at 11 points. However, it did not enable them to secure the win over the Utes.
Despite Florida’s loss, they are excited to be back in the Swamp, under the lights, and are ready to put on their best for Gator nation. Napier added how special home games are and says having the opportunity to play a night game is unique.
“Football success here, the culture, the tradition, the history here has meant a lot to this university. There’s been a lot of great memories made in that stadium on Saturdays at night. So we’re hopeful that we can continue to improve and play our best football of the year Saturday night,” said Napier.
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If you are attending the game this Saturday, you are encouraged to wear white. If you cannot make it, you can catch the game on ESPNU.