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Live Updates: Florida Gators vs. Charlotte 49ers 

On3 imageby:Keith Niebuhr•09/23/23•

On3Keith

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© Brianna Paciorka/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Florida Gators hope to keep the foot on the gas Saturday at The Swamp.

One week after disposing of then-No. 11 Tennessee, Billy Napier & Co (2-1 overall, 1-0 in the SEC) play host to Charlotte (1-2) at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. The Gators are 28-point favorites.

This is Charlotte’s second Power 5 opponent this season. The 49ers lost to Maryland in Week 2, 38-20.

Florida, meanwhile, can’t afford to look ahead to next week’s big SEC game against Kentucky.

Can the Gators keep things moving in the right direction Saturday?

We are about to find out.

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SCORE: Florida 22 Charlotte 7

4th quarter

  • The Gators’ defense picked up Caleb Douglas and the offense, forcing a Charlotte punt to start the final quarter of play.
  • This is ugly
Stats in the 4th quarter only (2:22 left on the clock)
  • Trey Smack connects on his fifth field goal of the evening. He’s scored 16 points, outscoring everyone else on the field by three.

Third quarter

  • The Gators receive the ball to start the second half.
  • Florida got off to a good start gaining 165 yards on their first two plays but Graham Mertz was sacked and stripped for his second turnover of the season.
  • Charlotte kicker Kyle Cunanan’s 55-yard kick is no-good.
  • Trey Smack connects on his fourth field goal of the game, this one from 36-yards out.
  • The Gators turned the ball over again. Caleb Douglas fumbled after a reception that would have converted on third down.
  • Florida continues to let Charlotte hang around.

Second Quarter

  • The Gators drive stalled inside the red zone. Trey Smack connected on his second field goal of the game and third of the season from 23-yards out.
  • Trey Smack connected on a 54-yard field goal, his third of the game.
  • After not being able to do much on offense on its first four drives, the 49ers are finding success on their fifth drive of the game. Charlotte gained 75 yards on eight plays and quarterback Jalon Jones rushed for a touchdown to trim the lead.
  • The 49ers’ ensuing kickoff sails out of bounds, so the Gators will get the ball at the Charlotte 35-yard line with 2:30 before halftime.

A tale of two quarters

This is hard to look at

Halftime stats

First Quarter

  • Florida won the toss and has deferred to the second half
  • The Gators defefense forced a three-and-out to start the game
  • The Gators’ offense drove down 95 yards on nine plays in 4:27. Graham Mertz found Arlis Boardingham in the end zone for a touchdown. It is the first touchdown of Boardingham’s young career.
  • Graham Mertz had a 28-yard completion to Ricky Pearsall.
  • Montrell Johnson had an 18-yard rush.
  • After two possessions, Charlotte has a grand total of 8 yards of offense.

Catch of the SEASON!

  • Florida’s second drive of the game went seven plays for 67 yards but stalled. Trey Smack converted a 27-yard field goal to extend the lead to 10-0.
  • The Gators defense continues to be stout. Florida’s defense has held Charlotte to just 30 yards on three drives.

Graham Mertz first quarter

Florida Gators vs. Charlotte 49ers game info

  • Date: Saturday
  • Time: 7 p.m. ET
  • Location: Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
  • Channel: SEC Network+
  • Radio: ESPN Gainesville – WRUF | The Varsity Network | SiriusXM 136 or 201 | SiriusXM App
  • Mobile: ESPN App
  • Gator Walk: Gator Walk is scheduled for 4:40 p.m.

On the call
Play-by-Play: Clay Matvick
Analyst: Aaron Murray

Notes of interest

  • This is the first-ever meeting between Florida and Charlotte.
  • The Florida-Charlotte game is the second-annual Tom Petty Day in The Swamp, as the Gators honor the legendary music icon and Gainesville native.
  • Florida enters the Week 4 matchup ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll for the first time since the week of Sept. 18, 2022.
  • The Gators were ranked inside the AP Top 20 in three consecutive polls last season from Weeks 2-4.
  • A win over Charlotte would give Florida its first winning streak of three games or more since rattling off six-straight SEC victories from Oct. 31 – Dec. 5, 2020 (def. Missouri, Georgia, Arkansas, Vanderbilt, Kentucky, Tennessee).
  • Florida’s last game against an AAC opponent came in the form of a 31-28 win over USF on Sept. 17, 2022.
  • The Gators have won 16 of their last 18 regular-season non-conference games since the start of the 2018 season.

Storylines

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