Bio Blast: Florida Gators

Welcome to a big football game week, Big Blue Nation. On Saturday night in The Swamp, Kentucky will face Florida as each SEC East program looks to make an early season statement in a fight for a division title. Despite this being just Week 2, the upcoming tilt will have stakes.

KSR’s football department will be here throughout the week and then on location in Gainesville on Saturday to provide coverage of this huge game. For now, it’s time to start doing some digging into the personnel and learn more about Billy Napier’s first Florida team that just recorded a significant one-possession home win over Utah to start the season.

Let’s dive into the Gators.

Special talent at quarterback

For the second week in a row, the best player on the opposing offense is at the quarterback position. Kentucky did a very good job defending Brett Gabbert and that helped slow down the Miami (Ohio) offense, but Florida’s Anthony Richardson brings on a whole new set of challenges.

The redshirt sophomore out of Gainesville (Fla.) Eastside flashed his intriguing multi-dimensional skillset last year, but Dan Mullen refused to play the young quarterback over veteran Emory Jones. New head coach Billy Napier has handed Richardson the keys as the primary play-caller, and the NFL prospect delivered big-time on Saturday.

The dual-threat quarterback threw for 168 yards on 24 attempts in the win with a high passing success rate (58.3%) and zero sacks taken. On the ground, the 232-pound quarterback was a difference-maker with 106 yards on 11 attempts with three touchdowns on an outstanding rushing success rate (72.7%). Richardson was the best player on the field in a huge win for the Gators.

There will be a lot of buzz for Richardson this week. Kentucky faces a stiff challenge and must have a better plan for him than Utah did as he gave the Gators supreme efficiency throughout the game with just enough explosive plays to log a win.

Star power on defense

As Napier took over in Gainesville, the coaching staff inherited a talented roster, but it was one with more than a few holes. Most notably there is a lack of depth at multiple positions — wide receiver, tight end, and defensive line. Any injury that occurs to those positions could be crippling to the Gators this season.

On defense, that line of scrimmage depth will be tested as Florida goes through the rigors of an SEC schedule. Luckily, the Gators have some defensive star power that could lead them to more strong play than bad if some of the depth fails.

Brenton Cox Jr. (6-3, 252, RSr.) is a former blue-chip recruit who was a second-team All-SEC producer in 2020. The edge rusher was very active in the win over Utah with 10 tackles and recorded 14.5 tackles for loss last year showing real playmaking potential. Inside, Gervon Dexter Sr. (6-6, 312, Jr) has first-round talent and can be a load for interior offensive linemen to deal with. At cornerback, Jason Marshall Jr. (6-1, 198, So.) is the next star cornerback for Florida.

The Gators have three legit game-breaking talents on defense, and each was a five-star recruit coming out of high school. Florida will need these players to be stars all season long.

Top wideout was found in the portal

One of the many positions that needed upgrading was wide receiver when Napier arrived in Gainesville. Florida had some returning pieces but little depth and not any real potential No. 1 receivers on the roster. The Gators searched high and low for an impact wideout and were finally able to land Arizona State transfer Ricky Pearsall (6-1, 200, RJr) in May.

The former low-three star recruit from Arizona logged 48 catches for 580 yards last season in the Pac-12 and had a terrific SEC debut. Despite missing some time in fall camp, Pearsall recorded four receptions on five targets for 67 yards and appears to be the only true slot receiver the Gators currently have.

Pearsall will need to be a safety blanket for Florida in the intermediate zones and is an integral part of the new offensive operation in Gainesville.

Billy Napier excels in close games

Entering his fifth season as a head coach, 43-year-old Billy Napier has posted an impressive 41-12 (.774) overall record and two Sun Belt titles at Louisiana along with a pair of top 25 finishes. The Furman alum worked for both Nick Saban at Alabama (2011, 2013-16) and Dabo Swinney at Clemson (2009-10) during his rise is known for supreme organization and has an army of support staffers at Florida.

Introducing your 2022 Gators Football Team#GoGators | #jOURney pic.twitter.com/nRPIRHmUrW

— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) August 23, 2022

While in the Sun Belt, Napier proved that all of those organization skills showed up on Saturdays. The Ragin’ Cajuns were excellent in clutch situations finishing 16-3 in one-record games. That continued in his first game at Florida as the Gators made some key plays late to win a three-point game last week. Napier has now won 12 consecutive one-possession games improving his career record to 17-3.

Napier’s teams typically do not beat themselves and that shows up in close games when the chips are on the line.