Please Read: Welcome to the new-look Inside the Gators
- Take Five Breakdown: Florida-Samford Preview
- Five on the Spot: Napier is in need of a blowout victory
- After visiting Florida, Gators commit to see Georgia this weekend
- Four-star Brown III talks Florida visit, state of the program
- Recruit Reaction: Ready to see how they bounce back and respond
- Grading the Gators: The clock is ticking
- 10 Observations: Florida Opening Day Depth Chart
- Predicting Who Plays: Seven signees most likely to avoid redshirt season
- Florida Football Preseason Superlatives
Inside the Gators Ben McLeish and Mark Wheeler take a closer look at Saturday’s match-up between Florida and Samford including thoughts on what a win or loss would mean Billy Napier, Florida players to keep an eye on, as well as offering up a score prediction.
Could the outcome this weekend affect Napier’s job security, if at all?
McLeish: A win this weekend does nothing for Napier’s job security. But a loss would almost guarantee that Napier doesn’t see the end of the season. Losing back-to-back games in the Swamp is never good for job security, but a loss against an FCS team would be the final straw for Napier’s underwhelming tenure at Florida. The only factor that could improve Napier’s stock would be an incredible performance from DJ Lagway, his biggest recruit as head coach.
Wheeler: Since being hired by Florida, Billy Napier is off to a terrible 7-15 start against P4 (used to be P5) competition. Think about that, he has lost two out of every three games played against UF’s ‘peers’ during his time in Gainesville. His only saving grace has been his 4-0 record against Non-P5 programs. That should improve to 5-0 this weekend, but it won’t do much to help appease a fanbase that turned against him in force after the embarrassment last weekend against Miami. So, a win, not even a blowout, will do much to help Napier’s cause, but a loss would be yet another nail in the coffin.
Name a player on offense and defense that you expect to have a standout game
McLeish: On offense, Montrell Johnson Jr. On paper, Johnson’s stats against Miami looked outstanding. But if you take away his 71-yard run, then his stats look much less impressive: 10 carries for 35-yards. However, it’s hard to blame Johnson after the dreadful performance from the offensive line. Against a much weaker defense, Johnson will impress. I expect him to rack up over 100 yards and a touchdown in the first half before he gets pulled for the backups.
On defense, Shemar James. He was one of the only bright spots on the defense last week, leading the team in solo tackles and securing a momentum-changing interception in the first quarter. Since he became a Gator, James has proven to be a difference-maker for the defense.
Nothing will change this weekend. He may not light up the stat sheet, but his presence will be felt throughout the game.
Wheeler: Whether or not it will be considered a ‘standout’ game stats-wise, is still to be determined. However, with this being the coming out party for former five-star quarterback DJ Lagway, he has to be mentioned here. I was expecting a bit of a letdown crowd-wise, but by Lagway receiving the starting nod, that may draw enough interest to make it at least a decent-sized home crowd.
Defensively I like what I saw out of Kamran James last weekend and – even while taking the quality of the opponent into consideration – he could have his best game as a Gator.
What Would Be Considered a “Successful” Week 2 for Florida?
McLeish: The score won’t determine a successful week for the Gators. Obviously the Gators need to win, and they need to win big, but a 70-0 win does no more good than a 42-14 win. A successful week will mostly be determined by the eye test. The Gators need to answer several questions: Is DJ Lagway a capable starting quarterback? Can the defensive line generate pressure on the quarterback? Can the offensive line hold their own? If the answer to all of those questions is “yes,” then it will be a successful week for the Gators. If not, Florida will be in bad shape heading into a crucial matchup with Texas A&M.
Wheeler: This is a win-and-move-on type of weekend. Success will be determined mostly by the absence of a negative and even more importantly, if Florida comes out of the game relatively injury-free. What else could be determined? After being stonewalled by the UM last weekend, lets say Florida records 4-5 or more sacks. What does that mean? There isn’t an offensive lineman on the Bulldogs roster who would be capable of suiting up for Texas A&M next weekend, so even if it happens, don’t allow something like that to give you a false sense of confidence.
Prediction
McLeish: Well, I couldn’t have been more wrong about Week One. I was far too confident that the defense and offensive line would make improvements in year three of Billy Napier. Still, it’s hard to believe an FCS school will be able to come into the Swamp and defeat the Gators. Lagway won’t be asked to do much, and the running game will shine against Samford. I don’t think we’ll see outright domination like we did last year against McNeese State, but the Gators will take care of business. Florida- 35-14
Wheeler: The last time Samford visited the Swamp the Bulldogs gave Dan Mullen‘s Gators a run for their money before falling 70-52. There were many things working against UF back then (Mullen was on his last legs after losing three in a row and being blown out the weekend before). Then again, there are many things working against UF at present (Napier has lost six in a row and was blown out last weekend). Those similarities aside, the Gators should never be in danger of a loss here. Florida 41-24
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