GAINESVILLE, Fla. — McNeese (0-1) at Florida (0-1), Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU).
Series record: First meeting.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Possibly the sanity of Florida’s fan base. The Gators have lost four consecutive games dating to last season, leaving them without a victory since Nov. 12, 2022. They are paying $500,000 for lower-division McNeese to make the trip to Gainesville and, assumedly, help coach Billy Napier improve to 7-8 in two seasons at Florida.
KEY MATCHUP
Florida vs. Florida. The Gators were a comedy of errors last week at Utah, finishing with nine penalties that included four pre-snap infractions and an illegal substitution call because two guys were wearing the same number on a punt return. The 5-yard penalty gave the Utes a first down and led to a touchdown and a 14-3 lead.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
McNeese: LB Micah Davey recorded 12 tackles last week in a 52-34 loss to Tarleton State. He’s the son of former LSU quarterback Rohan Davey, who was 0-4 against the Gators during his time with the Tigers (1998-2001).
Florida: Freshman WR Eugene “Tre” Wilson III is expected to make his first career start and get more touches. Wilson played 23 snaps last week at Utah, finishing with two receptions for 24 yards and a 9-yard run. It wasn’t a dynamic debut, but it was clear that Wilson has another gear that could help the offensively challenged Gators.
FACTS & FIGURES
McNeese is 0-2 against the Southeastern Conference, losing 34-7 at LSU in 2021 and 32-10 at LSU in 2010. … The Cowboys have enjoyed some success against Football Bowl Subdivision teams, going 14-32-2 in those games. The Cowboys have one win against a major conference team: they manhandled South Florida 53-21 in Tampa in 2013. … The Gators have won 33 consecutive home openers, the longest current streak in college football. Florida’s last home-opening loss came against Ole Miss in 1989. … The Gators are 22-1 against FCS teams since 1981, including seven consecutive wins. The lone loss came against Georgia Southern in 2013.
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