2023 Florida Gators football team

The 2023 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by second-year head coach Billy Napier, the Gators played home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida.

2023 Florida Gators football
Conference	Southeastern Conference
Division	East Division
Record	5–7 (3–5 SEC)
Head coach	Billy Napier (2nd season)
Offensive coordinator	Rob Sale (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Pro-style
Defensive coordinator	Austin Armstrong (1st season)
Co-defensive coordinator	Sean Spencer (2nd season)
Base defense	4–2–5
Home stadium	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
Seasons ← 2022 2024 →

2023 Southeastern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
No. 4 Georgia xy		8	–	0					13	–	1
No. 8 Missouri		6	–	2					11	–	2
No. 17 Tennessee		4	–	4					9	–	4
Kentucky		3	–	5					7	–	6
Florida		3	–	5					5	–	7
South Carolina		3	–	5					5	–	7
Vanderbilt		0	–	8					2	–	10
West Division
No. 5 Alabama xy$^		8	–	0					12	–	2
No. 9 Ole Miss		6	–	2					11	–	2
No. 12 LSU		6	–	2					10	–	3
Texas A&M		4	–	4					7	–	6
Auburn		3	–	5					6	–	7
Mississippi State		1	–	7					5	–	7
Arkansas		1	–	7					4	–	8
Championship: Alabama 27, Georgia 24
^ – College Football Playoff participant $ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 31	8:00 p.m.	at No. 14 Utah*		Rice–Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT	ESPN	L 11–24	53,644
September 9	7:30 p.m.	McNeese*		Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	ESPNU	W 49–7	88,163
September 16	7:00 p.m.	No. 11 Tennessee		Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (rivalry)	ESPN	W 29–16	90,751
September 23	7:00 p.m.	Charlotte*	No. 25	Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	SECN+/ESPN+	W 22–7	89,053
September 30	12:00 p.m.	at Kentucky	No. 22	Kroger Field Lexington, KY (SEC Nation) (rivalry)	ESPN	L 14–33	61,699
October 7	4:00 p.m.	Vanderbilt		Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	SECN	W 38–14	89,432
October 14	3:30 p.m.	at South Carolina		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC	SECN	W 41–39	79,247
October 28	3:30 p.m.	vs. No. 1 Georgia		EverBank Stadium Jacksonville, FL (rivalry / SEC Nation)	CBS	L 20–43	76,251
November 4	12:00 p.m.	Arkansas		Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL	ESPN2	L 36–39 OT	89,782
November 11	7:30 p.m.	at No. 19 LSU		Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (rivalry)	SECN	L 35–52	102,321
November 18	7:30 p.m.	at No. 9 Missouri		Faurot Field Columbia, MO	ESPN	L 31–33	62,621
November 25	7:00 p.m.	No. 5 Florida State*		Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, FL (Sunshine Showdown)	ESPN	L 15–24	90,341
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll (and CFP Rankings, after October 31) released prior to game All times are in Eastern time

^[1]

Rankings

Further information: 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	RV	—	—	25	22	—	—	RV	RV	—	—	—	—	—
Coaches	RV	—	—	RV	23	RV	RV	RV	RV	RV	—	—	—	—
CFP	Not released									—	—	—	—	—		Not released

Game summaries

No. 14 Utah

See also: 2023 Utah Utes football team

The season-opening matchup against Utah was notable for it being the Gators' first non-conference true road game outside the state of Florida since a 38–21 loss to Syracuse in the 1991 season.^[2][3] With the loss, the Gators' most recent non-conference road win outside the state of Florida remains a 38–13 win at Memphis State on September 23, 1989. They also had not played a road game west of the Rocky Mountains since a 1983 game at USC.^[4]

Overall record	Previous meeting	Previous winner	Score
2–0	September 3, 2022	Florida	29–26

Uniform combination
Helmet	Jersey	Pants

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida	3	0	0	8	11
No. 14 Utah	7	10	7	0	24

Game information

First quarter Utah – Money Parks 70-yard pass from Bryson Barnes (Cole Becker kick), 13:10 Florida – Adam Mihalek 32-yard field goal, 2:27 Second quarter Utah – Nate Johnson 27-yard run (Cole Becker kick), 7:50 Utah – Cole Becker 51-yard field goal, 2:52 Third quarter Utah – Bryson Barnes 5-yard run (Cole Becker kick), 11:06 Fourth quarter Florida – Caleb Douglas 19-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Eugene Wilson III pass), 9:22

Game one – Florida Gators at No. 14 Utah Utes – Game summary

at Rice–Eccles Stadium • Salt Lake City, Utah

• Date: August 31
• Game time: 6:05 p.m. MDT
• Game weather: Temperature: 92 °F (33 °C) • Wind: W at 1 mile per hour (1.6 km/h) • Weather: sunny
• Game attendance: 53,644
• Referee: David Smith
• TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter)^[5]
• Boxscore

Statistics	Florida	Utah
First downs	17	13
Plays–yards	65–346	53–270
Rushes–yards	21–13	30–105
Passing yards	333	165
Passing: comp–att–int	31–44–1	15–23–0
Time of possession	31:56	28:04

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida	Passing	Graham Mertz	31/44, 333 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Trevor Etienne	7 carries, 25 yards
	Receiving	Ricky Pearsall	8 receptions, 92 yards
Utah	Passing	Bryson Barnes	12/18, 159 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Micah Bernard Nate Johnson	45 yards 45 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Money Parks	1 reception, 70 yards, 1 TD

Pregame line[6]	Over/under
Utah −5.5	44.5

McNeese

See also: 2023 McNeese Cowboys football team

Previous meeting
First Meeting

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
McNeese	0	0	0	7	7
Florida	13	13	16	7	49

Game information

First quarter Florida – Montrell Johnson Jr. 2-yard run, 10:59 Florida – Graham Mertz 1 yard run (Adam Mihalek kick), 0:28 Second quarter Florida – Treyaun Webb 2-yard run, 7:04 Florida – Trevor Etienne 8-yard run (Adam Mihalek kick), 0:34 Third quarter Florida – Montrell Johnson Jr. 8-yard run (Adam Mihalek kick), 9:27 Florida – Ricky Pearsall 50-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Adam Mihalek kick), 3:45 Florida – Jamari Lyons 0-yard safety, 2:54 Fourth quarter Florida – Treyaun Webb 5-yard run (Trey Smack kick), 13:00 McNeese – Coleby Hamm 8-yard run (Garrison Smith kick), 2:24

Game two – McNeese Cowboys (FCS) (0–1) at Florida Gators (0–1) – Game summary

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida

• Date: September 9
• Game time: 7:35 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Sunny
• Game attendance: 88,163
• Referee: Wayne Winkler
• TV announcers (ESPNU): Beth Mowins (play-by-play), Kirk Morrison (analyst), and Stormy Buonantony (sideline reporter)^[7]
• Boxscore

Statistics	McNeese	Florida
First downs	6	33
Plays–yards	40–112	74–560
Rushes–yards	26–46	51–327
Passing yards	66	233
Passing: comp–att–int	7–14–0	18–23–0
Time of possession	23:51	36:09

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
McNeese	Passing	Nate Glantz	6/13, 62 yards
	Rushing	D'Angelo Durham	11 carries, 45 yards
	Receiving	Jon McCall	1 reception, 18 yards
Florida	Passing	Graham Mertz	14/17, 193 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Montrell Johnson Jr.	15 carries, 119 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Ricky Pearsall	6 receptions, 123 yards

Pregame line[8]	Over/under
Florida −47.5	55.5

No. 11 Tennessee

See also: 2023 Tennessee Volunteers football team and Florida–Tennessee football rivalry

Overall record	Previous meeting	Previous winner	Score
31–21	September 24, 2022	Tennessee	38–33

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 11 Tennessee	7	0	3	6	16
Florida	6	20	0	3	29

Game information

First quarter Tennessee – Ramel Keaton 11-yard pass from Joe Milton III (Charles Campbell kick), 5:33 Florida – Trevor Etienne 62-yard run, 4:10 Second quarter Florida – Montrell Johnson Jr. 4-yard run, 9:28 Florida – Graham Mertz 1 yard run (Trey Smack kick), 7:20 Florida – Montrell Johnson Jr. 18-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick), 2:22 Third quarter Tennessee – Charles Campbell 42-yard field goal, 9:31 Fourth quarter Florida – Trey Smack 27-yard field goal, 9:55 Tennessee – Bru McCoy 55-yard pass from Joe Milton III, 8:41

Game three – No. 11 Tennessee Volunteers (2–0) at Florida Gators (1–1) – Game summary

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida

• Date: September 16
• Game time: 7:08 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: NE at 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h) • Weather: sunny
• Game attendance: 90,751
• Referee: Scott Walker
• TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter)^[9]
• Boxscore

Statistics	Tennessee	Florida
First downs	17	22
Plays–yards	64–387	67–349
Rushes–yards	30–100	43–183
Passing yards	287	166
Passing: comp–att–int	20–34–1	19–24–0
Time of possession	22:32	37:28

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Tennessee	Passing	Joe Milton III	20/34, 287 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jaylen Wright	16 carries, 63 yards
	Receiving	Bru McCoy	5 receptions, 94 yards, 1 TD
Florida	Passing	Graham Mertz	19/24, 166 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Trevor Etienne	23 carries, 172 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Eugene Wilson III	6 receptions, 44 yards

Pregame line[10]	Over/under
Tennessee −5.5	55.5

Charlotte

See also: 2023 Charlotte 49ers football team

Previous meeting
First Meeting

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Charlotte	0	7	0	0	7
No. 25 Florida	10	6	3	3	22

Game information

First quarter Florida – Arlis Boardingham 6-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick), 8:26 Florida – Trey Smack 27-yard field goal, 4:14 Second quarter Florida – Trey Smack 23-yard field goal, 12:50 Florida – Trey Smack 54-yard field goal, 8:21 Charlotte – Jalon Jones 7-yard run (Kyle Cunanan kick), 2:30 Third quarter Florida – Trey Smack 36-yard field goal, 7:27 Fourth quarter Florida – Trey Smack 23-yard field goal, 2:28

Game four – Charlotte 49ers (1–2) at No. 25 Florida Gators (2–1) – Game summary

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida

• Date: September 23
• Game time: 7:02 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Temperature: 84 °F (29 °C) • E at 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h) • Weather: cloudy
• Game attendance: 89,053
• Referee: Lee Hedrick
• TV announcers (ESPN+/SECN+): Clay Matvick (play-by-play) and Aaron Murray (analyst)^[11]
• Boxscore

Statistics	Charlotte	Florida
First downs	10	21
Plays–yards	53–210	59–395
Rushes–yards	28–77	36–136
Passing yards	133	259
Passing: comp–att–int	14–25–0	20–23–0
Time of possession	28:25	31:35

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Charlotte	Passing	Jalon Jones	11/16, 111 yards
	Rushing	Jalon Jones	20 carries, 65 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Colin Weber	4 receptions, 54 yards
Florida	Passing	Graham Mertz	20/23, 259 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Montrell Johnson Jr.	16 carries, 63 yards
	Receiving	Ricky Pearsall	6 receptions, 104 yards

Pregame line[12]	Over/under
Florida −28.5	48.5

Kentucky

See also: 2023 Kentucky Wildcats football team

Overall record	Previous meeting	Previous winner	Score
53–20	September 10, 2022	Kentucky	26–16

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 22 Florida	0	7	7	0	14
Kentucky	16	7	7	3	33

Game information

First quarter Kentucky – Alex Raynor 24-yard field goal, 7:13 Kentucky – Ray Davis 9-yard pass from Devin Leary (Alex Raynor kick), 5:37 Kentucky – Ray Davis 75-yard run, 0:23 Second quarter Kentucky – Ray Davis 3-yard run (Alex Raynor kick), 8:54 Florida – Hayden Hansen 4-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick), 0:34 Third quarter Kentucky – Ray Davis 2-yard run (Alex Raynor kick), 10:54 Florida – Ricky Pearsall 33-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick), 7:17 Fourth quarter Kentucky – Alex Raynor 50-yard field goal, 7:44

Game five – No. 22 Florida Gators (3–1) at Kentucky Wildcats (4–0) – Game summary

at Kroger Field • Lexington, Kentucky

• Date: September 30
• Game time: 12:07 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Temperature: 78 °F (26 °C) • Wind: E at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) • Weather: sunny
• Game attendance: 61,699
• Referee: Matt Loeffler
• TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (analyst), and Katie George (sideline reporter)^[13]
• Boxscore

Statistics	Florida	Kentucky
First downs	15	23
Plays–yards	59–313	56–398
Rushes–yards	29–69	36–329
Passing yards	244	69
Passing: comp–att–int	25–30–1	9–20–0
Time of possession	31:14	28:46

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida	Passing	Graham Mertz	25/30, 244 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Montrell Johnson Jr.	10 carries, 42 yards
	Receiving	Ricky Pearsall	3 receptions, 62 yards, 1 TD
Kentucky	Passing	Devin Leary	9/20, 69 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Ray Davis	26 carries, 280 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Barion Brown	4 receptions, 37 yards

Pregame line[14]	Over/under
Kentucky −1.5	43.5

Vanderbilt

See also: 2023 Vanderbilt Commodores football team

Overall record	Previous meeting	Previous winner	Score
43–11–2	November 19, 2022	Vanderbilt	31–24

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Vanderbilt	7	0	7	0	14
Florida	7	14	7	10	38

Game information

First quarter Florida – Ricky Pearsall 14-yard run (Trey Smack kick), 9:05 Vanderbilt – Will Sheppard 85-yard pass from Ken Seals (Jacob Borcila kick), 6:15 Second quarter Florida – Arlis Boardingham 2-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick), 10:51 Florida – Montrell Johnson Jr. 7-yard run (Trey Smack kick), 0:41 Third quarter Florida – Eugene Wilson III 9-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick), 3:16 Vanderbilt – Richie Hoskins 21-yard pass from Ken Seals (Jacob Borcila kick), 0:44 Fourth quarter Florida – Trey Smack 40-yard field goal, 12:12 Vanderbilt – Arlis Boardingham 15-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick), 7:19

Game six – Vanderbilt Commodores (2–4) at Florida Gators (3–2) – Game summary

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida

• Date: October 7
• Game time: 4:01 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Sunny
• Game attendance: 89,432
• Referee: David Smith
• TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), and Tori Petry (sideline reporter)^[15]
• Boxscore

Statistics	Vanderbilt	Florida
First downs	13	25
Plays–yards	53–340	71–495
Rushes–yards	19–64	30–215
Passing yards	276	280
Passing: comp–att–int	19–34–0	34–41–1
Time of possession	23:02	36:58

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Vanderbilt	Passing	Ken Seals	19/34, 276 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Sedrick Alexander	8 carries, 27 yards
	Receiving	Will Sheppard	3 receptions, 107 yards, 1 TD
Florida	Passing	Graham Mertz	30/36, 254 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Montrell Johnson Jr.	18 carries, 135 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Arlis Boardingham	7 receptions, 99 yards, 2 TD

Pregame line[16]	Over/under
Florida −18.5	51.5

South Carolina

See also: 2023 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

Overall record	Previous meeting	Previous winner	Score
30–10–3	November 12, 2022	Florida	38–6

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida	10	14	3	14	41
South Carolina	14	7	3	15	39

Game information

First quarter Florida – Trevor Etienne 3-yard run (Trey Smack kick), 10:47 South Carolina – Trey Knox 6-yard pass from Spencer Rattler (Mitch Jeter kick), 7:49 Florida – Trey Smack 48-yard field goal, 4:08 South Carolina – Juju McDowell 17-yard run (Mitch Jeter kick), 2:02 Second quarter Florida – Trey Smack 44-yard field goal, 13:39 Florida – Kahleil Jackson 7-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Hayden Hansen pass), 8:13 South Carolina – Mario Anderson 20-yard pass from Spencer Rattler (Mitch Jeter kick), 4:57 Florida – Trey Smack 28-yard field goal, 0:03 Third quarter South Carolina – Mitch Jeter 27-yard field goal, 10:26 Florida – Trey Smack 54-yard field goal, 7:24 Fourth quarter South Carolina – Juju McDowell 3-yard pass from Spencer Rattler (Mitch Jeter kick), 14:55 South Carolina – Joshua Simon 33-yard pass from Spencer Rattler, 9:11 Florida – Arlis Boardingham 4-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick), 4:40 Florida – Ricky Pearsall 21-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick), 0:47 South Carolina – 0-yard safety

Game seven – Florida Gators (4–2) at South Carolina Gamecocks (2–3) – Game summary

at Williams–Brice Stadium • Columbia, South Carolina

• Date: October 14
• Game time: 3:35 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Temperature: 77 °F (25 °C) • Wind: W at 12 miles per hour (19 km/h) • Weather: sunny
• Game attendance: 79,247
• Referee: Steve Marlowe
• TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), Alyssa Lang (sideline reporter)^[17]
• Boxscore

Statistics	Florida	South Carolina
First downs	28	23
Plays–yards	81–494	63–465
Rushes–yards	33–71	33–152
Passing yards	423	313
Passing: comp–att–int	30–48–0	23–30–1
Time of possession	32:44	27:16

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida	Passing	Graham Mertz	30/48, 423 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Montrell Johnson Jr.	11 carries, 50 yards
	Receiving	Ricky Pearsall	10 receptions, 166 yards, 1 TD
South Carolina	Passing	Spencer Rattler	23/30, 313 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Mario Anderson	20 carries, 98 yards
	Receiving	Xavier Legette	5 receptions, 110 yards

Pregame line[18]	Over/under
South Carolina −1.5	50.5

No. 1 Georgia

See also: 2023 Georgia Bulldogs football team and Florida–Georgia football rivalry

Overall record	Previous meeting	Previous winner	Score
44–54–2	October 29, 2022	Georgia	42–20

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 1 Georgia	10	16	10	7	43
Florida	7	0	0	13	20

Game information

First quarter Florida – Eugene Wilson III 25-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick), 11:19 Georgia – Peyton Woodring 22-yard field goal, 6:16 Georgia – Ladd McConkey 41-yard pass from Carson Beck (Peyton Woodring kick), 1:23 Second quarter Georgia – Daijun Edwards 20-yard run (Peyton Woodring kick), 13:25 Georgia – Daijun Edwards 2-yard run (Peyton Woodring kick), 10:34 Georgia – 0-yard safety Third quarter Georgia – Peyton Woodring 32-yard field goal, 7:05 Georgia – Dillon Bell 17-yard pass from Carson Beck (Peyton Woodring kick), 0:18 Fourth quarter Florida – Hayden Hansen 5-yard pass from Graham Mertz, 12:29 Georgia – Kendall Milton 1 yard run (Peyton Woodring kick), 5:57 Florida – Graham Mertz 1 yard run (Trey Smack kick), 1:20

Game eight – No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs (7–0) vs. Florida Gators (5–2) – Game summary

at EverBank Stadium • Jacksonville, Florida

• Date: October 28
• Game time: 3:45 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Sunny
• Game attendance: 76,251
• Referee: Matt Loeffler
• TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler (play-by-play), Gary Danielson (analyst), and Jenny Dell (sideline reporter)^[19]
• Boxscore

Statistics	Georgia	Florida
First downs	23	16
Plays–yards	66–486	59–339
Rushes–yards	38–171	25–109
Passing yards	315	230
Passing: comp–att–int	19–28–0	25–34–0
Time of possession	33:29	26:31

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Georgia	Passing	Carson Beck	19/28, 315 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Daijun Edwards	16 carries, 95 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Ladd McConkey	6 receptions, 135 yards, 1 TD
Florida	Passing	Graham Mertz	25/34, 230 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Montrell Johnson Jr.	9 carries, 82 yards
	Receiving	Ricky Pearsall	6 receptions, 99 yards

Pregame line[20]	Over/under
Georgia −14.5	50.5

Arkansas

See also: 2023 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

Overall record	Previous meeting	Previous winner	Score
10–2	November 14, 2020	Florida	63–35

Quarter	1	2	3	4	OT	Total
Arkansas	14	3	3	13	6	39
Florida	14	3	6	10	3	36

Game information

First quarter Arkansas – AJ Green 8-yard pass from KJ Jefferson (Cam Little kick), 12:06 Arkansas – Jaylon Braxton 33-yard fumble recovery (Cam Little kick), 11:54 Florida – Eugene Wilson III 19-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick), 5:33 Florida – Eugene Wilson III 6-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick), 2:04 Second quarter Arkansas – Cam Little 37-yard field goal, 4:39 Florida – Trey Smack 47-yard field goal, 0:29 Third quarter Arkansas – Cam Little 41-yard field goal, 10:34 Florida – Ricky Pearsall 32-yard pass from Graham Mertz, 1:38 Fourth quarter Arkansas – Cam Little 22-yard field goal, 12:54 Florida – Trey Smack 34-yard field goal, 7:58 Arkansas – KJ Jefferson 25-yard run (Cam Little kick), 4:26 Florida – Trevor Etienne 26-yard run (Trey Smack kick), 3:02 Arkansas – Cam Little 49-yard field goal, 0:44 Overtime Florida – Trey Smack 39-yard field goal Arkansas – Tyrone Broden 4-yard pass from KJ Jefferson

Game nine – Arkansas Razorbacks (2–6) at Florida Gators (5–3) – Game summary

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida

• Date: November 4
• Game time: 12:01 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Wind: N at 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h) • Weather: sunny
• Game attendance: 89,782
• Referee: Lee Hedrick
• TV announcers (ESPN2): Roy Philpott (play-by-play), Roddy Jones (analyst), Taylor McGregor (sideline reporter)^[21]
• Boxscore

Statistics	Arkansas	Florida
First downs	23	20
Plays–yards	78–481	70–394
Rushes–yards	47–226	28–112
Passing yards	255	282
Passing: comp–att–int	20–31–1	26–42–0
Time of possession	29:46	30:14

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Arkansas	Passing	KJ Jefferson	20/31, 255 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Raheim Sanders	18 carries, 103 yards
	Receiving	Andrew Armstrong	3 receptions, 103 yards
Florida	Passing	Graham Mertz	26/42, 282 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Trevor Etienne	12 carries, 80 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Eugene Wilson III	8 receptions, 90 yards, 2 TD

Pregame line[22]	Over/under
Florida −2.5	49.5

No. 19 LSU

See also: 2023 LSU Tigers football team and Florida–LSU football rivalry

Overall record	Previous meeting	Previous winner	Score
33–30–3	October 15, 2022	LSU	45–35

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida	7	7	14	7	35
No. 19 LSU	7	10	21	14	52

Game information

First quarter LSU – Josh Williams 1 yard run (Damian Ramos kick), 11:59 Florida – Eugene Wilson III 9-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick), 8:58 Second quarter LSU – Damian Ramos 28-yard field goal, 11:52 LSU – Jayden Daniels 85-yard run (Damian Ramos kick), 8:21 Florida – Trevor Etienne 7-yard run (Trey Smack kick), 4:30 Third quarter LSU – Kaleb Jackson 5-yard run (Damian Ramos kick), 11:05 Florida – Trevor Etienne 21-yard run (Trey Smack kick), 9:37 Florida – Graham Mertz 1 yard run (Trey Smack kick), 7:16 LSU – Jayden Daniels 51-yard run (Damian Ramos kick), 6:09 LSU – Noah Cain 6-yard pass from Jayden Daniels (Damian Ramos kick), 2:18 Fourth quarter Florida – Trevor Etienne 5-yard run (Trey Smack kick), 10:27 LSU – Brian Thomas Jr. 37-yard pass from Jayden Daniels (Damian Ramos kick), 9:14 LSU – Brian Thomas Jr. 7-yard pass from Jayden Daniels (Damian Ramos kick), 2:25

Game ten – Florida Gators (5–4) at No. 19 LSU Tigers (6–3) – Game summary

at Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, Louisiana

• Date: November 11
• Game time: 6:39 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Temperature: 64 °F (18 °C) • Wind: NE at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h) • Weather: cloudy
• Game attendance: 102,321
• Referee: Steve Marlowe
• TV announcers (SECN): Tom Hart (play-by-play), Cole Cubelic (analyst), Alyssa Lang (sideline reporter)^[23]
• Boxscore

Statistics	Florida	LSU
First downs	27	25
Plays–yards	488	701
Rushes–yards	177	329
Passing yards	311	372
Passing: comp–att–int	23–38–0	17–26–0
Time of possession	34:24	25:36

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida	Passing	Graham Mertz	26/38, 311 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Trevor Etienne	18 carries, 99 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Ricky Pearsall	7 receptions, 103 yards
LSU	Passing	Jayden Daniels	17/26, 372 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Jayden Daniels	12 carries, 234 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Brian Thomas Jr.	6 receptions, 150 yards, 2 TD

Pregame line[24]	Over/under
LSU −15.5	67.5

No. 9 Missouri

See also: 2023 Missouri Tigers football team

Overall record	Previous meeting	Previous winner	Score
6–6	October 5, 2022	Florida	24–17

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Florida	7	0	14	10	31
No. 9 Missouri	3	10	10	10	33

Game information

First quarter Missouri – Harrison Mevis 22-yard field goal, 10:33 Florida – Eugene Wilson III 8-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick), 7:49 Second quarter Missouri – Cody Schrader 42-yard run (Harrison Mevis kick), 14:29 Missouri – Harrison Mevis 39-yard field goal, 1:21 Third quarter Florida – Trevor Etienne 37-yard pass from Graham Mertz (Trey Smack kick), 11:54 Missouri – Brady Cook 1 yard run (Harrison Mevis kick), 8:53 Florida – Ricky Pearsall 39-yard run (Trey Smack kick), 7:16 Missouri – Harrison Mevis 24-yard field goal, 3:53 Fourth quarter Missouri – Theo Wease 77-yard pass from Brady Cook, 13:14 Florida – Trevor Etienne 9-yard run (Trey Smack kick), 7:49 Florida – Trey Smack 35-yard field goal, 1:36 Missouri – Harrison Mevis 30-yard field goal, 0:05

Game eleven – Florida Gators (5–5) at No. 9 Missouri Tigers (8–2) – Game summary

at Faurot Field • Columbia, Missouri

• Date: November 18
• Game time: 6:36 p.m. CST
• Game weather: Temperature: 49 °F (9 °C) • Wind: W at 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h) • Weather: sunny
• Game attendance: 62,621
• Referee: Scott Walker
• TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Jesse Palmer (analyst), Katie George (sideline reporter)^[25]
• Boxscore

Statistics	Florida	Missouri
First downs	23	21
Plays–yards	66–500	67–508
Rushes–yards	40–261	32–177
Passing yards	239	331
Passing: comp–att–int	18–26–1	20–35–0
Time of possession	33:08	26:52

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida	Passing	Graham Mertz	14/21, 183 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Montrell Johnson Jr.	12 carries, 85 yards
	Receiving	Ricky Pearsall	2 receptions, 72 yards
Missouri	Passing	Brady Cook	20/34, 331 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Cody Schrader	23 carries, 148 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Luther Burden III	9 receptions, 158 yards

Pregame line[26]	Over/under
Missouri −12.5	55.5

No. 5 Florida State

See also: 2023 Florida State Seminoles football team and Florida–Florida State football rivalry

Overall record	Previous meeting	Previous winner	Score
37–27–2	November 25, 2022	Florida State	45–38

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 5 Florida State	0	7	7	10	24
Florida	0	12	3	0	15

Game information

Second quarter Florida – Montrell Johnson Jr. 5-yard run (Trey Smack kick), 14:31 Florida – Trey Smack 35-yard field goal, 10:21 Florida – 0-yard safety, 5:08 Florida State – Trey Benson 1 yard run (Ryan Fitzgerald kick), 0:26 Third quarter Florida State – Trey Benson 36-yard run (Ryan Fitzgerald kick), 12:31 Florida – Trey Smack 37-yard field goal, 5:58 Fourth quarter Florida State – Ryan Fitzgerald 17-yard field goal, 7:17 Florida State – Trey Benson 26-yard run (Ryan Fitzgerald kick), 2:48

Game twelve – No. 5 Florida State Seminoles (11–0) at Florida Gators (5–6) – Game summary

at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida

• Date: November 25
• Game time: 7:13 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Temperature: 61 °F (16 °C) • Weather: cloudy
• Game attendance: 90,341
• Referee: Jeff Heaser
• TV announcers (ESPN): Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), and Holly Rowe (sideline reporter)^[27]
• Boxscore

Statistics	Florida State	Florida
First downs	16	13
Plays–yards	57–224	60–232
Rushes–yards	31–90	44–146
Passing yards	134	86
Passing: comp–att–int	12–26–0	9–16–1
Time of possession	25:08	34:52

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Florida State	Passing	Tate Rodemaker	12/25, 134 yards
	Rushing	Trey Benson	19 carries, 95 yards, 3 TD
	Receiving	Johnny Wilson	6 receptions, 64 yards
Florida	Passing	Max Brown	9/16, 86 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Montrell Johnson Jr.	18 carries, 107 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Eugene Wilson III	3 receptions, 36 yards

Pregame line[28]	Over/under
FSU −6.5	49.5

Personnel

Roster

As of August 24, 2023^[29]

2023 Florida Gators Roster
Quarterbacks 10 Jack Miller III – Sophomore 12 Micah Leon – Graduate 14 Parker Leise – Freshman 15 Graham Mertz – Junior 17 Max Brown – Freshman Running backs  2 Montrell Johnson Jr. – Junior  7 Trevor Etienne – Sophomore 20 Treyaun Webb – Freshman 24 Ja'Kobi Jackson – Junior 25 Anthony Rubio – Freshman 27 Cam Carroll – Senior 28 Eddie Battle – Senior 38 Carlson Joseph – Sophomore Wide receivers  0 Ja'Quavion Fraziars – Junior  1 Ricky Pearsall – Senior  3 Eugene Wilson III – Freshman  4 Caleb Douglas – Sophomore  6 Andy Jean – Freshman 11 Aidan Mizell – Freshman 16 Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman – Sophomore 19 Alex Gonzalez – Freshman 22 Kahleil Jackson – Sophomore 30 Taylor Spierto – Sophomore 33 Daniel Cross – Senior 80 Zak Sedaros – Freshman 83 Jackson Wade – Freshman 84 Brian Green Jr. – Freshman 88 Marcus Burke – Sophomore Tight ends  8 Arlis Boardingham – Freshman  9 Keon Zipperer – Senior 18 Dante Zanders – Senior 34 Andrew Savaiinaea – Freshman 85 Scott Isacks – Freshman 86 Tony Livingston – Freshman 87 Jonathan Odom – Junior 89 Hayden Hansen – Freshman Offensive line 52 Jalen Farmer – Freshman 53 Bryce Lovett – Freshman 54 Micah Mazzccua – Junior 56 Christian Williams – Freshman 58 Austin Barber – Sophomore 59 Hayden Clem – Sophomore 63 Caden Jones – Freshman 64 Riley Simonds – Junior 65 Kingsley Eguakun – Junior 66 Jake Slaughter – Sophomore 67 Richie Leonard IV – Junior 71 Roderick Kearney – Freshman 72 Bryan Rosenberg – Freshman 73 Mark Pitts – Sophomore 74 Lyndell Hudson II – Senior 75 Kamryn Waites – Sophomore 76 Damieon George Jr. – Sophomore 77 Knijeah Harris – Freshman 79 Jordan Herman – Sophomore		Defensive line  7 Chris McClellan – Sophomore  9 Will Norman – Freshman 21 Desmond Watson – Junior 61 Nicolas Flynn – Freshman 66 Jaelin Humphries – Junior 88 Caleb Banks – Freshman 90 Connor Homa – Freshman 91 Tyreik Norwood – Senior 92 Sebastian Scott – Freshman 93 Keenan Landry – Sophomore 94 Tyreak Sapp – Sophomore 95 Jamari Lyons – Freshman 96 Gavin Hill – Freshman 97 Andre Morris – Freshman 99 Cam Jackson – Junior Edge rushers  1 Princely Umanmielen – Junior 11 Kelby Collins – Freshman 12 Justus Boone – Sophomore 19 T.J. Searcy – Freshman 24 Kamran James – Freshman 36 Bryce Capers – Freshman 44 Jack Pyburn – Sophomore 45 Layne Swafford – Freshman 48 Quincy Ivory – Sophomore Inside linebackers  6 Shemar James – Sophomore 15 Derek Wingo – Junior 17 Scooby Williams – Sophomore 20 Teradja Mitchell – Senior 22 Deuce Spurlock II – Freshman 29 Jaden Robinson – Freshman 34 Mannie Nunnery – Junior 42 Kenny Anyaehie – Senior 47 Justin Pelic – Junior Cornerbacks  0 Sharif Denson – Freshman  2 Ja'Keem Jackson – Freshman  3 Jason Marshall Jr. – Junior  8 Jalen Kimber – Junior 13 Aaron Gates – Freshman 23 Jaydon Hill – Junior 25 Ethan Pouncey – Sophomore 26 Dijon Johnson – Freshman 28 Devin Moore – Sophomore 37 Javion Toombs – Freshman 38 Sebastian Vargas – Sophomore Safeties  5 Kamari Wilson – Sophomore 10 Miguel Mitchell – Sophomore 14 Jordan Castell – Freshman 16 R.J. Moten – Junior 18 Bryce Thornton – Freshman 27 Jadarrius Perkins – Senior 31 Ahman Covington – Freshman 32 Cahron Rackley – Sophomore 35 Dakota Mitchell – Sophomore 39 Brayden Slade – Freshman 82 Ja'Markis Weston – Junior		Kickers 29 Trey Smack – Sophomore 49 Adam Mihalek – Sophomore Punters 26 Jeremy Crawshaw – Junior 40 Jacob Watkins – Senior 41 Ara Emerzian – Senior Long snappers 42 Rocco Underwood – Sophomore 48 Gannon Burt – Freshman
Redshirt | Injury

Coaching staff

Name	Position	Joined staff
Billy Napier	Head coach	2022
Rob Sale	Offensive coordinator / offensive line	2022
Austin Armstrong	Defensive coordinator	2023
Sean Spencer	Co-defensive coordinator / defensive line	2022
Jabbar Juluke	Associate head coach (offense) / running backs	2022
Corey Raymond	Assistant head coach / secondary	2022
Jay Bateman	Inside linebackers	2022
Russ Callaway	Tight ends	2022
Billy Gonzales	Wide receivers	2023
Mike Peterson	Edge	2022
Darnell Stapleton	Offensive line	2022
Mark Hocke	Associate head coach / director of strength and conditioning	2022

Players drafted into the NFL

See also: 2024 NFL draft

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL Club
1	31	Ricky Pearsall	WR	San Francisco 49ers

References

1. "2023 Florida Football Schedule". FBschedules.com. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
2. "Florida falls to Utah in familiar, dispiriting season-opening loss – Sports Illustrated". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
3. "Game Day: Florida at No. 14 Utah (ESPN, 8 pm)". Florida Gators. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
4. Kamrani, Christopher. "Florida falls at Utah, but rare trip shows SEC teams are (finally) coming out West". The Athletic. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
5. Utah Pregame
6. Utah betting
7. McNeese Pregame|
8. McNeese betting
9. Tennessee pregame
10. Tennessee betting
11. Charlotte pregame
12. Charlotte betting
13. Kentucky pregame
14. Kentucky betting
15. Vanderbilt Pregame
16. Vanderbilt betting
17. South Carolina Pregame
18. South Carolina betting
19. Georgia Pregame
20. Georgia betting
21. Arkansas Pregame
22. Arkansas betting
23. LSU Pregame
24. LSU betting
25. Missouri Pregame
26. Missouri betting
27. Florida State pregame
28. FSU betting
29. "2023 Football Roster". Florida Gators. Retrieved July 31, 2023.