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The last time UCF faced Florida football at The Swamp, the Knights were just 10 years into playing at the FBS level.
Much has changed since 2006 as UCF has posted an undefeated season, built an on-campus football stadium and became a power conference team in 2023 with a move into the Big 12.
Does UCF belong with the state’s elite? That’s the point the Knights will try to prove against the Florida Gators before a sellout crowd on Saturday night at The Swamp.
“They are going to come out with a lot of juice,” Florida cornerback Jason Marshall Jr. said. “We just have to come out, start fast, take away whatever they’re trying to game plan on us. Going out, starting fast. That’s pretty much the biggest thing.”
Oddsmakers have installed Florida as an early 1.5-point favorite. UCF (3-1 1-1 Big 12), under former Auburn coach Gus Malzahn, is coming off a 48-21 loss to Colorado on Sunday. The Knights rank second in the nation in rushing offense at 326.0 yards per game.
Florida is 2-1 all-time against UCF, but in the last meeting, the Knights beat the Gators 29-17 on Dec. 23, 2021 in Tampa at the Gasparilla Bowl.
“They’re in a transition,” Florida coach Billy Napier said. “Ultimately, you can’t help but respect what they’ve done. The coaching staff they have, they’ve done a good job recruiting. I think the portal helped benefit in a lot of ways.”
Florida is coming off a bye week in which the Gators practiced on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday to get a head-start on a difficult October stretch. After UCF, Florida plays at No. 4 Tennessee on Oct. 12 (7 p.m., ESPN), then returns home to host Kentucky on Oct. 19 for homecoming.
“We didn’t coddle them,” Napier said. “I will tell you that. It was real in there for three days. So, we worked extremely hard Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday in full pads. We got after it.”
This article originally…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/florida-football-gets-another-state-212944118.html
Author : The Gainesville Sun
Publish date : 2024-09-30 21:29:44
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