The Florida Gators pulled off a 24-13 victory over UCF on Saturday night, riding a balanced offense and a tenacious defensive performance to their second consecutive win for head coach Billy Napier. The win marked a milestone for the Gators, giving Napier back-to-back victories for the first time in nearly a year.
After using their bye week to focus on defensive consistency, Florida (3-2) held the Knights to just 108 rushing yards, the third-lowest total allowed during Gus Malzahn’s tenure at UCF. The defensive front was relentless, tallying five sacks and disrupting the Knights’ rhythm throughout the game. The loss compounded a rough stretch for UCF (3-2), which was coming off a 48-21 defeat to Colorado.
UCF’s troubles began early in the second quarter when Coach Malzahn made an aggressive call on fourth-and-1 from his own 43-yard line. Quarterback KJ Jefferson, a transfer from Arkansas, was stuffed for no gain, giving Florida prime field position. The Gators capitalized quickly, finding the end zone three plays later to extend their lead to 14-3.
Florida’s Montrell Johnson added a highlight-worthy 3-yard leap into the end zone to stretch the lead to 21-3. The Gators kept their momentum going with a short field goal by Trey Smack, taking a commanding 24-3 lead into halftime.
UCF showed improvement in the second half, but their efforts fell short as third-down inefficiencies plagued their offense. Despite their struggles, RJ Harvey managed to break through with a 13-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, capping a night where he gained 75 yards on 16 carries.
Florida’s offense was led by quarterback Graham Mertz, who efficiently completed 19 of 23 passes for 179 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown pass to Elijhah Badger. Mertz was complemented by freshman sensation DJ Lagway, who played every third series and went a perfect 4-for-4 through the air for 50 yards.
KJ Jefferson faced a tough night against Florida’s defense, finishing 12 of 22 for 165 yards with an interception. He also struggled on the ground, recording 12 rushes for negative-18 yards, unable to replicate his success from last year’s win in Gainesville.
The victory brought a sense of renewed energy to the Gators, who are finding their stride as they head into the heart of SEC play. For UCF, the loss marks a need to regroup after back-to-back setbacks, with hopes of reigniting the ground game that ranked among the best in the nation before the matchup.
The Gators’ defensive dominance and opportunistic offense proved too much for the Knights, keeping Florida’s momentum alive and leaving UCF searching for answers.
