Three Things to Observe in Florida vs. Charlotte
Photo: Lyndell Hudson II; Credit: Zach Goodall
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- No. 25 Florida is not only looking to compile its first three-game win streak since 2020 with a victory on Saturday — it is heavily favored to accomplish the feat in its bout with Charlotte of the American Athletic Conference in the Group of Five.
Florida is essentially a four-touchdown preference entering the matchup, per the Sports Illustrated Sportsbook, and Charlotte will be paid $1.55 million by UF just to play the game. Comparatively, McNeese State of the FCS took $500,000 home for losing to the Gators in Week 2, 49-7.
The 49ers could exceed expectations and make the matchup interesting, of course. USF did so in The Swamp last year, and FCS Samford, too, the year before.
But after upsetting No. 11 Tennessee to crack the AP Top 25 for the first time in a year in Week 3, 29-16, the Gators look the part and have some momentum ahead of the clash, leading to projections of an easy win in Florida's favor.
Therefore, below are three specific situations All Gators plans to observe in Florida's performance on Saturday, looking for continued progression from UF in a game it is expected to win.
Florida's offensive line replacements
This is not to suggest Charlotte's defensive front has an advantage against Florida's offensive line, but the latter unit will be without three starters for at least the first half. If the 49ers are to make the Gators uncomfortable in any part of this game, it is likely to be in the trenches as a result of this reality.
Center Kingsley Eguakun's right ankle sprain suffered a "setback" after his return to play in Week 3, per Napier, and right guard Micah Mazzccua and right tackle Damieon George Jr. were suspended for the first half of the contest by the SEC for their involvement in the end-of-game brawl between Florida and Tennessee on Saturday.
Redshirt sophomore Jake Slaughter will return to the first-team lineup in place of Eguakun after occupying the role in Weeks 1-2.
After struggling in pass protection his debut start against Utah by allowing two sacks, per Pro Football Focus, Slaughter displayed improvement versus McNeese State with zero sacks or pressures allowed. He was a solid run blocker in both games, earning 64.1 and 65.0 (out of 100) grades from PFF in the respective performances.
Simultaneously, freshman Knijeah Harris will fill in for Mazzccua at right guard and redshirt senior Lyndell Hudson II, an offseason graduate transfer from Florida International, will replace George at right tackle — at least for the first half, if not longer.
Napier on Wednesday broke down the development track Harris and Hudson have been on this season as Florida's swing offensive linemen, a path he believes has prepared them for their debut starts in orange and blue.
“All those guys play most every game. But I think the percentage of reps, we practice the way we're going to start the game. And then obviously we rep two units the entire day. There’s an allocation of reps," Napier explained.
"In each position group, you’ve got a certain amount of reps in each practice and we literally, by the rep, ‘Hey, this guy's gonna get 40 plays today. He's gonna get 25. He's gonna get whatever the case may be.’ So we just reallocated the reps. One of the good things is going against the first defense in the good on good periods, which I think is helpful for them.”
Harris has appeared in each game for Florida this season, earning snaps at both left and right guard with a single-game high of 42 reps against McNeese State. He has yet to allow a sack or pressure over 32 pass protection snaps, per PFF.
Hudson missed a portion of fall training camp and Week 1 while recovering from a concussion, and did not take the field against Tennessee. He logged 41 snaps in his Gators' debut in Week 2.
With an increased workload this week, Hudson in particular has a chance to make a lasting impression.
George, an offseason transfer from Alabama and Florida's starting right tackle since Week 1, has struggled in his first-team role through three games. In addition to his hand in the fight, George has been penalized four times this season and has given up a team-high five quarterback pressures.
If he offers UF an upgrade in pass protection and relative to clean fundamental football on Saturday, Hudson could potentially find himself in a starting position beyond Week 4.
Young defensive backs continuing to carve out roles
Florida thus far has been willing to test its youth across the entire roster, but arguably nowhere more than in the secondary, a unit in which freshman Jordan Castell has assumed a starting role and another four rookies have taken the field this season. Like Castell, cornerback Ja'Keem Jackson has appeared in each game defensively.
Expect the Gators to deploy freshmen cornerback Dijon Johnson, nickel corner Sharif Denson and safety Bryce Thornton as much if not more than they played in their Week 2 debuts versus Charlotte on Saturday. Johnson and Thornton each reached double-digit defensive snaps against McNeese State two weeks ago, while Denson tallied nine.
Of note, Thornton jumped sophomore Kamari Wilson on the depth chart for Week 4.
Napier was complimentary of Denson, Thornton and Castell in particular on Wednesday when asked about the progression of Florida's young safety corps. He also offered praise to sophomore starter Miguel Mitchell and veteran Michigan transfer RJ Moten for their contributions on the back end.
“First of all, it's been very competitive. I do think we've benefited from Moten’s maturity and experience, but I also think the young players have — there's just a ton of value of getting a guy here in January," Napier said. "Think about Sharif, Bryce, Jordan all here in January and Moten just showed up in [May]. Miguel was a rookie last year, played some snaps, but really didn't play the back end. He's played more [of] that big star. That group has come along.
"But, look, we just played a couple games here, right? We have a lot left here. There will be challenges each week. Again, I think you're gonna play good one week, [but] that doesn’t mean you’re going to gonna play good this week. So we've got to show up to be at our best this week.”
Freshmen receivers without Eugene Wilson III
It became clear on Saturday just how impactful "Tre" Wilson can be in the Gators' offense, only for the freshman to suffer a collarbone injury that forced his removal from Week 3's game in the first quarter.
Wilson caught six passes for 44 yards on the opening drive, two of which were jet sweeps, producing 7.3 yards per touch even though the defense grew to realize the likelihood of him being the ball carrier on a given play was high.
But due to the hurt, Wilson won't dress for Florida in Week 4 and potentially beyond while in recovery. His absence, paired with the level of the opponent, should offer Wilson's pass-catching classmates — freshmen Aidan Mizell and Andy Jean — the opportunity to make plays in his place.
Both Mizell and Jean are listed as third-teamers at their respective receiver positions — Mizell is behind Ricky Pearsall and Thai Chiaokhiao-Bowman at one spot and Jean backs Caleb Douglas and Ja'Quavion Fraziars up at another.
That being said, the rookie duo should receive playing opportunities as the game wears on so long as Florida handles its business against Charlotte as it is expected to. They could even find themselves involved earlier in an effort to add new wrinkles to the offense with Wilson unavailable.
One might remember that Douglas called Mizell the "fastest [player] on the team" during his first training camp with the team in April, and Napier in March shared that Jean was clocked running 22.5 miles per hour in the practice setting.
Mizell took the field for 17 snaps offensively against McNeese State and caught two passes for 25 yards. Jean logged 25 offensive snaps in the same game but was not targeted.
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