The Week 1 contest between the Miami Hurricanes and the Florida Gators wasn’t much of a contest at all as early mistakes by Billy Napier’s team quickly allowed things to get out of control.
The Miami offense got rolling early on thanks to some missteps by Florida. The Gators hurt themselves with penalties and miscues. And on the other side of the ball, quarterback Graham Mertz faltered before having to leave the game with an injury. He was replaced by backup signal-caller DJ Lagway.
Things looked like they could still be at least somewhat within reach for the Gators at halftime, though the Hurricanes held a solid 24-10 lead at that points. Things only continued to go left for the Gators. Miami went on a 17-7 run in the final two quarters that ended in a 41-17 victory.
Here’s a look into four things we took away from both teams that could be an indication for the future.
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1. Don’t expect Billy Napier back with the Florida Gators next season
Billy Napier signed a top-15 recruiting class in the nation and has failed to capitalize on it to this point. Sure, the team was going up against one of the most highly ranked teams that has the potential to be a major darkhorse for the College Football Playoff, but Saturday’s performance did not exactly give a lot of reason for optimism.
Napier was already on the hot seat, and if he can’t turn things around pretty immediately, there is zero chance that he is being invited back to coach the Gators next year. He’s still yet to put together a winning season in his time in Gainesville and absolutely must do so to have any chance at maintaining his position.
2. Miami’s defense makes its mark
The Hurricanes defense in 2024 is legit and it was firing on all cylinders over the weekend. The defensive line particularly stood out, as Tennessee transfer Tyler Baron and former Marshall defender Elijah Alston both kept quarterback Graham Mertz under duress, making up for the loss of standout defensive lineman Rueben Bain.
The secondary also put on a show, limiting Miami to just 100 passing yards in three quarters. The Gators were not able to get things going through the air or on the ground, putting together just 122 yards between Mertz and backup quarterback DJ Lagway, with an interception each. The Gators totaled 147 rushing yards, 106 yards of which were owned by Montrell Johnson.
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3. Elijah Arroyo should be counted on as a playmaker for Miami
The Hurricanes have a tight end they can lean into plenty in 2024. The main pass-catchers who have caught attention and helped the Miami offense churn are Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George and Sam Brown, who showed exactly why that was on Saturday. Restrepo lead the charge with 7 receptions for 112 yards with 1 touchdown.
Arroyo finished out the game with 4 receptions for 89 yards with a long reception of 29 yards, making him the team’s second-leading receiver.
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4. Missed opportunities for Florida
This game got out of control quickly for Florida, but there are several things the Gators could have taken advantage of in the first half to prevent things from going so awry. Much of the Hurricanes’ early momentum was directly derived from penalties on the Gators, including two roughing the passer calls that led directly to a pair of Miami touchdowns. Offensively, Florida also missed some opportunities in the deep passing game with quarterback Graham Mertz failing to connect on what could have been some big opportunities before he went down with an injury.