2018 Florida Gators football team
American college football season
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The 2018 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gators played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida. Florida played as a member of the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by first-year head coach Dan Mullen.
| 2018 Florida Gators football | |
|---|---|
| |
Peach Bowl champion | |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Eastern Division | |
| Ranking | |
| Coaches | No. 6 |
| AP | No. 7 |
| Record | 10–3 (5–3 SEC) |
| Head coach |
|
| Co-offensive coordinators |
|
| Offensive scheme | Spread |
| Defensive coordinator | Todd Grantham (1st season) |
| Base defense | 3–4 |
| Home stadium | Ben Hill Griffin Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. T–7 Georgia x | 7 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Kentucky | 5 | – | 3 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. T–7 Florida | 5 | – | 3 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 4 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri | 4 | – | 4 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 3 | – | 5 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tennessee | 2 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Alabama x$^ | 8 | – | 0 | 14 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 Texas A&M | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 LSU | 5 | – | 3 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State* | 4 | – | 4 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 3 | – | 5 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ole Miss | 1 | – | 7 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas | 0 | – | 8 | 2 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Alabama 35, Georgia 28 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Florida, coming off a 4–7 season in 2017, began the year unranked. In the second game of the season, not only did the team lose to Kentucky for the first time since 1986, but they also lost to them at home for the first time since 1979, snapping a 31-game winning streak in the series.[2] Florida won its next five games, including on the road against No. 23 Mississippi State and at home against No. 5 LSU, rising to ninth in the AP Poll. They then lost two games to No. 7 Georgia and Missouri and ended the conference regular season tied for second in the SEC East Division at 5–3. After closing the regular season by defeating rival Florida State, they were invited to the Peach Bowl, where they defeated No. 8 Michigan by a score of 41–15. The team finished with an overall record of 10–3, and in the season's final AP Poll, the team was ranked in a tie for seventh, the highest finish for the school since 2009.
The team was led on offense by redshirt sophomore quarterback Feleipe Franks, who finished with 2,457 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns, and 7 rushing touchdowns. His 31 total touchdowns was tied for third in the Southeastern Conference.[3] Running backs La'Mical Perine and Jordan Scarlett finished with 826 and 776 yards, respectively. Defensively, the team was led by defensive end Jachai Polite, who finished with 20 tackles for loss and was named first-team All-SEC.
Preseason
Award watch lists
Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lott Trophy[4] | C. J. Gardner-Johnson | DB | JR |
| Rimington Trophy[5] | T. J. McCoy | C | JR |
| Chuck Bednarik Award[6] | David Reese | LB | JR |
| Butkus Award[7] | David Reese | LB | JR |
| Bronko Nagurski Trophy[8] | Cece Jefferson | DE | SR |
| David Reese | LB | JR | |
| Outland Trophy[9] | Martez Ivey | OL | SR |
| Wuerffel Trophy[10] | Fred Johnson | OL | SR |
| Ted Hendricks Award[11] | Cece Jefferson | DE | SR |
| Jabari Zuniga | DE | JR | |
| Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award[12] | Tyrie Cleveland | WR | JR |
SEC media poll
The SEC media poll was released on July 20, 2018, with the Gators predicted to finish third in the East Division.[13]
Preseason All-SEC teams
The Gators had eight players selected to the preseason all-SEC teams.
|
Offense 1st team Martez Ivey – OL 3rd team Jordan Scarlett – RB |
Defense 1st team CeCe Jefferson – DL 2nd team C. J. Henderson – DB 3rd team David Reese – LB Marco Wilson – DB |
Specialists 3rd team Kadarius Toney – all purpose player
|
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 1 | 7:30 p.m. | Charleston Southern* | SECN | W 53–6 | 81,164 | ||
| September 8 | 7:30 p.m. | Kentucky | No. 25 |
| SECN | L 16–27 | 80,651 |
| September 15 | 4:00 p.m. | Colorado State* |
| SECN | W 48–10 | 80,021 | |
| September 22 | 7:00 p.m. | at Tennessee | ESPN | W 47–21 | 100,027 | ||
| September 29 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 23 Mississippi State | ESPN | W 13–6 | 61,406 | ||
| October 6 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 5 LSU | No. 22 |
| CBS | W 27–19 | 90,283 |
| October 13 | 12:00 p.m. | at Vanderbilt | No. 14 | ESPN | W 37–27 | 31,118 | |
| October 27 | 3:30 p.m. | vs. No. 7 Georgia | No. 9 | CBS | L 17–36 | 84,463 | |
| November 3 | 4:00 p.m. | Missouri | No. 13 |
| SECN | L 17–38 | 80,017 |
| November 10 | 12:00 p.m. | South Carolina | No. 19 |
| ESPN | W 35–31 | 82,696 |
| November 17 | 12:00 p.m. | Idaho* | No. 15 |
| ESPNU | W 63–10 | 81,467 |
| November 24 | 12:00 p.m. | at Florida State* | No. 13 | ABC | W 41–14 | 71,953 | |
| December 29 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. No. 8 Michigan* | No. 10 | ESPN | W 41–15 | 74,006 | |
| |||||||
Rankings
Game summaries
Charleston Southern
Charleston Southern Buccaneers at Florida Gators – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston Southern | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Florida | 10 | 28 | 13 | 2 | 53 |
at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida
- Date: September 1, 2018
- Game time: 7:30 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: E at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) • Weather: 67% humidity, clear
- Game attendance: 81,164
- Referee: John McDaid
- TV announcers (SEC Network): Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, and Cole Cubelic[14]
- Boxscore
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
|---|---|---|
| 1–0 | September 5, 2009 | Florida, 62–3 |
| Uniform Combination | ||
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
|---|---|---|
Kentucky
Kentucky Wildcats at Florida Gators – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 7 | 0 | 14 | 6 | 27 |
| No. 25 Florida | 0 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 16 |
at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida
- Date: September 8, 2018
- Game time: 7:30 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C) • Wind: ESE at 1 mile per hour (1.6 km/h) • Weather: 81% humidity, partly cloudy
- Game attendance: 80,651
- Referee: David Smith
- TV announcers (SEC Network): Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, and Cole Cubelic[15]
- Boxscore
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
|---|---|---|
| 51–17 | September 23, 2017 | Florida, 28–27 |
| Uniform Combination | ||
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
|---|---|---|
Colorado State
Colorado State Rams at Florida Gators – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 10 |
| Florida | 6 | 21 | 0 | 21 | 48 |
at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida
- Date: September 15, 2018
- Game time: 4:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 96 °F (36 °C) • Wind: SW at 14 miles per hour (23 km/h) • Weather: 45% humidity, partly cloudy
- Game attendance: 80,021
- Referee: Marc Curles
- TV announcers (SEC Network): Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, and Kris Budden[16]
- Boxscore
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
|---|---|---|
| First meeting | ||
| Uniform Combination | ||
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
|---|---|---|
Tennessee
Florida Gators at Tennessee Volunteers – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 14 | 12 | 7 | 14 | 47 |
| Tennessee | 0 | 3 | 10 | 8 | 21 |
at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee
- Date: September 22, 2018
- Game time: 7:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 85 °F (29 °C) • Wind: N at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h) • Weather: Partly cloudy
- Game attendance: 100,027
- Referee: James Carter
- TV announcers (ESPN): Adam Amin, Rod Gilmore, and Quint Kessenich[17]
- Boxscore
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
|---|---|---|
| 27–20 | September 16, 2017 | Florida, 26–20 |
| Uniform Combination | ||
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
|---|---|---|
Mississippi State
Florida Gators at Mississippi State Bulldogs – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
| No. 23 Mississippi State | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
at Davis Wade Stadium • Starkville, Mississippi
- Date: September 29, 2018
- Game time: 6:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C) • Wind: N at 1 mile per hour (1.6 km/h) • Weather: Partly cloudy
- Game attendance: 61,406
- Referee: Matt Austin
- TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill[18]
- Boxscore
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
|---|---|---|
| 33–19–2 | October 16, 2010 | Mississippi State, 10–7 |
| Uniform Combination | ||
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
|---|---|---|
LSU
LSU Tigers at Florida Gators – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 5 LSU | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 19 |
| No. 22 Florida | 0 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 27 |
at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida
- Date: October 6, 2018
- Game time: 3:30 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 88 °F (31 °C) • Wind: ENE at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) • Weather: 51% humidity, sunny
- Game attendance: 90,283
- Referee: Matt Loeffler
- TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson, and Jamie Erdahl[19]
- Boxscore
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
|---|---|---|
| 32–29–3 | October 7, 2017 | LSU, 17–16 |
| Uniform Combination | ||
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
|---|---|---|
Vanderbilt
Florida Gators at Vanderbilt Commodores – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 14 Florida | 0 | 13 | 7 | 17 | 37 |
| Vanderbilt | 7 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 27 |
at Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: October 13, 2018
- Game time: 12:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 50 °F (10 °C) • Wind: NE at 7 miles per hour (11 km/h) • Weather: Cloudy
- Game attendance: 31,118
- Referee: Lee Hedrick
- TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill[20]
- Boxscore
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
|---|---|---|
| 39–10–2 | September 30, 2017 | Florida, 38–24 |
| Uniform Combination | ||
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
|---|---|---|
Georgia
Florida Gators vs. Georgia Bulldogs – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 9 Florida | 0 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
| No. 7 Georgia | 10 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 36 |
at TIAA Bank Field • Jacksonville, Florida
- Date: October 27, 2018
- Game time: 3:30 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind: W at 13 miles per hour (21 km/h) • Weather: Mostly cloudy
- Game attendance: 84,463
- Referee: Matt Loeffler
- TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson, and Jamie Erdahl[21]
- Boxscore
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
|---|---|---|
| 43–50–2 (per Florida) 43–51–2 (per Georgia) |
October 28, 2017 | Georgia, 42–7 |
| Uniform Combination | ||
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
|---|---|---|
Missouri
Missouri Tigers at Florida Gators – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri | 7 | 14 | 14 | 3 | 38 |
| No. 13 Florida | 3 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida
- Date: November 3, 2018
- Game time: 4:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind: NNE at 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) • Weather: Sunny
- Game attendance: 80,017
- Referee: John McDaid
- TV announcers (SEC Network): Tom Hart, Jordan Rodgers, Cole Cubelic[22]
- Boxscore
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
|---|---|---|
| 3–4 | November 4, 2017 | Missouri, 45–16 |
| Uniform Combination | ||
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
|---|---|---|
South Carolina
South Carolina Gamecocks at Florida Gators – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina | 14 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 31 |
| No. 19 Florida | 0 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida
- Date: November 10, 2018
- Game time: 12:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 68 °F (20 °C) • Wind: N at 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) • Weather: 83% humidity, cloudy
- Game attendance: 82,696
- Referee: David Smith
- TV announcers (ESPN): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill[23]
- Boxscore
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
|---|---|---|
| 26–9–3 | November 11, 2017 | South Carolina, 28–20 |
| Uniform Combination | ||
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
|---|---|---|
Idaho
Idaho Vandals at Florida Gators – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| No. 15 Florida | 28 | 21 | 7 | 7 | 63 |
at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida
- Date: November 17, 2018
- Game time: 12:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 65 °F (18 °C) • Wind: NE at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) • Weather: Sunny
- Game attendance: 81,467
- Referee: James Carter
- TV announcers (ESPNU): Kevin Brown and Andre Ware[24]
- Boxscore
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
|---|---|---|
| First meeting | ||
| Uniform Combination | ||
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
|---|---|---|
Florida State
Florida Gators at Florida State Seminoles – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 13 Florida | 3 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 41 |
| Florida State | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, Florida
- Date: November 24, 2018
- Game time: 12:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Wind: NW at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) • Weather: 94% humidity, 30% chance of rain
- Game attendance: 71,953
- Referee: Gary Patterson
- TV announcers (ABC): Dave Pasch, Greg McElroy, Tom Luginbill[25]
- Boxscore
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
|---|---|---|
| 34–26–2 | November 25, 2017 | Florida State, 38–22 |
| Uniform Combination | ||
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
|---|---|---|
Michigan (Peach Bowl)
Florida Gators vs. Michigan Wolverines – Game summary
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 10 Florida | 3 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 41 |
| No. 8 Michigan | 7 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 15 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium • Atlanta, GA
- Date: December 29, 2018
- Game time: 12:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Indoors
- Game attendance: 74,006
- Referee: Mike Defee
- TV announcers (ESPN): Bob Wischusen, Brock Huard, Allison Williams
- Boxscore
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | September 2, 2017 | Michigan, 33–17 |
| Uniform Combination | ||
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
|---|---|---|
Personnel
Roster
- As of September 23, 2018[26]
| 2018 Florida Gators roster | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Quarterbacks
Running backs
Wide receivers
Tight ends
Offensive line
|
Defensive line
Linebackers
Defensive backs
|
Punters
Placekickers
Long snappers
Athletes
| ||||||
Redshirt
Injury
Coaching staff
| Name | Position | Joined staff |
|---|---|---|
| Dan Mullen | Head coach | 2018 |
| Todd Grantham | Defensive coordinator | 2018 |
| John Hevesy | Co-offensive Coordinator / offensive line | 2018 |
| Billy Gonzales | Co-offensive Coordinator / Wide receivers | 2018 |
| Greg Knox | Running backs / Special teams coordinator | 2018 |
| Sal Sunseri | Defensive line | 2018 |
| Ron English | Safeties | 2018 |
| Brian Johnson | Quarterbacks | 2018 |
| Larry Scott | Tight ends | 2018 |
| Charlton Warren | Cornerbacks | 2018 |
| Christian Robinson | Linebackers | 2018 |
| Nick Savage | Director of strength and conditioning | 2018 |
Recruits
The Gators signed a total of 19 recruits.
Players drafted into the NFL
| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL club |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 35 | Jawaan Taylor | OT | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 3 | 68 | Jachai Polite | OLB | New York Jets |
| 4 | 105 | C. J. Gardner-Johnson | S | New Orleans Saints |
| 5 | 147 | Vosean Joseph | LB | Buffalo Bills |
| 5 | 154 | Jordan Scarlett | RB | Carolina Panthers |
Source:[27]