Chris Harry

WHAT HAPPENED: The Florida defense, maligned since the start of the season, picked a good night to play its best game to date, as the Gators' unit collctively bowed up and proved the catalyst of a 24-13 victory Saturday night over cross-state foe UCF at sold-out Spurrier/Florida Field. Quarterback

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida football had just won a second national championship in three seasons. This on the heels of the men's basketball team winning back-to-back NCAA titles. Athletic Director Jeremy Foley was riding high and feeling good enough about the overall program; enough to have a little fun with of few of his other coaches.

WHAT HAPPENED: Tailback Dylan Sampson slammed into the end zone from a yard out on Tennessee's first possession of overtime to give the eighth-ranked Volunteers a 23-17 victory over rival Florida in their Southeastern Conference game Saturday night at sold-out Neyland Stadium. Sampson's score was his third of the game for the league's rushing leader and came after his 23-yard touchdown run in the fourth period put the Vols ahead for the first time with just under 10 minutes to play. The Gators, 15 1/2-point underdogs, rallied to tie the score behind freshman quarterback

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Kevin Hovde has a bright offensive mind. As Todd Golden's offensive coordinator, the Florida assistant coach devised a system that helped the Gators average a program-record 85.6 points per game on the way to winning 24 games – the most victories by the team since 2017 – and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time in three years.

The Gators have lost three straight (and four of the previous six) in their series against the Wildcats after winning 31 in a row from 1987-2017.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. –Sophomore forward Alex Condon was mere days removed from being voted to the 2024-25 preseason All-Southeastern Conference team. The Florida Gators, ranked 21st in the Associated Press preseason poll, were mere hours (less than 24, in fact) from their first of two "closed" scrimmages of the preseason.

Per Nilsson comes by way of Pepperdine, where his teams won every possible West Coast Conference regular-season and tournament title over his 10 seasons, reached the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals seven times, the semifinals twice and played for a national championship in 2021.

The annual rivalry date against the No. 2 Bulldogs, winners of six of the previous seven in the series, kicks off a November that slate that could determine the long-term direction of the Florida program.

What: Jacksonville Sports Foundation Invitational * When: Monday, 8:30 p.m. (ET) * Where: VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena / Jacksonville, Fla.

What Happened JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Florida senior guards Walter Clayton Jr. and Will Richard combined for 54 points, including 33 after halftime, and the 21st-ranked Gators shook off a cold-shooting start and an inspired South Florida squad en route to a 98-83 victory in the season opener for both teams Monday night at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena.