Florida Gators top UCF. Did it change how you see Billy Napier’s team?

GAINESVILLE — The Florida Gators overpowered an overmatched opponent for the second game in a row, topping UCF 24-13 Saturday.

It, like 17-point triumph at Mississippi State two weeks ago, was a fine performance that probably shouldn’t change how you view the 3-2 Gators or Billy Napier’s future. Squint hard enough, however, and you can find signs of growth — incremental steps of progress from beating the state’s newest power program.

The headliner was the beleaguered defense that finished with five sacks — UF’s second-most against a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent in Napier’s 30 games.

Florida’s rushing defense entered Ben Hill Griffin Stadium ranked No. 110 in yards per game allowed, sandwiched between lowly Kennesaw State and Charlotte. It’s a matchup that could have been trouble against the Knights (3-2) and the nation’s No. 2 ground game.

And, for 15 minutes, it was.

UCF started by running the ball through and around the Gators in a way too many opponents have done under Napier. It was an efficient attack — four yards here, five yards there, never gaining less than three.

Then came a game-changing, two-play sequence early in the second quarter. On third and 1 near midfield, UCF ran RJ Harvey. He went nowhere; Aaron Chiles and Sharif Denson blew the play up for no gain. The Knights took a timeout to think about their fourth-and-short call. The Gators blew that up, too, with Caleb Banks and Jack Pyburn stuffing quarterback KJ Jefferson’s rush up the middle.

Before that sequence, UCF rushed 10 times for 44 yards. After it, the Knights totaled minus-15 rushing yards for the rest of the half. By the time UCF started running effectively in the third quarter, the Gators’ three-score lead seemed safe enough.

So did Napier’s job — at least for one more week.

That’s because the real tests for this team are coming, starting next week at No. 4 Tennessee. A perennially tricky Kentucky team visits after that before an open date and the brutal stretch that’s been feared for months: No. 5 Georgia, No. 2 Texas, No. 13 LSU, No. 12 Mississippi and at rival Florida State. With the possible exception of the Seminoles, all of them are better than Mississippi State and UCF. It’s risky, then, to take make too much of two nice performances against teams that got trucked by Colorado and Toledo.

But consider how the Gators fared the last time they faced Jefferson. He quarterbacked a 4-8 Arkansas team to an overtime victory at Florida, accounting for almost 350 total yards by himself and keying a run game that averaged almost 5 yards per carry. The Gators melted down on special teams, blundered their game management and committed mind-numbing penalties.

This time, Florida held on. With UCF facing third-and-goal in the third quarter with a chance to make it a two-score game, Grayson Howard delivered a pivotal sack and celebrated with a Gator chomp. The Knights had to settle for a field goal in front of an announced crowd of 90,369. The defense as a whole had fewer breakdowns, perhaps a sign of open-date improvements. Bryce Thornton all but sealed the win with an interception (the first of his career) with 1:48 left.

Florida’s offense was sharp enough. Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway combined to complete 22 of their first 27 passes with a touchdown (Mertz’s 13-yarder to Elijhah Badger). Montrell Johnson broke tackle after tackle — a recurring theme for UCF’s defense, judging by last week’s showing against Colorado.

This story will be updated.

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