Deep Rooted History: Florida Anticipating Upcoming Rivalry Games

Florida football interim head coach Billy Gonzales spoke to the press on Monday after another Gators loss Saturday night. While the Gators led 24-20 at halftime, the Ole Miss Rebels ramped up their game in the second half to win 34-24.

With Florida now 3-7 this season, pressure has been piling up on both Gonzales and the players. In the team’s weekly Monday press conference, the coach, edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. and inside linebacker Aaron Chiles addressed the team’s struggles.

Gonzales was the first to take the mic. In his 14-minute long segment, he fielded questions about the two final games of the season, player injuries and quarterback DJ Lagway’s mentality.

He began with a recap of Saturday’s game, in which he discussed what the team did well and areas for improvement offensively and defensively:

“We didn’t start out very fast on either side of the ball,” he observed. “However, I thought we did a good job responding. We knew we were playing an offense that was going to, they were known to make big plays.”

Areas for improvement listed included better protection of the ball, staying on schedule and pushing the ball down vertically.

The Gators will play their final two games against two big rivals, Tennessee and Florida State, over the next two weeks. Gonzales spoke on the players’ mindsets going into this weekend’s competition.

“The one thing these players understand is that Tennessee, there’s a deep rooted history. Both Tennessee and the next week. But, for focusing on this week, they’re an exceptional football team,” Gonzales said. “Obviously, our players understand that this game’s always been a heated rivalry. We will continue to talk to our players about it.”

Speaking about the Volunteers, he praised the team’s “high-powered” offense and the challenge they will prove to be for the Gators’ defense.

Gonzales then answered some questions pertaining to the injuries of defensive lineman Caleb Banks and wide receiver Vernell Brown III. On player injuries as a whole, he had the following to say:

“Every player is different, their body’s response. Some players can get back a little quicker, but every individual player knows their body.”

Finally, Gonzales discussed his words in the locker room with quarterback DJ Lagway post-game:

“I want him to make sure he understands that we love him, we care about him, and again, he’s done a fantastic job. He put us in a position to be where we needed to be in the fourth quarter. Again, it takes a team to be able to finish it, not just one individual.”

Edge rusher George Gumbs Jr. and inside linebacker Aaron Chiles spoke alongside Billy Gonzales.

Gumbs Jr. spoke about the two upcoming rivalry games, defense’s struggles over the last few games and the pressure of maintaining a winning streak against the Volunteers.

He talked about how playing rivalry games feels compared to normal games: 

“I definitely get immersed into the environment.” 

He then discussed the atmosphere of a home game after a month of away games:

“I feel like it’ll be big. It’s always good to play at home and I feel like we definitely produce way better results at home.”

Finally, he answered a question about the pressure in keeping up the team’s at-home winning streak against Tennessee.

“I really don’t like to look back to dates or wins where someone has won. I just like to look to the current time. Like, what we’ve got to do to beat the team.”

The sophomore also spoke about his opportunity to be a lead blocker, regrouping against tough-offense teams, and the team atmosphere leading into the Florida-Tennessee game.

“What makes it easy is the preparation. We repped that play a million times in practice for these upcoming weeks, these past weeks,” he said. “So when it came time to game, it lined up just like it did in practice.”

“These next two games, we’re focused on staying together as a team. On defense especially, we’re trying to better our communication. So, make sure we’re on the same page and those little mistakes don’t happen anymore.

Finally, he fielded a question about Billy Gonzales’ attitude going into this rivalry game. He stated that the whole team was looking forward to the same and that the team was “willing to make it personal.”

“We’re just trying to go out there and get another win for my seniors, and finish the season out strong.”

The Gators look to go 11-straight at home against Tennessee on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. in The Swamp.

Category: College Football, Feature Sports News, Football, Gators Football