Steve Spurrier expresses hope for Florida to still reach a bowl under Billy Gonzales

Florida‘s season hasn’t gone as planned. Florida fired head coach Billy Napier after the Gators’ Week 8 win over Mississippi State. On Saturday, interim coach Billy Gonzales and the Gators put together a strong effort against Georgia, but ultimately fell 24-20.

Nonetheless, not all hope is lost. On Another Dooley Noted Podcast, former Florida head coach Steve Spurrier expressed some optimism for how the Gators could finish the season.

“I hope we’ve still got time to turn it around for Billy Gonzales and this team,” Spurrier said. “If we win— what—the next four, we’re bowl eligible. Gotta win. Gotta get to 6-6, and what are we, 3-5 right now? So, we can have a halfway successful season if they start winning. We got Kentucky, who can play defense, not much offense, but they play defense. So it’ll be a good test up there.”

Florida looked re-energized on Saturday with Gonzales leading the way. Gators quarterback DJ Lagway completed 15-of-his-24 pass attempts for 166 yards and a touchdown, without throwing an interception.

Nobody on Florida’s team outshined wide receiver Eugene Wilson III, who recorded a season-high 121 receiving yards and a touchdown on nine catches. For reference, Wilson entered the game with just 118 receiving yards on the season.

Florida will look to build on the momentum as it heads into its final stretch of the season. However, it won’t be easy. The Gators still have ranked opponents Ole Miss and Tennessee ahead on their schedule.

As Spurrier mentioned, Florida also has a showdown against Kentucky on Saturday. The Wildcats are riding high after defeating Auburn this past weekend, ultimately leading to the school firing head coach Hugh Freeze.

Kentucky’s defense will put Florida to the test. The Wildcats gave up just 241 yards of offense and three points to Auburn. Nonetheless, Billy Gonzales likes his team’s chances after the resiliency they showed against Georgia on Saturday.

“This football team, again, they have no quit. They’re a gritty team,” Gonzales said after the loss. “I’m just super proud of how they have bonded together. I just got done talking to them. Extremely hard. Extremely hard. They want to win.

“This team is not here to play. They want to win. I’m proud of them. I’m proud of them. Again, like I said, we got to go back to work as a staff to put them a better position so we can be successful and walk out of here as a winner.”