Florida Gators announce homecoming game for 2024 season

On3 imageby:Zach Abolverdi•04/03/24•

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Spring Practice No. 9 | Florida Gators Football

GAINESVILLE, Fla — The annual homecoming game for the Florida football team will be against Kentucky this season, UF announced on Wednesday. The matchup is scheduled for Oct. 19.

Last season, the Gators defeated Vanderbilt, 38-14, to win their fifth-straight homecoming game. UF owns a 72-26-2 record in homecoming games all-time, including a 30-5 mark since 1989.

To make it six in a row this season, Florida will have to snap a three-game losing streak to Kentucky. The Wildcats have owned the series in the past six years after 31 straight losses.

Mark Stoops ended the three-decade drought in 2018 with UK’s first win in The Swamp since 1979, and his program has defeated the Gators four out of the last six seasons.

After winning in Lexington in 2021 for the first time in 35 years, Stoops and the Wildcats beat Florida in Billy Napier’s SEC coaching debut and won again at UK last year, 33-14.

That marked Kentucky’s first three-game winning streak in the series since former coach Bear Bryant beat UF from 1948-51, and it hadn’t won back-to-back games since 1976-77.

The last time the Gators hosted Kentucky for homecoming was in 2008, a 63-5 blowout win. Florida kicks off the 2024 season on Aug. 31 with a home opener against rival Miami.

Billy Napier on 2024 Gators

The Gators held their first scrimmage on Saturday, marking the halfway point of spring camp. Here’s what Florida coach Billy Napier had to say after practice.

“I think in spring ball when you get to practice six, seven and eight, you know, you find out what type of team you have. And I told the staff, I’d find out what type of staff we had, and I think we made progress this week,” Napier said. “We’re kind of at the halfway point, scrimmage No. 1, first time we’ve tackled, first time we’ve kind of managed the in-game situation piece as players, and I think it’s really reflected what I’ve seen for the first seven. You know, I think practice has been very competitive. We’ve got a group of veteran players that are doing a good job kind of setting the tone and being a really good example.

“And then I see the young players, some of which were here last year, and some of which we just got here, are continuing to make progress, so I do think that I’ve been pleased with what I see. I do think that the next two weeks are going to be critical. I think that’s the big takeaway with the players walking off the field was we’re halfway and it’s important that we have a great focus over the next two weeks, so critical two weeks to come. We’ve got to get really specific about the areas where we need to improve. We’ll present plans to the players individually, the position groups, the units and the entire team.”

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