Florida Announces 2023 Homecoming Opponent, Date

Photo: Billy Napier and the Florida Gators; Credit: Alex Shepherd

Florida announced on Monday that its annual homecoming game for the 2023 season will be held on Oct. 7, featuring the Gators' Southeastern Conference matchup with the Vanderbilt Commodores. It will be the 100th homecoming game in program history.

UF owns a 71-26-2 record in the program's all-time homecoming games, dating back to the tradition's debut in 1916. Florida defeated Missouri, 24-17, in its 2022 homecoming bout.

The university will hold numerous events and festivities across campus in the days leading up to the matchup. For more information about homecoming provided by Gator Growl, click here.

Vanderbilt was Florida's homecoming opponent the last time the Commodores made their way to Gainesville in 2021. The Gators emerged victorious from that game by a score of 42-0.

However, circumstances between the programs couldn't be more different this time around.

Upon the conclusion of UF's and VU's 2021 homecoming matchup, the Gators had built up an eight-game winning streak against the Commodores in as many seasons, dating back to 2014.

The string of victories ended in 2022 when Vanderbilt shocked Florida in Nashville, Tenn., 31-24, in the penultimate regular season contest of Billy Napier's first year in charge of the Gators. The defeat solidified UF's second consecutive losing season in conference play, a streak of its own that the program hadn't previously endured since the 1950s.

Napier called the loss a "setback," regarding the team's momentum, following Florida's wins over Texas A&M and South Carolina in the back-to-back weeks leading up to the game.

"I think problems are often opportunities in disguise," Napier told reporters after the shellacking on Nov. 19. "There’s a lot of things that this can teach us. I think, ultimately, that’s what’s important here, that we learn from the experience. I think our group is well versed on what winning football looks like. We did not do what’s required to win today.”

Florida will hope to utilize its home-field advantage to get back into the win column against its annual SEC East foe.

You can find the Gators' full schedule for the 2023 season below.

Aug. 31, 2023: @ Utah
Sept. 9, 2023: vs. McNeese State
Sept. 16, 2023: vs. Tennessee
Sept. 23, 2023: vs. Charlotte
Sept. 30, 2023: @ Kentucky
Oct. 7, 2023 (homecoming): vs. Vanderbilt
Oct. 14, 2023: @ South Carolina
Oct. 28, 2023: vs. Georgia (Jacksonville)
Nov. 4, 2023: vs. Arkansas
Nov. 11, 2023: @ LSU
Nov. 18, 2023: @ Missouri
Nov. 25, 2023: vs. Florida State

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