Minor Mistakes Kill Major Expectations

Florida had every opportunity to end USF's upset bid and fell short for almost the entire game.

Florida Gators tight end Hayden Hansen (89) reaches for the ball in the endzone against the Florida Gators during the second half. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

The South Florida Bulls drowned the Florida Gators in the depths of their own swamp Saturday.

Waiting in the shallows, tracking their prey with the anticipation to drag them into deeper waters, the Bulls became the apex predator, playing the exact game they wanted to and trudging Florida into a battle just long enough to steal a win against a more talented opponent.

While head coach Alex Golesh and the entire Bulls program deserve a lot of credit for executing their attack, the overwhelming criticism towards a sloppy and undisciplined Florida team was more well-earned.

“We deserve it. If you play football like that, you're going to be criticized,” Billy Napier said after the disastrous loss. “It comes with the territory, right?”

The Gators had the talent to win on Saturday and the opportunity to put the game away early, consistently finding the red zone on their offensive drives while holding the Bulls to just three points for the first 28 minutes of the game. While averaging 12 plays and 67 yards gained per drive, Florida only managed nine points in the half despite scoring two touchdowns with another slipping through their hands.

First Half

Florida's first drive inside USF's 30-yard line, coming in the first quarter, stalled out after a false start on Bryce Lovett on 2nd-and-10 at USF's 13-yard line. An incomplete pass from DJ Lagway set up 3rd-and-15. A nine-yard catch by J. Michael Sturdivant got some of the last yards back, but Florida was forced to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Trey Smack.

Florida's next drive had much more success but even more failures.

The Gators had a pair of touchdowns called back to penalties with a 20-yard rush by Ja'Kobi Jackson nullified by a hold on Kamryn Waites and a 14-yard catch by Tony Livingston negated by a pass interference on Hayden Hansen.

An incomplete pass by Lagway on 3rd-and-14 set up another field goal by Smack to take a 6-3 lead.

A drive later, Florida only needed four plays to get inside USF's 30-yard line before only gaining six yards across the next four plays. Baugh accounted for all the yardage, which included a loss of one yard on 3rd-and-3, setting up Smack's third field goal of the day.

Florida executed on offense until they didn’t, seemingly consistently failing inside USF’s 30 despite multiple golden opportunities to get in the endzone.

Instead of a possible two-score hold on the game, the Gators kept themselves swimming in dangerous waters, up just three heading into the half.

Second Half

Out of the locker room, Napier’s team, a roster filled with experience in hardship and driven by resilience, got the ball first with a chance to respond to adversity with a knock-out punch that would likely kill any threat South Florida had built.

Instead, they went three-and-out, finishing the drive with negative eight yards on three plays. After a stop by the Gators' defense, Florida's offense went three-and-out for the second-straight possession.

Twelve minutes would go by with a chance for Florida to extend their small lead and extinguish the feeling of dread building throughout the stadium. The Bulls gave Florida opportunities, but the Gators responded with a punt, a pick, another punt and a safety, which ultimately became the difference..

Florida finished the third quarter with just one drive passing midfield, not only missing an opportunity to ruin South Florida’s upset bid before it got too serious, but handing the Bulls their first lead on a golden platter.

Though the Gators would grab the lead right back on the heroics of Vernell Brown III, the common theme of missed opportunity continued.

A true championship competitor, properly ranked as the No.13 team in the nation, may have finished the game with a stop while up 16-15 with 11 minutes to go.

Not the 13th-ranked Gators.

A true Florida Gators football team, whether extremely talented or not, should have surely ended it with another stop and the ball back with less than three minutes remaining.

Not the 2025 Florida Gators.

The opportunity was there, streaking down the field in an orange and blue jersey with the No. 8 on his back, but on par with the night as a whole, it slipped right through his fingers, giving South Florida yet another chance they so desperately needed.

A myriad of small mistakes, and the Bulls were in the driver's seat, just 89 yards from etching their names into history, yet Florida was not done helping them do so just yet. While the minor mistakes may have gotten them to the brink of an upset, Brendan Bett’s saliva finished the job.

Florida DL Brendan Bett was ejected after appearing to spit on another player. pic.twitter.com/VNfvjw15dF

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 7, 2025

As most of the country is well aware of now, South Florida would use Florida’s collapse in culture- a culture Napier is most adamant in establishing- to secure a victory that somewhat landed in their lap, sending the Gators season spiraling just eight quarters after it started.

Once ‘feeling different’ in Gainesville for Napier’s fourth year in town, the all but too familiar wretch in the gut reappeared quickly for many donning Orange and Blue.

“I don't like these any more than our fans do or you do. We have to do much better,” Napier said. “I think that we have a group that will respond, and tomorrow we'll present that opportunity.”

Though a story of disaster, the Saturday lights will still shine again on this Gators football team at least 10 more times before the season ends, leaving the door open for Florida to reach the expectations they entered with Week 2. The Gators have a schedule that still allows them to make noise, with redemption offered as soon as next week against a third-ranked LSU team in a tough environment.

As easy as one game can make a season feel lost, a win could have Florida right back on track for the season they expected.

“Good teams don't peak in September, they peak in December.” Florida quarterback DJ Lagway said after the loss. “I'm ready to continue to work hard and continue to take strides for greatness.”

A difficult path to making this season successful, the Gators will need to first win the battle against themselves, limiting the minor mistakes that may have killed the major expectations they had this year.