Win at No. 4 Miami Could Reignite Dark Season for Florida Gators

Florida faces mounting outside pressure, but an upset on Saturday could be the spark to completely turn Florida's season around.

Sitting at 1-2, the Florida Gators are in desperate need of a win. | Kyle Lander / Florida Gators on SI

Saturday's matchup with the No. 4 Miami Hurricanes in Hard Rock Stadium is shaping up to be a critical juncture for the Florida Gators' 2025 season. 

A loss to the Hurricanes, and the dark clouds only grow bigger. On the other hand, a win could reignite the fire within them and be a starting point to turn the season around, as they did near the end of the 2024 campaign. 

“I feel like we need a big win,” receiver Aidan Mizell said. “I feel like this would be perfect to get that big win, start a domino effect, kind of how we did it last year towards the end of the season. Just get this train rolling."

One similarity to last season’s turnaround is that the Gators were coming off a two-game losing streak as they are now. This time, though, they will be on the road rather than hosting two consecutive games. 

Winning down in Miami won’t be an easy task for the Gators. The Hurricanes are 3-0 on the year at their home stadium, with wins over two ranked opponents. Furthermore, they are averaging 40.3 points per game (T-26th in scoring offense), led by quarterback Carson Beck, and surrendering just 13 points per game (28th in scoring defense). 

It also does not help that the Gators are winless in their last three tries in Miami since 1985, but Gators safety Jordan Castell is looking to fix that. 

“No, I ain’t know that one, but we got to change that,” he said on Wednesday. 

This won’t be the only source of motivation going into the contest, though. 

Before they turned their fortunes around last season, their 2024 campaign began with a thumping handed to them by the Hurricanes. Miami came, saw and conquered the Gators 41-17 in Week 1, propelling themselves into playoff contention while sending the Gators into chaos. 

Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) embarrassed the Florida Gators' defense in 2024. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

This loss to their in-state rivals is still fresh and motivated the team the rest of the season, Mizell explained. 

“Yeah, for sure. It sucks how we started off last year; that’s just fuel on the fire,” he said. 

Additionally, Castell wants revenge for how the Miami offense toyed with the Gators' defense a year ago.

"Yeah, they came in here, you know, they whooped us, like, if we're being real,” Castell said. “So, of course, you know, the defense wants to get back."

The Gators' contest with the Hurricanes is expected to kick off at 7:30 p.m. with television coverage provided by ABC.