2023 Florida Football Postgame Notes

Arkansas 39, Florida 36

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Steve Spurrier-Florida Field – Gainesville, Florida

THE OPENING DRIVE

• Florida played in its first overtime contest since Nov. 20, 2021 at Missouri (L, 24-23).
  o The Gators dropped to 5-5 all-time in overtime games.
  o It was the first overtime game in The Swamp since Nov. 21, 2015 vs. Florida Atlantic (W, 20-
  14).
• Saturday’s official attendance of 89,782 marked the fourth sellout in five games this season
  including the eighth of the Billy Napier era.
  OFFENSIVE NOTES
• QB Graham Mertz has thrown a touchdown pass in 24 of his last 27 games including all nine starts
  as a Gator.
  o Mertz has thrown multiple touchdown passes in five-straight games.
• Mertz completed 14 of 19 passes (74.0%) for 94 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
  o He finished 26-for-42 (62.0&) for 282 yards and three touchdowns (tied Gators high) for a
  141.9 passer rating.
• WR Eugene Wilson posted his first-career multi-touchdown game, finishing with two touchdowns
  and setting a career high with 90 receiving yards on eight catches.
  o Wilson III became the first true freshman receiver at Florida to record multiple touchdowns
  in a contest since Riley Cooper recorded three vs. Western Carolina on Nov. 18, 2006.
  o Wilson III caught touchdown receptions of 19 and six yards.
• WR Ricky Pearsall recorded a reception in his 37th-consecutive game, the seventh-longest streak in
  the FBS.
• RB Trevor Etienne set a new receiving long with a 41-yard grab in the fourth.
• Etienne rushed 12 times for 80 yards (6.7 YPC) and one touchdown.
• The Gators have rushed for 100-plus yards in 17 of their last 22 games since 2022 including six of nine
  games this season.
• Florida scored 30 points for the 11th time since 2022 including the fourth time this season.
  o The Gators scored 30-plus points for the 43rd time in their last 73 games, including scoring
  30-plus in 30 of the team’s last 49 games.
• RB Montrell Johnson Jr. and Etienne have combined for at least one touchdown in 17 of 22 games
  together, scoring 26 total TDs (rushing TDs in 17 of 22 games).
  o The duo has combined for 24 total rushing touchdowns.
• After having just three explosive plays in the first three quarters, Florida produced
  DEFENSIVE NOTES
  ● The Gators racked up a season-high five sacks against Arkansas as four different players got to the
  quarterback.
  ● Florida tied its season high with two takeaways (one interception, one fumble recovery).
  o The Gators have forced multiple takeaways in two of their last three games.
  ● The Gators also tied their season high with six tackles for loss.
  ● Florida started three true freshman on defense in LB Jaden Robinson, S Jordan Castell and LB Bryce
  Thornton.
  o Robinson was the first UF true freshman to start at linebacker since Shemar James in the
  2022 Las Vegas Bowl vs. Oregon State.

● S Jordan Castell recorded his first-career interception to end Arkansas’ last drive of the first quarter
and also finished with a career-high 11 tackles.
o He was the first UF true freshman to register an interception since Jason Marshall Jr. vs.
Florida State in 2021.

● LB Mannie Nunnery tied his career high with 10 tackles – his most as a Gator.
● Nunnery teamed up with DE Princely Umanmielen for a sack in the first quarter, marking his first
partial sack in Orange & Blue.
o Umanmielen finished with a career-high 2.0 sacks.
● CB Jaydon Hill picked up the first full sack of his career, setting a new single-game high.

● DB Javion Toombs, DE Quincy Ivory and K Trey Smack notched their first-career tackles.
● DE Kelby Collins set a career highs with seven tackles and 1.5 sacks while forcing his first-career
fumble.
● DL Chris McClellan tallied a career-high five tackles.
● The Gators recorded five sacks in tonight’s game.
o Since the start of 2021, Florida has out-sacked its opponents by a plus-18 margin.
o Florida’s 195 sacks since 2018 season ranks second in the SEC and tenth nationally.
● Since 1996, the Gators are tied for fifth nationally in interceptions with an SEC-leading 412.
● The Gators have produced at least one turnover in 16 of 22 games in the Napier era.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
● P Jeremy Crawshaw punted six times for an average of 49.8 yards including a long punt of 59
yards, two 50-plus yard kicks and three inside the opposing 20-yard line.
o Crawshaw has punted for 50-plus yards on 49 of 119 career punts.
● K Trey Smack finished 3-for-4 on field-goal attempts, connecting at 47, 34 and 39 yards and missing
from 44 yards.
o Smack moved to 14-for-16 on field-goal attempts in his career.
● WR Ricky Pearsall set a new punt-return long of 40 yards.
EXPLOSIVE PLAYS (11)
● Eugene Wilson III (from Graham Mertz): 19-yard touchdown reception, first quarter
● Trevor Etienne: 32-yard rush, first quarter
● Ricky Pearsall (from Mertz): 32-yard touchdown reception, third quarter
● Eugene Wilson III (from Mertz): 17-yard reception, fourth quarter
● Eugene Wilson III (from Mertz): 18-yard reception, fourth quarter
● Montrell Johnson Jr.: 10-yard rush, fourth quarter
● Trevor Etienne (from Mertz): 41-yard reception, fourth quarter
● Trevor Etienne: 26-yard rush, fourth quarter
● Eugene Wilson III (from Mertz): 15-yard reception, fourth quarter
● Arlis Boardingham (from Mertz): 16-yard reception, fourth quarter
● Arlis Boardingham (from Mertz): 20-yard reception, fourth quarter
SERIES UPDATES
● Tonight’s game represented the 13th all-time meeting between Florida and Arkansas including the
6th in Gainesville.
● With tonight’s victory, the Gators fall to 10-3 (.769) in the all-time series vs. Arkansas and 5-1 (.833) in
Gainesville.

• HC Billy Napier falls to 0-1 against Arkansas HC Sam Pittman in their first meeting as head coaches.
  THE STREAK
  ● Florida has scored in 445-consecutive games — which is an NCAA record and 54 games longer
  than any other college football team in history.
  o The Gators broke Michigan’s record of 365-consecutive games (1984-2014) against LSU on
  Oct. 7, 2017.
  o The last time Florida was shut out was on Oct. 29, 1988 vs. Auburn (L, 16-0).

GAME DETAILS
● Florida Game Captains: #2 Montrell Johnson Jr., #23 Jaydon Hill, #67 Richie Leonard IV, #15 Derek
Wingo
● Coin Toss: Florida won the toss and deferred; Arkansas received and Florida defended the south
end zone.
● Attendance: 89,782 (fourth sellout in five games this season)

University of Florida Football
Media Conference
Saturday, November 4, 2023
Gainesville, Florida, USA
Billy Napier
Press Conference

Arkansas 39, Florida 36
BILLY NAPIER: Oftentimes we’ll say to the players that
courage is working extremely hard on something and going
and giving your best, okay, with no guarantee of the
outcome that you want. I think that this game is rewarding
for a lot of reasons. It’s a great game for a lot of reasons.
We’ve been on the other side of a win like that.
I think that I feel for our players, right, because I do think
that in that game, I thought we competed. I thought our
players played with effort. They played well. We showed a
lot of fight. We get down 14-0, and we have to fight our
way back into that thing. We go to the locker room with a
tie game at the half, and it was a battle.
I said prior to the game, and I thought Arkansas had a
better team than their record indicates. They played a lot
of close games this year. Certainly we talked a lot about
the quarterback, the return of the running back, some new
wrinkles on offense, and we saw that today.
I think that that group in there, my challenge to them was to
be who they are because ultimately I think that it’s a group
that has character. I think it’s a group that cares for each
other and that has worked hard.
This game can teach you a lot. There’s so many things
that we’re going to learn as a result of today.
I do feel like there are things we can do better. I know
there will be questions about that. We had our
opportunities. There’s no question about it. We had many
opportunities throughout the day.
You know, the big thing is I know the players in that locker
room, I know every single one of them, and I do think that
this has been a good week for a lot of reasons, and I want
to make sure before you start asking questions that we
don’t lose sight of some of the good that was done this
week relative to saluting those who serve, the uniforms, the
values, the people that we heard from this week.

Ultimately the calls behind the jersey, and hopefully we
created some awareness.
I’m hopeful that our young people, and I think they would
say that they’re going to live life a little bit different because
of what they experienced this week.
But I do have a ton of respect for Coach Pittman, and
certainly his Arkansas team played well at times today.
What questions do we have here?
Q. How do you preach patience right now to the fan
base after a loss like this, disappointing, maybe
unexpected on some levels?
BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, it’s not my job to preach patience.
It’s my job to coach the team. It’s my job to lead those
young men in that locker room.
Again, I think ultimately I’ve got a job to do relative to the
people in that locker room. The most important thing to me
is the young people in that locker room.
Look, when you lose games, there’s going to be criticism.
It comes with the territory.
I understand it. I’ve grown up in this profession. It comes
with the territory. We knew this was going to be a
challenge, and we’re right in the middle of it.
I believe in the people in that locker room. That’s what I
would tell you. Ultimately what gives me conviction, what
do I think about, I think about what I can do to help the
players. How can I put them in a position to have more
success. How can we build a program where we impact
them as people. We prioritize education.
Ultimately our job is to develop football players and field a
team that can be competitive and be in contention, and we
certainly were competitive today.
Q. How much did Sanders’ return change the
complexion of things, pairing him with KJ? That was

kind of what they expected to have all season. And
then conversely the injuries on defense, you guys
worked out some key guys?
BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, I think we knew that — the
quarterback is well-documented. He’s a terrific player.
He’s been a good player for a long time. Heck, I feel like
he’s been around forever. He’s big, and that’s part of what
makes him a challenge is getting the guy on the ground
he’s unique in his ability to throw but also in his ability to
take off.
We struggled to tackle the guy. We struggled to finish on
the quarterback today.
I think you throw a good back, probably one of the better
backs in this league in the mix, and you can tell he’s big,
he’s physical, he can lean on you. Both of those players
were a huge factor in the game today. There’s no question
about it.
Q. End of regulation with the illegal substitution, what
happened there from what you saw?
BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, I think ultimately we have a
scenario where we would run the field goal team on the
field. That’s what you’re talking about, right? A player felt
like he heard that specific word, that scenario. We have a
player that’s in charge of that. And he did it. Ultimately,
the players around him followed him.
I’ll get to the bottom of it, but ultimately just having talked to
that player, I think he thought he heard it, and he did his
job.
There’s no question that there was some confusion there,
and we’re fortunate. We’re fortunate that we got away with
that.
That’s one that I haven’t been around before. I think that
player, he’s doing the absolute best that — he’s doing what
he thought he was supposed to do. We’ll get to the bottom
of it.
Q. Then you touched on it, but how different was
Arkansas’s offense with the new play caller? How
much of an impact did that have?
BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, I think there was no question they
did a good job, especially early, the tempo being the main
difference.
There were wrinkles. The pace with which they played on
the earned 1st downs in particular was a factor, and then
they did a good job spreading the field. The quarterback’s

ability to run the ball was a factor. The read game, the
empty Q-draw game, and then the GT counter. They did a
lot of things well.
I think they were probably 8 of 18 on 3rd down, 8 of 17, like
that. Man, I’m just like the players right now. I’m right in
the middle of that thing competing, so I think when we go
back and look at it, I’ll be able to give you a better answer.
But very evident that his legs were a factor today.
Q. The special teams unit has pretty much
consistently had issues, whether it’s been procedural
or otherwise. What can you do this late in the season
to help them or fix that, and at the end of the season,
do you have to look at changing the operation
completely there?
BILLY NAPIER: Well, specifically what are you talking
about?
Q. (Indiscernible) field goal block, the bad snap, and
then the procedural penalty running the guys on, then
they’ve had issues pretty much the whole season.
BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, I think that we had a few young
people today that had opportunities. That’s what I would
say. We also had some great punt returns today. We had
some great kickoff returns today. We covered kicks and
punts well today.
You know, I think it’s important here — and one of the
things that I respect about our team, there’s a lot of blame
to be spread out, and in this game in particular, I think
we’re going to look back at all parts of our team.
Every single thing that we do gets evaluated. When we
make mistakes that have nothing to do with the opponent,
those are the things that we specifically try to correct.
There’s no question what you’re talking about is part of our
process, and ultimately it comes down to doing the best
you can do for the players. We have a responsibility to do
the best we can do for the players.
There are things on offense and defense that we can do
well today, as well. So it’s all under evaluation. I think in
particular for me, things that have nothing to do with the
opponent, those are the things that you need to get fixed.
Q. Would you talk about the problems you had
protecting Graham early, and did that affect how you
play called? A lot of stuff that was horizontal, perhaps
because there wasn’t enough time to get him the ball
throwing it vertically?

BILLY NAPIER: Yeah, the edge players were significant
going into the game. I think if you talk to people around
our league, just turn on the tape. 40 and 7 in particular I
think are two of the better edge players in the league, and
then you throw in man coverage with pressure, creating
five one-on-ones, bracket coverage where they’re doubling
some of your guys and you’re having to hold the ball, it
definitely affected the game. There’s no question about it.
I think we protected with seven a few times. We threw it
down there a few times. It wasn’t successful. I think we
had one right there for a touchdown, but I do — it was a
factor for sure. I think we had to move the pocket. We had
to get the ball out of our hand. We had to try to rush the
ball effectively.
I think you’re spot on. It was definitely an issue within the
game and part of — one of the challenging things about
playing Arkansas going into it.
Q. Obviously a little bit of momentum halt here with a
daunting last three games with top-14 college football
teams that you guys will be going up against. What’s
your message to the team to keep them locked in for
the next three weeks?
BILLY NAPIER: We won’t have that problem with this
group. My message to them is be who you are, and I know
who they are. I think we’ve got a group consistently that
has showed up and put it on the line. That’s what I would
say.
You know, it’s what you do it for, to play and compete
against the best.
In our league every week is a challenge. You know, it’s
going to be no different next week than it was this week.
You’ve got to go earn the right to win, and ultimately I’m
hopeful that the experience that these guys are getting is
going to pay off.
You know, Arkansas went toe-to-toe with about everybody
they’ve played this year, and the same thing can be said
for today.
We play good players and good coaches every week, and
that group is up for the challenge. There ain’t nobody
running and riding in there, I can promise you. I appreciate
the question, but we’re not going to have that problem.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports

University of Florida Football
Media Conference
Saturday, November 4, 2023
Gainesville, Florida, USA
Graham Mertz
Press Conference

Arkansas 39, Florida 36
Q. Obviously disappointing result, finish at the swamp
here. How do you keep this team together for the last
three games do you think?
GRAHAM MERTZ: Yeah, I think it’s not going to be a
challenge to keep this team together. This team is so
close. The love we have for each other, that’s something
you build throughout the season. Obviously this is
extremely disappointing, but this needs to fuel this team,
and we’ll make sure it does.
Q. The run game has been kind of up and down the
last few weeks. How much more pressure does that
put on you guys when you’re not as balanced as you
want to be?
GRAHAM MERTZ: I think anytime you go into a game,
your focus is to be balanced. I think each game presents
different challenges and opportunities, so it’s kind of a
game to game — you’re going to go out there, you want to
play balanced, and depending on what the defense does,
you have to respond.
In every game you go into it with that mindset. I thought
that tonight the guys ran hard. I thought they had a really
good defense. We knew that going into the game. We
knew we had to set our pads before the game. I thought
the O-line did a good job, and we ran when we needed to
run.
Q. Could you speak a little bit to the inconsistencies
from the offense today to come out with back-to-back
scores, then I believe five of six drives punts, then
exchanging scores at the end. How frustrating is that?
GRAHAM MERTZ: Yeah, I think we’re going to look back
at the film, and I think we had a bunch of plays today, so
just kind of right now I’m big picturing it, but a bunch of
opportunities that we should have made that we didn’t.
Yeah, it’s frustrating. But I’m sure when you go back and

look at the film, it’ll all make sense on what we didn’t do
well, what we did well, and where we need to go.
Q. Talk about Trey’s continued emergence and Trevor
getting in the mix pretty big again. It’s been a little bit
for him. How key was that and nice to see, especially
heading down the stretch in some games you guys
were lucky enough to score some points?
GRAHAM MERTZ: Yeah, I think Trevor — Trey, I’ve known
Trey, he’s been like that since the day he got here. His
emergence to everybody else, but I’ve known what kind of
player he is and what he’s going to be for this place. It’s
awesome. That driver that Trevor just kind of took over, I
threw him a swing pass and he took it I don’t know how far
and ran it in.
We definitely need to make plays. We know what’s ahead
of us. We’re not shying away from that. We know we’ve
got to make plays. We’ve got to play together. We’ve got
to play hard. I think that’s something right in the front of
our mind right now.
Q. I asked Billy his message to fans, preaching
patience and all that. What are you hearing in the
locker room, seeing, that you would kind of pull back
the curtain for fans who are frustrated losing a game
like that?
GRAHAM MERTZ: I don’t think there’s anybody more
frustrated than the men on this team, the coaches on this
team. I think that’s for any sport. The fans are obviously
passionate, but this is our day-to-day, what we do. We
want to win. It’s frustrating when you don’t win.
There’s no part of me that feels like, oh, moral victory. No.
You lose the game. This flat-out was not acceptable.
That’s how it should be in the locker room.
Now all you can do after you do lose a game is look at the
facts on how to win the next one. For me, I’m so focused
on the weekly process, the game to game, that I don’t look
in the future, I look right now, what we need to do right now
to win the football game. We didn’t win today. That’s on
us. But no one is more frustrated than we are as players.

I’m sure everybody will have an opinion about it, but we
flat-out did not make enough plays today, and I’m sure the
film will say that.
Q. On that, is there anything in particular that stands
out to you that can maybe lead to more consistency, or
is there any element that you think of immediately
that’s like, we really need to do this in order to get
where we want to be?
GRAHAM MERTZ: Yeah, I think we just need to play as
one. We need to move as one unit in all three phases.
We need all 11 each play to make the play. It’s a
challenge in the SEC, but that’s got to be the focus of all 11
moving as one in each unit.
Q. Is there an element to the youth of this team that
you think might be a factor on a week-to-week basis in
terms of there are growing pains that come with
having a lot of freshmen and sophomores on the field?
GRAHAM MERTZ: Yeah, we are young, but I think I said
this earlier in the week. I’m proud of how the guys have
matured through the season. Coming from the game last
week, we knew we had to respond, and it didn’t finish the
way we wanted, but you start the game 14-0, back against
the wall, and I thought the guys responded to that, which
was a good sign.
But the guys are maturing. That’s what I’d say to that.
Q. On a little bit of a different note, Billy had said
despite the loss, you guys during the week, with the
Salute Those Who Serve week, learned a lot of
important lessons. Can you touch on what some of
those lessons are, especially what you learned from
James Slayton who ran on the field with you guys?
GRAHAM MERTZ: Yeah, we learned a ton. That’s one
thing that coming from this game that I’ll hold on to for a
really long time, honestly for the rest of my life. Like you
said, James is awesome. When he got up there and just
talked to the guys, the passion, the fire he had for the
career path that he chose, to serve us.
I can say that on my end I woke up every day just a little bit
more juiced up, a little bit more thankful, a little bit more
blessed to do this every single day. I’ll hold that close to
my heart every single day and know that this is a blessing
and to treat it as such, and I’ve said that so many times,
but this was a really good reminder that just as human
beings and as Americans we are so blessed to have what
we have, and to play a sport like this. Yeah, it was a big

week on that end.
Q. You guys did fall behind 14-0, but do you think the
energy was a little bit different because of that when
the game started, that, the black jerseys, there was
some hype leading into the game? Do you think the
team’s energy level was a little different because of
that?
GRAHAM MERTZ: Yeah, I think — one thing I will say
about this team is I’m glad to say that they’re juiced going
into every game. I think that’s one thing that we had to
learn that especially with an early start time you’ve got to
bring your own juice. We learned that lesson at Kentucky,
and I thought the guys had a better reply today or response
today.
Yeah, I think the meaning behind it is awesome. I thought
the guys were definitely fired up about the black uniforms.
But in the end, you’ve just got to make more plays, score
more points than the other team. It’s frustrating.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports

University of Florida Football
Media Conference
Saturday, November 4, 2023
Gainesville, Florida, USA
Ricky Pearsall
Press Conference

Arkansas 39, Florida 36
Q. I want to talk a little more about the emergence of
your teammate Eugene Wilson because it seemed to
have started with the Georgia game last week that he’s
targeted a little more. How much is that taking the
pressure off of you?
RICKY PEARSALL: Well, first off, Trey Wilson, he’s a
tremendous player. He’s a really gifted player. Then I also
have faith in everybody in the receiving room, so I think
anybody in the receiving room can step up and make those
big-time plays, but to highlight him, he’s doing a really good
job, so shout-out to him.
Q. How were you able to — you have the fumble on the
first drive but you seemed to put that away, made
some bigger plays. What’s going through your mind
during the fumble and how did the offense rally around
each other down 14-0 early?
RICKY PEARSALL: Yeah, it was a tough one, and I think
it just shows how close this team is together, too, because
as soon as that happened, as soon as I got to the sideline I
was greeted by my teammates, next play, next play, keep
your head up. I’m thankful for them, but that’s the game of
football right there. One-play mentality, next-play
mentality. I’ve got to leave that in the past, just like life.
Sometimes you have adversity and you’ve just got to push
through it.
Q. Sometimes one loss can bleed into another week.
Did you feel like the result last week had any effect this
week, and how do you put this one aside before you
go on to road to play LSU next week?
RICKY PEARSALL: No, I don’t think this was because of
our last loss at all. We go to work every single week and
practice. Coach Napier and all the rest of the coaching
staff gets us right every practice, and I don’t think it led to
that at all, and obviously we’ve got to put this loss behind
us, too, and get right back to work.

Q. Is there anything in particular that you think stands
out to you that’s maybe been restrictive over the last
couple weeks that maybe you guys need to solve in
order to really take that next step forward and get the
results you want?
RICKY PEARSALL: Yeah, I think when we go back and
we look at film, there’s going to be all kinds of things that
we could definitely do better, but I also think there’s going
to be some good things on tape, too, that we can take
advantage of and continue to move on and keep at that.
I don’t think there’s anything in particular that I can give you
an answer to, but that’s football. There’s going to be things
that you can do better and things that you’ve already done
good that you can expand on.
Q. Your punt returning was really great today. What
were you seeing out there and the ability to get that
going? What went into that?
RICKY PEARSALL: Yeah, I saw on tape that I would have
opportunities to catch some punts and return some punts.
I knew I had to take advantage of that. Whenever the
opportunity came, they kind of gave us some low kicking
balls, so I was like, I’ve got some time, and then they were
rolling and I’d catch it off the hop. My teammates do a
good job blocking for me.
Q. This offense struggled for a few quarters here, did
get it going in the fourth. Do you feel like you guys
have shown and are confident that you can get in
some shootouts, because they’re coming it looks like?
RICKY PEARSALL: Yeah, I think it’s just the same
mentality every time we go out on to the field is we’ve got
to score. I think something that I feel like we need to do a
better job at is winning the 1st down. We’ve got to make
sure that we get positive gains on the 1st down and get us
going.
Q. Jayden Daniels you have familiarity with?
RICKY PEARSALL: Mm-hmm.

Q. You’ve seen the season he’s having. How do you
go toe-to-toe with a guy like that?
RICKY PEARSALL: Yeah, he’s one of my close buddies.
We still talk to this day, and he’s a super talented dude.
He’s putting a lot on tape. I’m extremely proud of him, and
obviously he’s putting the world on notice. He’s an
extremely gifted kid.
Q. The emotion of the final drive in regulation, I’m
curious, you get it to a point where Trey could win it
and he’s been obviously very consistent for you but he
misses it. Did it bleed at all into the OT drive or what
were your thoughts about the execution of that first
drive where you guys had to settle for a field goal?
RICKY PEARSALL: Yeah, no, I think Trey does a really
good job of kicking the football. Sometimes he makes
them, sometimes you miss them. That’s just the reality.
Just like how I fumbled earlier in the game. We all went
behind him and made sure that he kept his head up, and
next-play mentality. He’s going to get another opportunity
to go out there and kick, and in overtime obviously he
made a field goal. I don’t think it bled into that at all. I think
we can play all day long and have the same mentality.
Q. You’re not a fumbler; I think that’s the first time
you’ve fumbled since you’ve been here. Would you
explain what happened on that play? Nobody saw it,
and all of a sudden, did the guy just rip it out on what?
RICKY PEARSALL: Yeah, I made a mistake, went to cut
back inside and obviously tried to make something happen,
but I kind of lifted the ball up a little bit too much, and when
I was making that cut back, I felt his hand actually go inside
in the pocket of my arm, and I was actually trying to get
down after that, but they kind of kept me up a little bit, and
then he just ripped it out. He made a really good play on it.
Q. What was this whole week like with all the events
going on for the Salute Those Who Serve and what
Sergeant Slayton taught you guys — running out on the
field but taught you guys during the week? What were
those things?
RICKY PEARSALL: Yeah, we had a lot of guys come in
and talk to the team after practice. It’s just a different level
of respect. They try to obviously come out there and try to
compare it to football, but it doesn’t compare at all. It’s life
or death for them. We obviously have the most upright
respect for those guys that came and talked to us, and we
learned a bunch of good things, all the things basically on
the back of our jersey.
Q. Billy said it was probably lessons you guys are

going to take for the rest of your lives. Would you
agree with that?
RICKY PEARSALL: Oh, yeah, for sure. Everything they
talked about after practice was all life lessons that we can
take and move through life with. Extremely blessed to be
able to get that opportunity to listen to them.
Q. Billy said earlier this week that Caleb Douglas was
making some progress toward a return. What can he
do to make you guys more dynamic?
RICKY PEARSALL: For sure. CD is an extremely talented
kid, as well. He helps the deep ball a lot. He’s a guy that
can go up and get the ball, and we’re going to be excited
when he gets to come back. He’ll give us some depth, too,
and another playmaker out on the field.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports

2023 Florida Football Postgame Quotes
Sam Pittman, Arkansas Head Coach

Arkansas 39, Florida 36
November 4, 2023

Opening statement…
“Florida’s got a really good football team. We knew going in there that they would be very physical,
which they were. Billy Napier’s a wonderful coach and a good friend of mine. I’m really proud of our
team because in two weeks’ time, a lot of stuff went on in the program and kids just stayed with us
and they stayed believing in it. We’ve come down here, I don’t know how many times we’ve played
in Gainesville, but we’re the first team to ever win here. It’s a big deal. Congratulations to Kenny
Guiton, he did a great job. To have the most yards that we’ve had all season, in a bye week and
Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday practice was a credit to him, the players and the coaching
staff. Obviously, we’re really excited about the win.”
On his message to the team…
“Talked about a lot of different things. We talked about the last week, or two weeks ago, where we
just couldn’t get anything going offensively. Defense had a chance to roll over on the offense. I
mean, they did. They had a chance to quit on them, but they didn’t. Today, with the special teams,
they kind of outplayed us in the first half. We came back and kind of kept us in the game in the
second half. Basically, I told them that you’re either quitting or you’re fighting. That’s it. In life. That’s it.
And you’re not doing maybe one or maybe the other. That’s what you’re doing. You’re fighting like
hell or quitting like hell. I just was really proud of them, really proud of them. Because we fought. And
what a great game. Just fortunate that they got on the winning end of it. But that’s what I talked to
them about and then I talked about Kenny [Guiton] and Devon Manuel and Ty’Kieast Crawford,
some guys that got to play today that hadn’t played for a while, and got some great minutes and
played well.”
On what Kenny Guiton brought to the table…
“We tried to find out what we could do with. He brought a lot of enthusiasm and a lot of belief from
the kids. A good coach gets his kids to play better than what they are. Not as good as they are,
better than what they are. A lot of coaches have that ability to do that. Some don’t. Kenny’s one of
those guys that has that ability. Kids respect him so they want to do well. You could feel it all week. I
didn’t know if we was going to win or not, but on Wednesday I felt like we were because of fastball
starts. I thought that the offense looked really good. I go down to the defense and Deke Adams, indy
and the D-line and the scout team offense line, are knocking heads and getting a lot done. I walked
away thinking we’re going to win. I just had that feeling. But, just the belief in him. He’s got a little
swag to him; a lot of charisma to him. The kids believe in him.”

On the strong start…
“How about the first drive? That was incredible. Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom. And then
Braxton Jaylin ripped the ball out and I looked up, I don’t know what it was, 10 minutes, 12:30-
something left in the first quarter and we’re up 14-0, which is great. But we hadn’t taken much time
out. And then they outplayed us in the special teams a little bit, had some short fields and went right
down and scored a couple times. But I don’t know if we could have scripted that any better.”
On the feeling in the locker room…
“It’s unbelievable. These kids work hard. Everybody does. You want to win but to see them all
happy…It’s a big deal to come to Florida and win. A big deal. At least it is in the locker room. It’s a big
deal to a lot of people and to be that excited. They needed that and they earned that. We have
never had a bad football team, we just had some bad luck, bad results, and bad coaching by me
and different things of that nature but we have always had a decent team. We just were losing
games like that and to win was incredible.”
On if the win impacts the rest of the season…
“I think it has to. I want to see us play really well at home. I want to see us play really well in front of
our fans, I mean really well. Our fans haven’t left us, they will be back out there. But I want to play
really well for them. We will have a good week. This will make it easier to have a good week. If we just
keep them accountable for everything they are doing we will get better. And bumps and bruises we
have a bunch of them so we are going to have to get healthy for next week.”
On the injuries…
“I don’t think we are going to get Ty [Washington] back for the year. [Patrick] Kutas will be back, I
don’t know when. [Andrew] Armstrong will be back, I don’t know when. Then there were two or three
more. I did not get an update on [Anthony Booker Jr.] Tank, it was some type of lower leg but I did
not get an update on him.”

2023 Florida Football Postgame Quotes

Arkansas Student-Athletes
Arkansas 39, Florida 36
November 4, 2023

17 Tyrone Broden, Redshirt Senior Wide Receiver

On the play call on the game winning touchdown…
“The play call was a backside slant and when I saw the safety come down, I knew it was over. I got
to my side, did my run, and he was under duress. Caught the ball, touchdown.”
On the last couple weeks under Kenny Guiton…
“Everybody loves KG. He’s so up-tempo, upbeat. He’s just a great guy that everyone wants to play
for.”
On KJ Jefferson missing him earlier on a post and whether the touchdown made up for it…
“Yeah, it was just a little miscommunication, but other than that it was good.”
On finally pulling one out after some tough losses…
“It feels good, and coach was saying the whole week, be the first team to beat them at The Swamp.
We came out and did that.”

1 KJ Jefferson, Senior Quarterback

On how the win felt…
“Surreal. It was a surreal moment, we really needed that. A great team effort. We battled the whole
game. We fought, we came close as a team, offensive guys were cheering defensive guys on,
talking to them. Defense came down there to us, talking to us, make sure that we’re keeping our
head on straight. Make sure we’re not getting too high, too low, staying even keel. So, it was a great
team effort, and special teams too as well.”
On his moment with Kenny Guiton after that game…
“I’m just excited for him. We really couldn’t even just talk, we just hugged each other, and just
hugging each other. Really surreal moment, proud of him. He took advantage of his opportunity
today and I felt like we all went out there and played our hearts out for each other, and also for him
as well.”
On what was different about his game today…
“Going into this bye week and just being able to get away from the game. Really evaluate, take
some time from it, and really dig down into myself and get well acquainted with what I need to do to
make sure that I’m playing my best ball and being KJ out there, having fun, and putting together a
great plan with Coach Guiton. Knowing the tempo was going to be able to help us out and it did
that.”

On how nice it was having Rocket Sanders back…
“It was really good out there. We were out there joking and playing on the field. It was great having
him back. He knocked the rust off a little bit this game. Over 100 (rushing yards) so that’s even better
for him. Proud of him and the way he’s handled everything going into this weekend. Also, him being
out, he still is a leader and making sure those guys was looking up to him, and he was asking
questions as well.”

27 Chris Paul Jr., Redshirt Sophomore Linebacker

On what it’s like to be a part of the first Arkansas team to win here…
“Feels phenomenal, we talked about this all week and we knew coming into this game a team that
tries to come out number one in The Swamp needs to work and we took pride in that in our
preparation this week, and coming down here we executed the plan.”
On what it was like seeing the offense perform the way they did today…
“We always knew our offense had it in them, we always had the confidence in them, just standing
behind them and letting them know that we are behind them like they are behind us as well, they
had our back a couple times today, too. Just talking with those guys and letting them know we still
have confidence in them no matter what’s going on in the outside world. I think that brought
confidence to them and helped how they played today.”
On the Braylen Jackson play and what did for momentum…
“So, when I saw him snatch the ball I didn’t know he had it at first. I was about to run to the sideline,
then he started taking off down the sideline. But you know just seeing a young guy like that make
impact plays so early in his career versus a good team like Florida, it was just so phenomenal. I was
like, man, he got a great future ahead of him, just to have those big plays at such a young age. It’s
only going to get better with time and I told him congrats on that.”
On the four touchdowns the defense has scored this year…
“It’s just a pride that we take on the brand of football that we want to play. You know, stop the run
and just have fun and we did that today and we came out with the result we wanted.”

5 Raheim Sanders, Junior Running Back

On Winning in his home state…
“It felt good, you know. Like I said to one of the guys, it just felt like being back in like Tampa my first
year.”
On dealing with the injury…
“Yeah, definitely I feel like 100% the process of it was well it was a mind thing, of course I was hurting,
but it was a mind thing, just trusting you know. With the tempo I trust it way more and I feel way better
than I was two three weeks ago.”
On building on this game…
“I go with the team-first, just taking this game as in a negativity thing but as a positive thing where like
we can get rolling just with the guys on both sides of the ball, but you know when it comes down to
Monday you know it comes down to the next team.”