No. 8 Florida visits No. 25 Missouri with last loss in Columbia serving as the Gators' motivation

There is little to suggest that Florida and Missouri have any kind of rivalry besides the fact that both reside in the SEC.

They're separated by thousands of miles, one in the middle of the Heartland, the other closer to the beach than the farms and fields of the Midwest. Rarely have their paths intersected, and even after being thrown together by the irrationality of conference realignment, the Gators and Tigers have only played 13 times in their football history.

This is decidedly not Florida-Georgia or Missouri-Kansas.

Yet a series of frustrating losses, coupled with one demeaning photograph, can quickly build some animosity.

So it is with the No. 8 Gators and No. 25 Tigers, who meet Saturday at Faurot Field. Florida has lost three of its last four there, and the most recent defeat was frozen in time by an image someone captured of former Gators defensive end Tyreak Sapp, sitting on the sideline with legs splayed in front of him, as a trio of Missouri players — including current Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III — stood in front of him, one of them mocking him with a baby Gator chomp.

And even though he's new in town, Gators coach Jon Sumrall made sure his team knew all about that night.

“I mean, the last time Florida played there and lost, there were still guys who are on this team,” Gators safety DJ Coleman said. “He brought that up today to us, and I feel like it's going to be motivation, because we're trying to make history this season, and I feel like this is a small piece of history that we can control right now.”

The Gators (4-0, 2-0) are certainly on their way to making some history.

They've already matched their win total from Billy Napier's final season, and they did it by squashing then-No. 4 Ole Miss — fresh off an emotional win over LSU — by a 52-28 score last week in the Swamp. Their first four opponents are a combined 12-4 with their only losses coming to the Gators, while their 28 touchdowns are one fewer than they scored all of last season.

Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz called their success a reflection of their coach, whom he got to know while he was at Arkansas State and Sumrall was at Tulane. The two kept crossing paths while recruiting around Mobile, Alabama.

“You can just see with the energy that he brings, the passion — his energy is infectious. The way his team plays reflects the passion," Drinkwitz said. “If you know Jon at all, just reflects the way he carries himself, the confidence and physicality that he brings.”

As for the Tigers (3-1, 1-1), they're trying to bounce back after blowing a fourth-quarter lead in a 31-24 loss at Mississippi State.

“Obviously we've got things we need to clean up,” Missouri safety Elijah Dotson said, "but that’s what practice is for. We’re going to clean that up this week and get back to work.”

A history of close contests

The last three Florida-Missouri games have been decided by a touchdown or less, and the Tigers have won the past two in Columbia by a combined three points. That includes the most recent meeting, a 33-31 victory on Nov. 18, 2023.

Injury updates

Missouri hopes to have starting edge rushers Langden Kitchen and Darris Smith available as both have been dealing with lower-body injuries. The Gators likewise hope to have their leading receiver, Vernell Brown III, who strained a knee against Ole Miss. He has 17 catches for 271 yards and two touchdowns to go with two punt return TDs.

Defusing the explosive plays

Missouri has been prone to giving up big plays this season, allowing five of at least 20 yards and two of more than 40 in last week's loss to the Bulldogs. Now come the Gators, who are fifth nationally in total offense at 532.8 yards per game,

Spotlight in the backfield

Florida running back Jadan Baugh has shot into contention for the Doak Walker Award, given to the nation's top running back. He's No. 2 nationally in rushing with 600 yards through his first four games, and he has a nation-leading 11 touchdown runs.

Spotlight in the backfield, Part II

The Tigers remain without their All-American running back, Ahmad Hardy, who was shot as an innocent bystander following a concert in Mississippi in the offseason. Hardy has yet to return to practice, leaving Jamal Roberts in the feature role.

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