The recent college football weekend provided several entertaining matchups, even though Florida’s season has ended. As the bowl season continues, here are three key takeaways from the weekend’s games:
- Florida’s 2025 Matchup with Miami: No Excuses In the Pop-Tarts Bowl, while the drama surrounding Cam Ward’s decision to opt out at halftime took center stage, Miami’s defense once again struggled. The Hurricanes’ defense allowed an Iowa State team—previously stifled by Arizona State—to dominate. With Ward gone by 2025, Florida must have no excuses for not scoring more than 17 points against a Miami team that gave up 30 or more points in six games during the 2024 season.
- Florida’s 2025 Matchup with Texas A&M: No Excuses Another team Florida will face in 2025 is Texas A&M, which also had a rough defensive season. The Aggies lost to Southern Cal in the Las Vegas Bowl, finishing 8-5—matching Florida’s record. After the game, Texas A&M’s head coach, Mike Elko, expressed frustration with his team’s defensive performance and even admitted that the Aggies were lucky to have beaten Florida earlier in the season. The Gators scored only 20 points in that game, while Texas A&M’s defense ended the year giving up significant points—44 to South Carolina, 43 to Auburn, and 35 to Southern Cal.
- Caleb Douglas’ Development During his time at Florida, Caleb Douglas was a capable receiver who didn’t always get the attention he deserved in the Gators’ offense. After missing the latter part of the 2023 season due to injury, he transferred to Texas Tech. Douglas had a strong 2024 season, finishing the regular season with 762 receiving yards. He capped off his year with a standout performance in the Liberty Bowl, recording five catches for 115 yards and ending the season with 877 receiving yards.