Florida needed a boost after a humbling defeat at Utah to open the season, and got it when it snapped a 4-game losing streak that dated to mid-November. Billy Napier looked to improve to 7-8 in his 2nd season, and did with a 49-7 win over McNeese on Saturday.

Florida hasn’t lost a home opener since 1989 when the Gators fell to Ole Miss. That means that Florida has won 34 consecutive home openers, which leads the NCAA for the longest active streak in college football.

The Gators got it in a big way with a win over McNeese. Graham Mertz started strong with a 7-for-7 passing burst to begin the game, and was 9-for-12 for 83 yards at halftime. Another bright spot was Treyaun Webb scored his first college touchdown to make it 19-0 in the first half.

Mertz finished 14-for-17 for 192 yards and a TD.

Rushing dominance

Florida had 212 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns in the first half on 30 carries. Montrell Johnson Jr. led the group with 11 carries for 94 yards and a TD to build a 26-0 halftime lead. The Gators kept it up with 65 more rushing yards in the 3rd quarter alone. Overall, the Gators topped 300 rushing yards for first time since their last win, a 38-6 decision against South Carolina.

Shemar James and Scooby Williams fly around

The Florida defense doesn’t have any 2 defenders who fly around more than Shemar James and Scooby Williams. They combined for 11 tackles, 2 solo and a half tackle for a loss. James shook off a lower-body injury during fall camp, and appears to be a clear team leader for the Gators. In the Utah game, James led the team with 13 tackles, 6 solo and picked up 1.5 tackles for loss. Williams, who made his first career start against Utah and finished with 2 tackles and a QB hurry, also is in line to be a key defender.

Ricky Pearsall leads big plays

Ricky Pearsall caught a 50-yard touchdown pass as Florida poured on 4 plays of at least 16 yards. Mertz hit 3 of those plays, and Max Brown came in and added a 16-yarder. Pearsall had 6 catches for 123 yards on 7 targets, and added 34 yards after catch.