# 2016 Florida Gators football team

The 2016 Florida Gators football team represented the University of Florida in the sport of American football during the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Gators played their home games at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Florida, and competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). They were led by second-year head coach Jim McElwain. They finished the season 9–4, 6–2 in SEC regular season play to represent the Eastern Division in the SEC Championship Game where they lost to Alabama. They were invited to the Outback Bowl where they defeated Iowa.

## Schedule

Florida announced its 2016 football schedule on October 29, 2015. The 2016 schedule consisted of seven home, five away, and one neutral site games in the regular season. The Gators were to host SEC foes Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, and South Carolina, and travel to Arkansas, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt. Florida played Georgia in Jacksonville, Florida.
The Gators traveled to Arkansas for the first time since 2008. The team hosted two of its three non–conference games, including Massachusetts and North Texas from Conference USA. They were set to play Presbyterian, from the Big South Conference, but the game was canceled to make room for the makeup game against LSU. Florida traveled to Tallahassee for their final regular season game to play in–state rival Florida State from the Atlantic Coast Conference.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 3 | 7:30 p.m. | UMass* | No. 25 | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL | SECN | W 24–7 | 88,121 |
| September 10 | 3:30 p.m. | Kentucky | | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL (rivalry) | CBS | W 45–7 | 85,821 |
| September 17 | 7:30 p.m. | North Texas* | No. 23 | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL | ESPNU | W 32–0 | 86,848 |
| September 24 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 14 Tennessee | No. 19 | Neyland StadiumKnoxville, TN (rivalry) (College GameDay) | CBS | L 28–38 | 102,455 |
| October 1 | 12:00 p.m. | at Vanderbilt | No. 23 | Vanderbilt StadiumNashville, TN | SECN | W 13–6 | 30,565 |
| October 15 | 4:00 p.m. | Missouri | No. 18 | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL | SECN | W 40–14 | 88,825 |
| October 29 | 3:30 p.m. | vs. Georgia | No. 14 | EverBank FieldJacksonville, FL (rivalry / SEC Nation) | CBS | W 24–10 | 84,681 |
| November 5 | 3:30 p.m. | at Arkansas | No. 10 | D.W.R. Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR (SEC Nation) | CBS | L 10–31 | 74,432 |
| November 12 | 12:00 p.m. | South Carolina | No. 22 | Ben Hill Griffin StadiumGainesville, FL (SEC Nation) | CBS | W 20–7 | 89,614 |
| November 19 | 1:00 p.m. | at No. 16 LSU | No. 21 | Tiger StadiumBaton Rouge, LA (rivalry / SEC Nation) | SECN | W 16–10 | 102,043 |
| November 26 | 8:00 p.m. | at No. 15 Florida State* | No. 13 | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL (rivalry) | ABC | L 13–31 | 78,342 |
| December 3 | 4:00 p.m. | vs. No. 1 Alabama | No. 15 | Georgia DomeAtlanta, GA (SEC Championship Game / rivalry / SEC Nation) | CBS | L 16–54 | 74,632 |
| January 2, 2017 | 1:00 p.m. | vs. No. 21 Iowa* | No. 20 | Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL (Outback Bowl) | ABC | W 30–3 | 51,119 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||
    The game between Florida and LSU was postponed in advance of the arrival of Hurricane Matthew. It was originally scheduled for October 8 at Florida Field in Gainesville but was moved to November 19 at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, replacing the previously scheduled game against Presbyterian.
    Schedule source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 25 | RV | 23 | 19 | 23 | 18 | 18 | 15 | 14 | 10 | 22 | 21 | 13 | 15 | 20 | 14 |
| Coaches | 25 | 25 | 23 | 16 | 21 | 18 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 9 | 16 | 18 | 13 | 16 | 18 | 13 |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | 11 | — | 23 | 15 | 15 | 17 | Not released |

## Game summaries
### UMass

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| UMass | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| No. 25 Florida | 7 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida
* Date: September 3, 2016
* Game time: 7:40 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 79 °F (26 °C) • Wind: SW at 8 miles per hour (13 km/h) • Weather: Light rain, 87% humidity
* Game attendance: 88,121
* Referee: James Carter
* TV announcers (SEC Network): Tom Hart and Andre Ware
* Boxscore
Game information :
First Quarter
Florida – Antonio Callaway 12-yard pass from Luke Del Rio (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 3:57
Second Quarter
UMass – Ross Comis 5-yard run (Mike Caggiano kick), 14:18
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 40-yard field goal, 0:08
Fourth Quarter
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 49-yard field goal, 11:14
Florida – Brandon Powell 26-yard pass from Luke Del Rio (Luke Del Rio pass to Freddie Swain), 8:04
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 48-yard field goal, 2:26
Passing leaders
MASS – Ross Comis – 9/17, 141 yards
FLA – Luke Del Rio – 29/44, 256 yards, 2 touchdowns
Rushing leaders
MASS – Marquis Young – 19 carries, 59 yards
FLA – Jordan Scarlett – 13 carries, 70 yards
Receiving leaders
MASS – Andy Isabella – 3 receptions, 95 yards
FLA – Brandon Powell – 7 receptions, 73 yards, 1 touchdown
Tackling leaders
MASS – Tedrick Lowery – 11 tackles
FLA – Jarrad Davis – 9 tackles :
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
| First meeting |||
Uniform Combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
The 2016 season kicked off with a prime time game against the UMass Minutemen, and was the first contest ever between the two schools. Before the game, the Gators conducted a ceremony to honor Steve Spurrier, Florida's winningest football coach, by renaming the playing surface to Steve Spurrier–Florida Field.

### Kentucky

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Kentucky | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| Florida | 14 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 45 |
at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida
* Date: September 10, 2016
* Game time: 3:39 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 91 °F (33 °C) • Wind: NE at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) • Weather: Cloudy, 50% humidity
* Game attendance: 85,821
* Referee: Matt Austin
* TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson
* Boxscore
Game information :
First Quarter
Florida – Mark Thompson 3-yard run (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 2:34
Florida – Antonio Callaway 78-yard pass from Luke Del Rio (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 0:37
Second Quarter
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 54-yard field goal, 5:57
Florida – Brandon Powell 5-yard pass from Luke Del Rio (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 0:18
Third Quarter
Florida – Freddie Swain 26-yard pass from Luke Del Rio (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 12:25
Florida – Jordan Scarlett 4-yard run (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 3:40
Fourth Quarter
Florida – La'Mical Perine 28-yard pass from Luke Del Rio (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 14:19
Kentucky – Jojo Kemp 2-yard run (Austin MacGinnis kick), 4:27
Passing leaders
KEN – Stephen Johnson – 1/3, 45 yards
FLA – Luke Del Rio – 19/32, 320 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception
Rushing leaders
KEN – Stanley Williams – 12 carries, 66 yards
FLA – La'Mical Perine – 17 carries, 105 yards
Receiving leaders
KEN – Jeff Badet – 1 reception, 45 yards
FLA – Antonio Callaway – 5 receptions, 129 yards, 1 touchdown
Tackling leaders
KEN – Jordan Jones and Blake McClain – 9 tackles
FLA – Alex Anzalone – 6 tackles :
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
| 49–17 | September 19, 2015 | Florida, 14–9 |
Uniform Combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
Florida's last loss to Kentucky came in 1986. Since then, Florida has defeated the Wildcats 29 years in a row, the longest active winning streak over an annual opponent. The all-time record is Notre Dame's 43-game winning streak against Navy from 1964 to 2006. Last year's game at Commonwealth Stadium was closely contested. Florida did lead 14–3 at halftime, although Kentucky was able to narrow the Gators' lead to 5 with two fourth quarter field goals before time expired.

### North Texas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| North Texas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 23 Florida | 5 | 14 | 0 | 13 | 32 |
at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida
* Date: September 17, 2016
* Game time: 7:32 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 83 °F (28 °C) • Wind: E at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h) • Weather: Cloudy, 73% humidity
* Game attendance: 86,848
* Referee: David Smith
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Clay Matvick and Dusty Dvoracek
* Boxscore
Game information :
First Quarter
Florida – Team safety, 13:04
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 22-yard field goal, 8:49
Second Quarter
Florida – Jordan Cronkrite 6-yard run (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 12:32
Florida – La'Mical Perine 2-yard run (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 3:00
Fourth Quarter
Florida – Mark Thompson 20-yard run, 13:46
Florida – Jordan Scarlett 1 yard run (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 7:15
Passing leaders
NT – Mason Fine – 6/22, 66 yards, 1 interception
FLA – Luke Del Rio – 14/25, 186 yards, 1 interception
Rushing leaders
NT – Jeff Wilson – 10 carries, 26 yards
FLA – Mark Thompson – 11 carries, 85 yards, 1 touchdown
Receiving leaders
NT – Thaddeous Thompson – 3 receptions, 50 yards
FLA – Josh Hammond – 2 receptions, 72 yards
Tackling leaders
NT – Nate Brooks – 8 tackles
FLA – Jarrad Davis and Marcus Maye – 6 tackles :
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
| 0–1 | October 4, 1947 | North Texas State, 20–12 |
Uniform Combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
This was the second meeting between the two schools, with North Texas having won the only prior game, 20–12, in 1947.

### Tennessee

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 19 Florida | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
| No. 14 Tennessee | 0 | 3 | 14 | 21 | 38 |
at Neyland Stadium • Knoxville, Tennessee
* Date: September 24, 2016
* Game time: 3:39 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 91 °F (33 °C) • Wind: NNE at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h) • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 102,455
* Referee: Matt Loeffler
* TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson
* Boxscore
Game information :
First Quarter
Florida – DeAndre Goolsby 3-yard pass from Austin Appleby (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 13:35
Second Quarter
Florida – Jordan Cronkrite 15-yard pass from Austin Appleby (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 14:10
Florida – Jordan Scarlett 1 yard run (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 5:12
Tennessee – Aaron Medley 28-yard field goal, 2:39
Third Quarter
Tennessee – Jalen Hurd 23-yard pass from Joshua Dobbs (Aaron Medley kick), 7:29
Tennessee – Ethan Wolf 20-yard pass from Joshua Dobbs (Aaron Medley kick), 0:59
Fourth Quarter
Tennessee – Jauan Jennings 67-yard pass from Joshua Dobbs (Aaron Medley kick), 12:45
Tennessee – Josh Malone 42-yard pass from Joshua Dobbs (Aaron Medley kick), 11:48
Tennessee – Joshua Dobbs 5-yard run (Aaron Medley kick), 8:27
Florida – Freddie Swain 10-yard pass from Austin Appleby (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 4:17
Passing leaders
FLA – Austin Appleby – 23/39, 296 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception
TENN – Joshua Dobbs – 16/32, 319 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception
Rushing leaders
FLA – Jordan Scarlett – 10 carries, 44 yards
TENN – Jalen Hurd – 26 carries, 95 yards
Receiving leaders
FLA – Antonio Callaway – 4 receptions, 134 yards
TENN – Jauan Jennings – 3 receptions, 111 yards, 1 touchdown
Tackling leaders
FLA – Alex Anzalone – 12 tackles
TENN – Colton Jumper – 8 tackles :
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
| 26–19 | September 26, 2015 | Florida, 28–27 |
Uniform Combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
Florida engineered a thrilling fourth quarter comeback in last year's contest. Tennessee led 27–14 with 10:19 remaining in the game. The Gators scored a touchdown with 4:09 remaining, and forced Tennessee to punt on the following possession. The next drive ended when Will Grier, facing 4th-and-14 at their own 37-yard line, completed a pass to Antonio Callaway who raced to the end zone to tie the game at 27. Jorge Powell made the extra point to give the Gators a one-point lead with 1:26 remaining. On the ensuing drive, Tennessee's Aaron Medley was able to attempt a game-winning 55-yard field goal with 3 seconds remaining, but missed wide right.

### Vanderbilt

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 23 Florida | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Vanderbilt | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
at Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, Tennessee
* Date: October 1, 2016
* Game time: 12:01 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Wind: W at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h) • Weather: Cloudy
* Game attendance: 30,565
* Referee: James Carter
* TV announcers (SEC Network): Tom Hart and Andre Ware
* Boxscore
Game information :
Second Quarter
Florida – Jordan Scarlett 4-yard run (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 6:27
Vanderbilt – Tommy Openshaw 38-yard field goal, 2:13
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 42-yard field goal, 0:00
Third Quarter
Vanderbilt – Tommy Openshaw 27-yard field goal, 2:54
Fourth Quarter
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 26-yard field goal, 8:17
Passing leaders
FLA – Austin Appleby – 19/28, 144 yards
VAN – Kyle Shurmur – 9/25, 82 yards, 1 interception
Rushing leaders
FLA – Jordan Scarlett – 12 carries, 55 yards, 1 touchdown
VAN – Ralph Webb – 24 carries, 110 yards
Receiving leaders
FLA – C'yontai Lewis – 2 receptions, 39 yards
VAN – Kalija Lipscomb – 3 receptions, 43 yards
Tackling leaders
FLA – Jarrad Davis – 15 tackles
VAN – Zach Cunningham – 14 tackles :
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
| 37–10–2 | November 7, 2015 | Florida, 9–7 |
Uniform Combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
Florida scored a touchdown in the first quarter of last year's game, but the extra point was missed. Vanderbilt's rush leader, Ralph Webb, ran 74-yards for a game-tying touchdown, and Hayden Lekacz made the extra point to put the Commodores ahead 7–6 to go into halftime. Every drive of the third quarter for both teams ended with a punt. Finally with 3:10 remaining in the fourth quarter, Austin Hardin made a 43-yard field goal to put the Gators ahead 9–7. The defense was able to hold off Vanderbilt on the ensuing drive, and the Gators were able to run off the final seconds to earn a 9–7 escape.

### Missouri

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Missouri | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| No. 18 Florida | 0 | 20 | 6 | 14 | 40 |
at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida
* Date: October 15, 2016
* Game time: 4:01 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 82 °F (28 °C) • Wind: E at 11 miles per hour (18 km/h) • Weather: Light rain, 75% humidity
* Game attendance: 88,825
* Referee: Brad Rogers
* TV announcers (SEC Network): Brent Musburger and Jesse Palmer
* Boxscore
Game information :
Second Quarter
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 53-yard field goal, 11:56
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 24-yard field goal, 5:45
Florida – Teez Tabor 39-yard interception return (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 3:25
Florida – Quincy Wilson 78-yard interception return (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 1:14
Third Quarter
Missouri – Josh Augusta 1 yard run (Tucker McCann kick), 12:32
Florida – Tyree Cleveland 20-yard pass from Luke Del Rio, 3:47
Fourth Quarter
Florida – Jordan Scarlett 33-yard run (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 11:43
Missouri – Ish Witter 1 yard run (Tucker McCann kick), 1:23
Florida – Antonio Callaway 44-yard kick return (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 1:17
Passing leaders
MIZZ – Marvin Zanders – 3/4, 59 yards
FLA – Luke Del Rio – 18/38, 236 yards, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions
Rushing leaders
MIZZ – Damarea Crockett – 14 carries, 145 yards
FLA – La'Mical Perine – 11 carries, 106 yards
Receiving leaders
MIZZ – Richaud Floyd – 1 reception, 34 yards
FLA – Tyrie Cleveland – 3 receptions, 79 yards, 1 touchdown
Tackling leaders
MIZZ – Michael Scherer – 10 tackles
FLA – Alex Anzalone and Jarrad Davis – 8 tackles :
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
| 2–2 | October 10, 2015 | Florida, 21–3 |
Uniform Combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
Last year's game saw both teams score on their opening drives – Florida with a touchdown, Missouri with a field goal. Florida scored a second touchdown in the first quarter, which after a scoreless second quarter gave the Gators a 14–3 lead over the Tigers. The Gators scored again with their third and final touchdown of the game in the third quarter, and held the Tigers scoreless through the second half, earning the Gators a 21–3 victory and 6–0 start to the season.

### Georgia

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 14 Florida | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
| Georgia | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at EverBank Field • Jacksonville, Florida
* Date: October 29, 2016
* Game time: 3:39 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind: NE at 13 miles per hour (21 km/h) • Weather: Partly cloudy, 67% humidity
* Game attendance: 84,681
* Referee: Hubert Owens
* TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson
* Boxscore
Game information :
First Quarter
Georgia – Rodrigo Blankenship 25-yard field goal, 9:59
Florida – C'yontai Lewis 19-yard pass from Luke Del Rio (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 0:17
Second Quarter
Georgia – Riley Ridley 14-yard pass from Jacob Eason (Rodrigo Blankenship kick), 12:02
Florida – Jordan Scarlett 2-yard run (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 1:37
Third Quarter
Florida – Antonio Callaway 4-yard run (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 3:11
Fourth Quarter
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 38-yard field goal, 4:24
Passing leaders
FLA – Luke Del Rio – 15/25, 135 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
UGA – Jacob Eason – 15/33, 143 yards, 1 touchdown
Rushing leaders
FLA – Jordan Scarlett – 26 carries, 93 yards, 1 touchdown
UGA – Nick Chubb – 9 carries, 20 yards
Receiving leaders
FLA – Antonio Callaway – 4 receptions, 42 yards
UGA – Terry Godwin – 5 receptions, 57 yards
Tackling leaders
FLA – Jarrad Davis – 7 tackles
UGA – Deandre Baker – 10 tackles :
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
| 42–49–2 (per Florida) 42–50–2 (per Georgia) | October 31, 2015 | Florida, 27–3 |
Uniform Combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
One of only two neutral-site SEC series (Arkansas–Texas A&M), Florida and Georgia have played a storied series since 1906 (though Georgia contends that they first met in 1904). The game has been held in Jacksonville since 1933, only playing a home-and-home in 1994 and 1995 due to construction of Jacksonville Municipal Stadium. Florida drew first blood in last year's game when a muffed punt was recovered by Florida in Georgia's end zone at the end of the first quarter. Florida entered the second quarter leading 6–0 after a muffed punt in the end zone, despite a blocked extra point. The Gators added to their lead in the second quarter with two touchdowns, one from Harris–Callaway touchdown pass, the other from a 3-yard run by Kelvin Taylor following Georgia quarterback Faton Bauta's second interception and went to the locker room with a 20–0 lead. Georgia scored the only points of the third quarter with Marshall Morgan's 26-yard field goal. Georgia's Faton Bauta threw his third interception of the game in the fourth quarter, and Florida answered with a 3-minute touchdown drive. Georgia's final drive of the game ended with a fifth interception for Faton Bauta, and Jim McElwain earned his first victory over the Gators' bitter rival in his first year.

### Arkansas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 10 Florida | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Arkansas | 14 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 31 |
at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, Arkansas
* Date: November 5, 2016
* Game time: 3:37 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 66 °F (19 °C) • Wind: E at 3 miles per hour (4.8 km/h) • Weather: Scattered clouds
* Game attendance: 74,432
* Referee: David Smith
* TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler and Aaron Taylor
* Boxscore
Game information :
First Quarter
Arkansas – Santos Ramirez 24-yard interception return (Adam McFain kick), 12:20
Arkansas – Rawleigh Williams III 6-yard run (Adam McFain kick), 5:56
Florida – Duke Dawson 37-yard interception return (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 2:44
Second Quarter
Arkansas – Drew Morgan 7-yard pass from Austin Allen (Adam McFain kick), 0:16
Fourth Quarter
Arkansas – Adam McFain 36-yard field goal, 9:14
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 49-yard field goal, 6:41
Arkansas – Rawleigh Williams III 41-yard run (Adam McFain kick), 5:40
Passing leaders
FLA – Luke Del Rio – 19/37, 229 yards, 2 interceptions
ARK – Austin Allen – 15/26, 243 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
Rushing leaders
FLA – Mark Thompson – 3 carries, 19 yards
ARK – Rawleigh Williams III – 26 carries, 148 yards, 2 touchdowns
Receiving leaders
FLA – Antonio Callaway 4 receptions, 44 yards
ARK – Drew Morgan – 7 receptions, 95 yards, 1 touchdown
Tackling leaders
FLA – Marcus Maye – 11 tackles
ARK – Brooks Ellis, Dwayne Eugene, and Santos Ramirez – 5 tackles :
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
| 9–1 | October 5, 2013 | Florida, 30–10 |
Uniform Combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |

### South Carolina

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| South Carolina | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| No. 22 Florida | 7 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 20 |
at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium • Gainesville, Florida
* Date: November 12, 2016
* Game time: 12:08 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Wind: ENE at 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h) • Weather: Sunny, 51% humidity
* Game attendance: 89,614
* Referee: Brad Rogers
* TV announcers (CBS): Brad Nessler & Aaron Taylor
* Boxscore
Game information :
First Quarter
Florida – C'yontai Lewis 6-yard pass from Austin Appleby (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 11:17
Second Quarter
Florida – Ahmad Fulwood 18-yard pass from Austin Appleby (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 9:37
Third Quarter
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 54-yard field goal, 7:28
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 36-yard field goal, 0:52
Fourth Quarter
South carolina – David Williams 1 yard run (Elliott Fry kick), 6:53
Passing leaders
SCAR – Jake Bentley – 18/33, 213 yards, 1 interception
FLA – Austin Appleby – 17/21, 201 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception
Rushing leaders
SCAR – David Williams – 7 carries, 20 yards, 1 touchdown
FLA – Jordan Scarlett – 20 carries, 134 yards
Receiving leaders
SCAR – Hayden Hurst – 3 receptions, 63 yards
FLA – Ahmad Fulwood – 2 receptions, 48 yards, 1 touchdown; Antonio Callaway – 4 receptions, 48 yards
Tackling leaders
SCAR – Darius English – 10 tackles
FLA – David Reese – 11 tackles :
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
| 25–8–3 | November 14, 2015 | Florida, 24–14 |
Uniform Combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
Jim McElwain's predecessor Will Muschamp, in his first year as Steve Spurrier's full-time successor at South Carolina, returned to The Swamp for the first time since his 2014 firing from Florida. Last year, Florida 17–0 lead to enter the fourth quarter before Pharoh Cooper and Perry Orth caught touchdown passes from each other on consecutive drives. On the ensuing drive, however, Florida was able to consolidate their squandered lead, and earned the game's final score as the Gamecocks were unable to answer.

### LSU
#### Postponement and rescheduling

The 2016 Florida-LSU game was originally scheduled to be played at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, on October 8. However, it was postponed on the Thursday before the contest due to the approach of Hurricane Matthew, which forced over one million Floridians to evacuate and caused almost $3 billion in damage as it moved up Florida's Atlantic coast on October 6 and 7. Administrators at the two schools had difficulty coming to agreement on when and where to reschedule the game. The most likely date appeared to be November 19, when both schools were scheduled to play home games against non-conference opponents. However, LSU athletic director Joe Alleva refused to buy out the school's contract with South Alabama and play Florida in Gainesville as originally scheduled, stating that "We are going to have a home game on November 19th." The reluctance of Florida officials to agree to move the game to Baton Rouge cast doubt on whether the contest would be played at all, and led to accusations that the Gators were "scared" to play LSU, comments that head coach Jim McElwain and Gator players strongly refuted.
Eventually, the SEC ruled that neither LSU nor Florida could compete in the SEC Championship Game if they did not play eight regular season conference games as originally scheduled. With Florida vying for the SEC East title at the time, the school agreed to play LSU in Baton Rouge on November 19. In exchange, the 2017 LSU – Florida game was to be moved from Baton Rouge to Gainesville. Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley was displeased with both the process and the outcome, which resulted in the loss of two home games from the Gators' seven game home slate in 2016. "The conference office asked us to find a solution in working with LSU, yet LSU was never a true partner in our discussions", Foley said in a written statement. "The Southeastern Conference offered some other solutions and the LSU administration made it clear that they were unwilling to consider other reasonable options."

#### The game

The first half was a defensive struggle, with LSU leading 7–3. The Tigers drove the ball inside the Florida 5-yard line to start the second half but came away with zero points after a fumbled snap on a field goal attempt passed incomplete. The Gators took advantage of that LSU miscue by scoring a 98-yard touchdown pass from graduate quarterback Austin Appleby to freshman receiver Tyrie Cleveland down the sideline to take a 10–7 lead. After an exchange of punts, LSU scored a field goal to tie the game at 10. Florida then made a pair of field goals to take a 16–10 lead, the second field goal being set up by an LSU lost fumble on a kickoff return. After driving down the field with less than a minute left, LSU had first-and-goal at UF's 7–yard line with 50 seconds left. The Tigers picked up 6 yards on the first two plays, but nothing on their next two. Gators defensive back Marcell Harris and defensive lineman Jordan Sherit helped stop running back Derrius Guice at the goal line on the last play of the game, sealing the victory and setting off a Gator celebration in the end zone. Florida head coach Jim McElwain became the first coach in conference history to lead his team to the SEC Championship Game in his first two seasons.

#### Statistics

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 21 Florida | 0 | 3 | 7 | 6 | 16 |
| No. 16 Louisiana State | 7 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
at Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, Louisiana
* Date: November 19, 2016
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 69 °F (21 °C) • Wind: N at 16 miles per hour (26 km/h) • Weather: Sunny, 36% humidity
* Game attendance: 102,043
* Referee: Matt Austin
* TV: SECN
* Play-by-play
Game information :
First quarter
LSU Darrius Guice 1 yard run (Colby Delahoussaye Kick)
12 plays, 80 yards, 6:03
Second quarter
UF Eddy Piñeiro 36 yard field goal
10 plays, 39 yards, 4:17
Third quarter
UF Tyrie Cleveland 98 Yd pass from Austin Appleby (Eddy Piñeiro Kick)
1 play, 98 yards, 0:13
Fourth quarter
LSU Colby Delahoussaye 22 Yd Field Goal
12 plays, 79 yards, 5:43
UF Eddy Piñeiro 26 Yd Field Goal
15 plays, 70 yards, 7:41
UF Eddy Piñeiro 34 Yd Field Goal
4 plays, 5 yards, 1:13
Top passers
UF – Austin Appleby – 7/17, 144 Yards, TD
LSU – Danny Etling – 14/25, 204 Yards
Top rushers
UF – Jordan Scarlett – 22 Carries, 108 Yards
LSU – Derrius Guice – 19 Carries, 83 Yards, TD
Top receivers
UF – Tyrie Cleveland – 3 Receptions, 124 Yards, TD
LSU – D. J. Chark – 2 Receptions, 46 Yards :
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
| 31–28–3 | October 17, 2015 | LSU, 35–28 |
Uniform Combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |

### Florida State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 13 Florida | 0 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 13 |
| No. 15 Florida State | 7 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 31 |
at Doak Campbell Stadium • Tallahassee, Florida
* Date: November 26, 2016
* Game time: 8:14 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 53 °F (12 °C) • Wind: N at 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) • Weather: Clear skies
* Game attendance: 78,342
* Referee: Jeff Flanagan
* TV announcers (ABC): Joe Tessitore and Todd Blackledge
* Boxscore
Game information :
First Quarter
FSU – Dalvin Cook 17-yard run (Ricky Aguayo kick), 4:46
Second Quarter
FSU – Ricky Aguayo 22-yard field goal, 14:47
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 38-yard field goal, 7:19
Third Quarter
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 41-yard field goal, 10:26
FSU – Travis Rudolph 46-yard pass from Deondre Francois (Logan Tyler kick), 5:38
Fourth Quarter
FSU – Freddie Stevenson 27-yard run (Logan Tyler kick), 12:51
Florida – Marcell Harris 12-yard fumble return (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 10:45
FSU – Deondre Francois 8-yard run (Logan Tyler kick), 1:00
Passing leaders
FLA – Austin Appleby – 19/35, 149 yards
FSU – Deondre Francois – 15/26, 138 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception
Rushing leaders
FLA – Jordan Scarlett – 14 carries, 53 yards
FSU – Dalvin Cook – 26 carries, 153 yards, 1 touchdown
Receiving leaders
FLA – Antonio Callaway – 6 receptions, 58 yards
FSU – Travis Rudolph – 4 receptions, 63 yards, 1 touchdown
Tackling leaders
FLA – Marcell Harris – 11 tackles
FSU – Josh Sweat and Matthew Thomas – 7 tackles :
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
| 34–24–2 | November 28, 2015 | Florida State, 27–2 |
Uniform Combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
The record-breaking crowd at The Swamp witnessed the lowest score Florida has ever attained in the Florida–Florida State series. After a scoreless first quarter, Roberto Aguayo made a 45-yard field goal to give the Seminoles a 3–0 lead. Sean Maguire connected with Jeremy Kerr to extend the lead to ten before the halftime break. 9:39 into the third quarter, Roberto Aguayo made his second field goal, this time from 51 yards to extend the Seminole lead to 13. Florida's offense continued to be ineffective, and it took a safety midway through the fourth quarter to put the Gators on the board, trailing by 11. However, Dalvin Cook ran for 15 and 29 yards for two touchdowns, the latter coming with twenty seconds remaining in the game, and the no. 14 Seminoles embarrassed the no. 10 Gators at home 27–2.

### Alabama

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 1 Alabama | 16 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 54 |
| No. 15 Florida | 9 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
at Georgia Dome • Atlanta
* Date: December 3, 2016
* Game time: 4:11 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Indoors
* Game attendance: 74,632
* Referee: Matt Loeffler
* TV announcers (CBS): Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson
* Boxscore
Game information :
First Quarter
Florida – Antonio Callaway 5-yard pass from Austin Appleby (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 9:51
Alabama – Adam Griffith 31-yard field goal, 6:58
Alabama – Minkah Fitzpatrick 44-yard interception return (Adam Griffith kick), 5:06
Alabama – Josh Jacobs 27-yard punt return, 1:42
Florida – David Reese 98-yard PAT return, 1:42
Second Quarter
Alabama – Gehrig Dieter 6-yard pass from Jalen Hurts (Adam Griffith kick), 11:55
Alabama – Adam Griffith 25-yard field goal, 6:27
Alabama – Josh Jacobs 6-yard run (Adam Griffith kick), 3:47
Florida – DeAndre Goolsby 25-yard pass from Austin Appleby (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 0:19
Third Quarter
Alabama – Bo Scarbrough 2-yard run (Adam Griffith kick), 3:32
Fourth Quarter
Alabama – Bo Scarbrough 1 yard run (Adam Griffith kick), 9:15
Alabama – Derrick Gore 10-yard run (Andy Pappanastos kick), 3:48
Passing leaders
ALA – Jalen Hurts – 11/20, 138 yards, 1 touchdown
FLA – Austin Appleby – 26/39, 261 yards, 2 touchdowns, 3 interceptions
Rushing leaders
ALA – Bo Scarbrough – 11 carries, 91 yards, 2 touchdowns
FLA – Jordan Scarlett – 11 carries, 17 yards
Receiving leaders
ALA – Calvin Ridley – 4 receptions, 43 yards
FLA – DeAndre Goolsby – 7 receptions, 91 yards, 1 touchdown
Tackling leaders
ALA – Reuben Foster – 11 tackles
FLA – C. J. Gardner-Johnson – 9 tackles :
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
| 14–25 | December 5, 2015 | Alabama, 29–15 |
Uniform Combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |
Since defeating Alabama in the 2008 SEC Championship Game, Florida has lost the last five games against Alabama. Florida trails 14–26 in the all-time series, but has a 4–4 record when playing the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship Game.

### Iowa

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 20 Florida | 3 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 30 |
| No. 21 Iowa | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Raymond James Stadium • Tampa, Florida
* Date: January 2, 2017
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Temperature: 83 °F (28 °C) • Wind: 10 miles per hour (16 km/h) • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 51,119
* Referee: Brad Van Vark
* TV announcers (ABC): Mike Patrick and Ed Cunningham
* Boxscore
Game information :
First Quarter
Iowa – Keith Duncan 36-yard field goal, 8:56
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 44-yard field goal, 5:42
Second Quarter
Florida – Mark Thompson 85-yard pass from Austin Appleby (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 1:46
Third Quarter
Florida – DeAndre Goolsby 6-yard pass from Austin Appleby (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 0:48
Fourth Quarter
Florida – C. J. Gardner-Johnson 58-yard interception return (Eddy Piñeiro kick), 14:44
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 25-yard field goal, 9:46
Florida – Eddy Piñeiro 48-yard field goal, 5:57
Passing leaders
FLA – Austin Appleby – 15/25, 222 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions
Iowa – C. J. Beathard – 7/25, 55 yards, 3 interceptions
Rushing leaders
FLA – Jordan Scarlett – 14 carries, 94 yards
Iowa – Akrum Wadley – 22 carries, 115 yards
Receiving leaders
FLA – Mark Thompson – 1 reception, 85 yards, 1 touchdown
Iowa – Akrum Wadley – 4 receptions, 21 yards
Tackling leaders
FLA – Marcell Harris – 9 tackles
Iowa – Josey Jewell – 10 tackles :
| Overall record | Previous meeting | Previous winner |
| 2–1 | January 2, 2006 | Florida, 31–24 |
Uniform Combination :
| Helmet | Jersey | Pants |

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Joined staff |
| Jim McElwain | Head coach | 2015 |
| Doug Nussmeier | Offensive coordinator / quarterbacks | 2015 |
| Geoff Collins | Defensive coordinator | 2015 |
| Greg Nord | Tight Ends / Special Teams | 2015 |
| Tim Skipper | Running Backs | 2015 |
| Kerry Dixon II | Wide receivers | 2015 |
| Mike Summers | offensive line | 2014 |
| Randy Shannon | Associate head coach / Linebackers | 2015 |
| Chris Rumph | Defensive line | 2015 |
| Torrian Gray | Defensive Backs | 2016 |
| Mike Kent | Director of strength & conditioning | 2015 |

## Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL club |
| 1 | 21 | Jarrad Davis | LB | Detroit Lions |
| 2 | 39 | Marcus Maye | S | New York Jets |
| 2 | 46 | Quincy Wilson | CB | Indianapolis Colts |
| 2 | 53 | Teez Tabor | CB | Detroit Lions |
| 3 | 76 | Alex Anzalone | LB | New Orleans Saints |
| 4 | 129 | David Sharpe | OT | Oakland Raiders |
| 6 | 185 | Caleb Brantley | DT | Cleveland Browns |
| 7 | 228 | Joey Ivie | DT | Dallas Cowboys |