Florida’s UF football schedule brings Campbell to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on Saturday in Week 2, and the timing could hardly be cleaner for a team that is about to step into SEC play. The Gators get one more home game before traveling to Auburn next week, and that makes this matchup more than a routine nonconference date.
Adam Dubbin said the Gators should use the FCS opponent to prepare for the upcoming SEC gauntlet, and that is exactly why this game is drawing attention now. Florida looked good in the 2026 season opener, and the offense was arguably one of the best among SEC teams in the opening week, but this is still the last chance to sharpen the edges before the schedule gets far less forgiving.
The numbers behind Florida’s track record against FCS opponents explain why the matchup is expected to tilt heavily in its favor. The Gators are 25-1 across 26 contests against FCS teams since 1981, with the lone loss in that span coming against Georgia Southern in 2013. They have outscored those opponents by an average of 39.3 points, topped 450 total yards in five straight such games, and rushed for more than 150 yards in nine straight.
That history is useful, but it does not erase what Florida still has to sort out. Michael Trim Jr. said he expects the defense to be cleaner around the edges, and that need showed up in the opener against FAU, where the defensive front was ineffective for much of the game, the run defense was not stellar, and Caden Veltkamp was too comfortable in the pocket against the rush. Florida is favored to handle Campbell, yet this game matters because it is one of the few remaining chances to make the defensive correction before Auburn arrives.
Trim also said Tramell Jones Jr. should see action earlier than he did last time, which fits the broader purpose of the day: get the result, get the reps and leave Ben Hill Griffin Stadium with a sharper team than the one that opened the season. If Florida uses Campbell the way Dubbin suggested, Saturday should be less about drama than about arriving in Week 3 with fewer loose ends and a better answer on defense than it had in Week 1.
