MIAMI GARDENS — It was the last thing the Gators needed, wanted or expected.

A new low.

“This is the most disappointing loss of the year,” the head coach said. “We’re beating ourselves. We are going to have to do the right things in a hurry and try to straighten things out.”

The quarterback, considered a potential Heisman Trophy candidate at the start of the season, struggled to do anything right. He looked lost at times in a performance best tossed in the wastebasket.

When QB1 arrived to speak with reporters afterward, he was troubled.

“Our defense played great, but again, the offense didn’t get the job done,” he said. “I knew it would take 20 or 30 points to beat those guys, but we just continue to kill ourselves with mistakes. Our offense is keeping us from being a good football team.

“We’ve lost all confidence. You can feel it. But we have to find a way to get it back.”

The University of Florida football team, at 1-3 and with a daunting schedule ahead, stumbled out of the stadium in a fog. This wasn’t supposed to be how the story went.

The veteran receiver put it best as he left the locker room and walked toward the team bus.

“It’s disheartening,” he said. “We expected so much this season and are coming up with nothing … nothing.”

Galen Hall, Kerwin Bell and Ricky Nattiel made those statements on the evening of Sept. 27, 1986.

They addressed a season gone awry following a 16-10 loss at Mississippi State. The Gators, after opening the season ranked 13th and with a win over Georgia Southern, lost their third consecutive game as Bell, while moving past UF Heisman winner Steve Spurrier into third place on the school’s all-time passing list that day, managed only 100 yards in the air.

The loss happened on the same day that No. 2-ranked Miami beat No. 1-ranked Oklahoma and flamboyant Brian Bosworth in a gigantic matchup at the Orange Bowl, boosting Hurricanes quarterback Vinny Testaverde to the front of a Heisman Trophy race he eventually won.

Meanwhile, the Gators dropped further, losing the following week at home to LSU and falling to 1-4. However, as history shows, the Gators reeled off five wins in their final six games – beating Auburn in one of the most memorable wins in program history, along with Georgia and Florida State – to rediscover respectability.

If all this sounds familiar, you know where we’re headed next.

Florida has lost three of its first four games for the first time since those 1986 Gators, and after UF’s 26-7 loss at Miami on Saturday night at Hard Rock Stadium, head coach Billy Napier, quarterback DJ Lagway and defensive back Devin Moore sounded much like Hall, Bell and Nattiel four decades ago.

“I think that when we watch the tape, it’ll be a combination of a lot of things,” Napier said. “Every position is contributing to our issues. Obviously, we talked about DJ and what he’s been through this offseason. I do think that there’s some rhythm missing there, and that’s going to be what we – we’re going to go back to the drawing board, and I think the open date’s coming at a good time.

“We’ve got to evaluate everything we’re doing on that side of the ball.”

Lagway, in a passionate statement reminiscent of Tim Tebow‘s famous ‘The Promise’ after a home loss to Ole Miss in 2008, flashed his frustration by declaring he is determined to lead a turnaround.

Lagway went 12-of-23 for 61 yards a week after throwing five interceptions in a loss at LSU. On Florida’s opening drive at Miami, all three of its plays lost yards.

“It’s been hard, but let me tell y’all something, we’re going to get things changed, for sure,” Lagway said. “I can guarantee that. This is not acceptable at all. I’m not going to sit here and lie to y’all and make this seem like this is OK. This isn’t OK. We’ve got to play better football, and it starts with me.

“I’m going to demand greatness from everybody. We’re done with the playing around stuff. It’s time to get serious. It starts with me. I’ve got to set the tempo. I’ve got to set the tone in practice in meetings around the building. I know for a fact it’s going to change because it’s going to start with me.”

Moore said he is confident Lagway can get the job done and that the team won’t splinter with two weeks to stew over the three consecutive losses before hosting Texas.

“Just go back to the drawing board and get back to work,” Moore said. “Kind of like last year, we got a spark in the bye week. Looking to try to do the same thing this year. Just going back to work and trusting each other and keeping the main thing the main thing.”

Can the 2025 Florida team rebound and scratch out a winning season like their predecessors 39 years ago? We shall see. Those Gators beat Kent State, Rutgers, No. 5 Auburn, No. 19 Georgia and unranked FSU in Tallahassee to finish 6-5.

These Gators have a more daunting schedule: No. 10 Texas, at No. 9 Texas A&M, Mississippi State, vs. No. 5 Georgia, at Kentucky, at No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 15 Tennessee, and No. 8 Florida State.

The Gators appeared dead a season ago until Lagway injected new life, going 6-1 as the starter and leading the Gators to wins over LSU, Ole Miss, FSU, and Tulane to close the season.

If the Gators are capable of a repeat performance, the sooner the better.

“We’ve got to generate some points. We’ve got to get more first downs. We’ve got to find some rhythm on offense. That’s the bottom line,” Napier said. “We’ve got a good group in the kicking game, and our defensive guys continue to show up and play. We’re lacking consistency, we’re lacking detail, and we’re struggling to stack plays.”