Dike Shines In New Role With Florida Football

Florida senior wide receiver Chimere Dike had four catches for 88 yards in the Gators’ 24-13 win against UCF  last Saturday at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Dike caught a 37-yard strike from quarterback DJ Lagway to put the Gators on the UCF 1-yard line early in the second quarter. The drive was capped by a Ja’Kobi Jackson rushing touchdown that put the Gators up 14-3.

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Dike’s Increased Volume

With Eugene Wilson III out due to a knee injury, the torch was passed to Dike, who primarily played on special teams in the first two games of the season. With his increased reps, Dike has taken his game to a new level.

In his last three games, Dike has 222 receiving yards on 13 receptions, a huge increase compared to his two receptions for 55 yards in his first two games. He is second in yards and yards per completion, only trailing Elijah Badger:

Mertz-Dike Connection

Dike, a Wisconsin native, played his first three seasons at Wisconsin with Gators starting quarterback Graham Mertz. Dike credits the chemistry with Mertz for his recent success:

Tough Road Ahead

The Gators’ win streak is going to be challenged by their toughest opponent yet. Saturday UF (3-2, 1-1 SEC) plays No. 8 Tennessee (4-1, 1-1) in front of 102,000 fans at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville.

Dike has shown he can handle SEC competition with 91 receiving yards and a touchdown against Texas A&M. Tennessee will be a bigger test.

The Volunteers have the third-best pass defense in the SEC and the 15th best in the FBS. This is better than Miami’s pass defense, which shut down Florida’s aerial attack in Week 1. The Hurricanes held Lagway and Mertz to only 122 passing yards and made two interceptions.

Tennessee has lost 17 of their previous 19 games against Florida. Coupled with Tennessee looking for revenge after an upset loss to Arkansas last week, Dike will need another big performance to keep the Gators in the win column.

Game Time

The game is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. on ESPN and on radio at 98.1-FM/850-AM WRUF.