Sports – Page 4 – Dug Jones

November 28, 2020 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Kentucky at Florida- 1/28/20

The pregame questions for the Florida Gators might have surrounded whether the prolific offense could sustain momentum or whether the inconsistent defense could achieve some level of consistent play. As it turns out, the impact plays in first half were made by the Florida special-teams. The combination of an early, gutsy, fake punt, a beautiful Jacob Finn coffin corner punt, and the subsequent Kadarius Toney punt return for a touchdown allowed Florida to weather the precision of Kentucky’s well-played first half to regroup at half-time.

The Wildcats played solid ball control offense the entire first half. They owned time of possession by a wide margin (23:23 to 6:37), committed zero penalties, and had zero turnovers. By keeping Kyle Trask and the Florida offense watching from the bench, Kentucky gave themselves their best chance to beat the heavily favored Gators. The Wildcats weren’t great on offense, but they did take advantage of a short-field to turn the one Florida turnover into 7 points and held a 10 - 7 lead with less than one minute left in the first half. Without the Gators successful, early game fake punt conversion that ultimately led to Florida’s only offensive points of the half, the deficit would have been larger.

Florida's first touchdown was the result of Dan Mullen's gutsy fourth down and two call at his OWN 25 yard line. From punt formation, Dameon Pierce took the direct snap from the upback position and skirted around left end for 15 yards and a first down. Two plays later, Kyle Trask connected with Kyle Pitts for a 56 yard touchdown pass. The Gators failed to build on the 7 - 0 lead and lost momentum by following the score with fumble, punt, and punt on their next three possessions.

The sequence that flipped the momentum back to Florida began with a Kentucky timeout taken with Florida facing 4th down and 11 at their own 41 yard line and 1:20 remaining in the first half. Jacob Finn launched a 49 yard punt that pinned Kentucky at their own one yard line with 1:13 remaining. Florida made three consecutive run stops, the biggest on 3rd down with just one yard needed for a Kentucky first down. By using their timeouts after each play, Florida forced a Kentucky punt with 57 seconds left in the half. The Gators punt return team, using a trick play, returned the Wildcat punt for a touchdown. The net result of the last 1:20 of the half was that Kentucky, despite executing an excellent first-half game plan, went into the locker room trailing 14 to 10.

Florida, with the lead, momentum, and the ball to begin the second half, made good halftime adjustments. The Gators scored 17 points and held Kentucky to 18 yards of total offense to put the game away in the third quarter. Florida was content to run clock in the fourth quarter and Kentucky threw two interceptions and never reestablished any level of offensive flow.

For the record, the Florida offense, despite two turnovers and some general sloppiness, did maintain momentum. Trask’s passing statistics were good, but he wasn’t as consistently sharp as in many other games. Pitts returned from his two week absence with an exclamation point (5 catches, 3 touchdowns, and 99 receiving yards). Pierce averaged 8.4 yards per carry, caught 4 passes, and was the ball carrier on the fake punt.

The Florida defense also showed signs of improvement. Kentucky was held to 221 yards (only 62 passing) of total offense. The Gators had three interceptions and two sacks. Importantly, Kentucky’s longest play from scrimmage was for just 20 yards. James Houston's return was important as he led the Gators with 8 tackles, 3 of them for negative yards in critical situations. Admittedly, the Wildcat offense isn’t good, but Florida took an important step forward on defense.

The Gators travel to Knoxville next week to play the University of Tennessee. The Volunteers are in the midst of a disappointing season, but were open this week and will have had two weeks to prepare for Florida.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: Florida, Football, Gators, Kentucky, SEC, wildcats

November 21, 2020 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Florida at Vanderbilt- 11/21/20

With four minutes left in the Florida/Vanderbilt game, Kaiir Elam intercepted a Ken Seals pass in the Florida end zone to effectively close out the Commodores. After the play, Elam displayed a symptom of the Gators’ defensive struggles this season. He lost big-picture focus and chose to dance. Chester Kimbrough followed Elam’s lead and danced, too. This type of behavior will draw an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty every single time. Both players have been around long enough to know better and Elam should be a leader. For some people the thought is “who cares?” with a 21 point lead late in a game. Honestly, that’s the point. Does an interception in a game against a 35 point underdog warrant excessive celebration? Is this defense so good it doesn’t need to maintain focus? Of course not, to both questions. The Vandy game was an opportunity for the Florida defense to take steps in the right direction. Instead, the Gators struggled to get lined up right, struggled to limit yards after contact (YAC), and somehow felt finger wagging and dancing were warranted after the occasional good defensive play.

The point is this Florida defense doesn’t execute the fundamentals well enough to lose focus and waste time on “swagger”. Offenses in college football today are complex. Being physically gifted on defense isn’t nearly enough. To compete, defenses must line up correctly and have all eleven guys playing “assignment football” as a unit. It’s necessary for players to understand down and distance, setting the edge, gap control, and where they have help and where they don’t. Getting to that point should be the full time job of this defense.

The Gator offense wasn’t especially crisp today, but played well enough deserve the win. Yet again, Kyle Trask was effective, spread the ball around and managed the offense well. Gator fans have grown accustomed to this luxury. Florida would’ve liked to have run the ball better, especially early in the game, but did enough to provide an adequate cushion for the defense. Kadarius Toney continues to be a feast or famine type player. Every time he touches the ball something overtly good or bad happens.

There are some likely contributing factors for the inconsistent play today. Florida used a completely different pregame ritual that included dressing at the team hotel and staying out on the field during halftime. The Gators also used a lot of different and younger players throughout the game on defense. On offense, true freshman, Josh Braun started at guard and sophomore Ethan White played important snaps.

Next week, the Kentucky Wildcats will provide greater challenges for the Florida defense than those created by Vandy. This will be especially true depending on the extent of Ventrell Miller’s injury and the availability of Jeremiah Moon. Playing in the Swamp and Kyle Pitt’s return should both help a great deal.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: commodores, Florida, Football, Gators, SEC, vanderbilt, Vandy

November 15, 2020 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Arkansas at Florida- 11/14/20

We’ll get to the game specific thoughts shortly, but last night’s Arkansas/Florida football game attracted me to thoughts about the sociology of sports. The impetus for these thoughts was the contrasting relationships Kyle Trask and Feleipe Franks have with the Florida Gator fan base. Clearly, Florida’s current success and Franks’ departure at the end of last season are factors, but it goes much deeper than that. It’s also tied to emotional maturity and personality. At the end of last night’s game, the media tried to engage Trask in Heisman Trophy conversation. They also asked him if Florida had the best offense in college football. In both instances, he refused to take the bait. He deflected the Heisman discussion and reminded people that his larger goals were associated with team successes and championships. In response to the “best offense” question, he simply commented about his happiness with his own offense. He ignored completely the opportunity to compare/provoke others by claiming to be better than anyone else.

Franks’ rougher relationship with the Gator fan base extends back a couple seasons. The road became rocky when Florida fans booed Felipe in 2017 while he was Florida’s starting quarterback. In response, after scoring touchdowns, Frank’s shushed the home Florida crowd on at least two occasions. Given the opportunity to mend fences, Franks was unrepentant. The circumstances improved, but the fan base remembered. After a season ending injury and Trask’s emergence in 2019, Feleipe transferred to Arkansas. He left on good terms and with the blessing of Gator nation. Somewhat surprisingly (and disappointingly), Florida fans booed Franks the first time he took the field in last night’s game. In response, after a first quarter 47 yard touchdown pass, Felipe stared to the Florida sidelines and held up his index finger. As far as fans were concerned, it might as well have been his second finger. The feud was still on and Gator fans enjoyed every moment of the 63 - 35 beat down.

My point isn’t to vilify Felipe Franks in any way. He’s part of the Gator family, faced tough circumstances, and played an important role in the Gator’s return to relevance. My point is to illuminate the difference between athletes who motivate themselves internally and those who need to provoke external conflict to energize themselves. Franks, in fact, isn’t unusual in this regard. Many athletes these days choose to focus on criticism and perceived slights. Their goal becomes to succeed so they can prove others wrong. In my own long history around sports, I’ve learned that most of the true superstars have a much higher internal locus of control. They succeed by challenging themselves and raising their own bar.

Speaking of raising the bar, the Florida Gator offense took their 2020 success to yet another level against Arkansas. You can find the gaudy statistics online, but the salient point is continued improvement, week by week, for an offense that had already proven itself as prolific. Each week the Gators find yet another tool in the toolbox to feature. Missing perhaps their most gifted offensive threat, Kyle Pitts, Florida didn’t miss a beat. Ten different receivers caught balls. Five different guys caught touchdown passes. All this against an Arkansas secondary that has been one of the SEC’s best this season. Some people, myself included, expected the Florida running game would have to be the difference maker this week. In a testament to their confidence, the Gators just did what they do best and threw the ball. In a similar display of confidence at the end of the first half, Florida didn’t settle for a safer, chip-shot field goal to extend their lead. They ran the regular offense, threw the ball in the end zone, and went into the halftime with an even larger lead. There’s a difference between teams that play to win and those who play not to lose.

To be a national championship contender, the Florida defense must improve. Period. The Arkansas game provided continuing evidence the defense still has a ways to go to get where they need to be. The defensive approach is different with a lead of more than 14 points, but playing “prevent defense” wasn’t the problem. Quite the contrary. Last night’s problem, again, was giving up big plays. Arkansas scored on plays of 47, 83, 12, 12, and 82 yards. Their longest scoring drive took three minutes. Four of these drives were 75 yards or longer. Giving up big scoring plays and yards in large chunks is often a reflection on missed assignments/breakdowns or on being individually overly aggressive. Physicality and aggression are important parts of the game. Unfortunately, an over abundance of aggression at the expense of playing “assignment football” creates vulnerability. This is especially true if it occurs on the edges or in the back end of the defense. Florida is playing a large number of younger players, including several true freshmen. The mistakes, however, haven’t been limited to the young guys. There’s little question Florida possesses the talent to play dominating defense. The question, more than anything, is whether Florida can take advantage of the softer schedule over the next four weeks to make corrections and grow as a defense. To have any chance against Alabama, if Florida can get to the SEC championship game, the Gator defense must step up.

One week at a time. Steady improvement each week. Next week is at Vandy.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: Arkansas, Feleipe Franks, Florida, Football, Gators, Kyle Trask, Razorbacks, SEC

November 9, 2020 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Florida vs. Georgia- 11/7/20

In light of the outcomes of recent Florida/Georgia games and the SEC East championship implications each year, Saturday's Gator victory was just what the doctor ordered for Florida fans. The annual matchup serves as a thermometer for measuring the "health" of both programs. Since 2016, the Gators have been working towards a cure for the Bulldog blues. Each time it seemed Florida was on the road to recovery, Georgia delivered bad news. In this year's game, a more poised (and offensively potent) Florida team survived a very ugly first five minutes of football to overwhelm the Bulldogs with a barrage of 38 first half points. Teams with less poise might have relapsed and thought, "here we go again" when Georgia jumped out to a 14 - 0 lead just 3:16 into the game. As has been the case since he became the starting quarterback, Kyle Trask was unflappable. From that 3:16 point in the first quarter through 3:12 into the third quarter, Trask completed 23 of 27 passes for 389 yards and put 41 points on the scoreboard. The 4 incompletions during this span of roughly one half included a dropped pass and a "pick six" for Georgia caused by a poor Gator route.

Florida's defense, like in last week's game against Missouri was solid, but not great. Georgia scored only 21 offensive points, but overthrew wide open receivers behind the Gator secondary twice. The Bulldogs also dropped several catchable balls that killed drives for them. Still, Florida's defense allowed only 141 yards of total offense and only 7 points after the catastrophic first 3:12 (136 yards and 14 points) of the game. In light of the early season defensive struggles and the more recent lineup challenges associated with COVID, the Gators are much improved. It appears Todd Grantham has the players back into their more natural positions. The defense is playing better and with, in most cases, more discipline (controlled aggression).

This year's game was brutal in terms of physicality and player injuries. At least three players for each team didn't finish the game and both teams had several others miss portions of the game. Georgia, in particular, was impacted by the absence of key players in their defensive secondary.

The depth and versatility of the Florida offense was showcased by the production of players NOT named Kyle Pitts and Kadraris Toney. Pitts was knocked out of the game early and Toney had only one productive play on ten touches. Instead, Florida went to wheel routes that featured the Gator running backs. As a unit, the backs had 10 catches for 212 yards. The running game was just productive enough to keep the Bulldog linebackers close enough to scrimmage to create space behind them for Florida's receivers to work. Trevon Grimes, Kenmore Gamble, and Kyle Pitts (of course) all made nice catches on tough balls to help Trask. The talented younger Gator receivers weren't as good on Saturday, accounting for two two dropped passes and a bad route that caused a "pick six". Georgia dropped another "pick six" opportunity also caused by bad Florida route running.

As Florida prepares for Feliepe Franks and the Arkansas Razorbacks this week, the news regarding the health of Gator players will be a factor. Kyle Pitts left the Georgia game with what looked like a concussion. Three Florida offensive linemen missed parts of the Georgia game. Stewart Reese and Jeremiah Moon each left the game with injuries and didn't return. Safety Brad Stewart was also banged up with what looked like a shoulder injury.

The Gator win on Saturday was critical not only for clearing a good path into the SEC championship game, but also to make the point Florida is relevant again. Recruiting gets easier when teams win marquee games and the Gators and Bulldogs very often recruit the same players.

With a one game cushion and all 5 remaining games against teams in the lower half of the league standings, the media has all but awarded the SEC East to the Gators. The reality, however, is every SEC team has talent and is well coached. That's what makes the SEC the best conference in college football. The mantra at Florida has to be "one game at a time" each and every week.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: Bulldogs, Florida, Football, Gators, Georgia, SEC

October 31, 2020 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit – Missouri at Florida 10/31/20

The Florida football season was at a crossroads this Halloween night and the Gators appear to be back on course for SEC and, therefore, national relevance. It’s impossible, of course, to predict what lies ahead in this COVID impacted season. Every week brings a new challenge and another adventure. Resilience has been a characteristic all three seasons for these Dan Mullen lead Gators. Florida has done a good job of not allowing disappointments, like the recent loss at Texas AM, to spawn additional hardships. The Gators have also handled in-game adversity with better poise than the teams from the seven seasons prior to his arrival. Mullen has the leadership qualities necessary to compete consistently at the elite level. He combines toughness with superior mental acuity that resonates for players. His work ethic and ability to develop players into winners are impressive traits. These Mullen characteristics have returned the Florida football program to prominence.
While the overarching context for Florida’s 41 to 17 victory over Missouri connects to Mullen’s leadership, the in-game X factors were the play of Kadarius Toney and consistent, solid play by the short handed Gator defense. Toney’s electrifying athleticism, displayed prominently in the last three minutes of the first half, turned a 7 -6 deficit into a 20 -7 halftime lead. From there, Florida seized opportunity and squeezed the life out of the Tigers. In their first three games this season, the Gator’s struggled to close out opponents. This was not the case against Missouri as Florida scored 28 unanswered points over the last two minutes of the first half and the third quarter.
The beleaguered Gator defense answered the call by holding a good Missouri offense to 122 yards and three offense points through the first three quarters of football. In mop up time, the Tigers gained another 126 yards and scored one inconsequential 4th quarter touchdown against reserves. In light of the defensive struggles over the first three games of the season, Florida fans must be thrilled to see the progress made on defense. This accomplishment occurred despite the absence of three starters in the Gator secondary. The difference, perhaps, was much more consistent defensive line play. Missouri’s talented running back, Larry Roundtree was held to 36 yards rushing for the game. Last week, against the Kentucky Wildcats he ran for 126 yards. Once the Tigers were made one dimensional, the pass rush was effective and Florida tallied three quarterback sacks.
After a slow start offensively, the Gators gained momentum throughout the game and looked every bit like the best offensive team in the SEC. The Florida offense wasn’t very good on third downs, but played so well on first and second downs that it didn’t matter very much. The Gators will want to clean this and some early game redzone problems up before next week’s match up with Georgia. Kyle Trask was about as poised and consistent as we’ve learned to expect. He got away with a couple of forced passes, but typically made the right reads and got the ball to the right receivers. Nine Gators caught passes, six of them catching more than one. Kyle Pitts had five catches for 84 yards, but Toney with his aforementioned day (4 catches for 60 yards and two TDS) was the star. Florida’s running backs ran hard and made several important pass catches out of the backfield. Running back has really become a position of strength for the Gators. Offensive line play was solid again this week. Richard Gouraige played particularly well at right guard.
Kyrie Campbell saw his first action of the year for the Gator defense. As a senior, two-year starter, his presence has been missed. Defensive tackle has been a position of particular concern this season. The combination of career ending injuries and recruiting challenges in 2017 and 2018 has left Florida thin at this position. The depth here is provided by talented freshmen. The Gators have also played a lot of snaps with true freshmen in the defensive secondary. COVID, suspensions, and injuries have been the causes for the absences. The upside is players like Rashad Torrence and Travez Johnson and Jaydon Hill have gained important experience.
Special accomplishments by the Gator defense this week included holding Missouri to 4 of 13 success on 3rd down conversions and only allowing Missouri one offensive play that gained over twenty yards. Florida did a better job of balancing aggression levels with playing assignment-based football. We don’t hear Kaiir Elam’s name very often because teams avoid throwing in his area. Brenton Cox is consistently disruptive and this makes a big difference for Florida.
Chris Howard and the Gator special teams took care of business against the Tigers. There might have been concern among Gator fans with All-American caliber kicker, Evan McPherson, sitting out due to a positive Covid test, but Howard was great. He made both field-goal attempts and all five extra points. The field goals were both short, severe angles. Making both early in the game was important. Kudos, as well, to Jacob Finn who who punted well and held for the placekicks. There were no coverage gaffes, but also no special successes, for Gator special teams.
The brawl at the end of the first half warrants discussion. The Missouri late, high hit on Kyle Trask on the first half’s last play should have been penalized by the officials and Mullen deserves praise for sticking up for his players, but probably needs to understand that rushing out onto the field in the way he did would exacerbate the situation. Angry words were being exchanged by the players, but the officials probably had the circumstance under control until Mullen added fuel to the flame with his animated arrival. The ensuing fight resulted in three player ejections, two of these Gators. The announcers for the game reported that these players would miss the first half of their next games as a result of the ejections, but I believe they may be confusing the consequences of the targeting rule with the consequences of the unsportsmanlike conduct rule. If I’m wrong, Zachary Carter will be an important Gator loss for the first half of next week’s game against Georgia. For the most part this season, Florida players have played with composure.
Turning to next week’s game, it’s hard to know what to expect. Georgia is certainly a talented team. Like most teams this season, they’ve had ups and downs. We also don’t know who will and won’t be available as a result of COVID tests. I expect Georgia to be listed as about a 7 point favorite.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: Florida Gators, Football, missouri tigers, SEC

October 10, 2020 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit – Florida at Texas A&M- 10/10/20

In a game where very little defense was played by either team, Florida made the last mistake and was beaten 41 - 38 with a last second field goal by Texas A&M. Three weeks into the season and Gator fans are still waiting for the defense to arrive. Most knowledgeable football people realized there would be some early defensive struggles. Few, however, expected Florida to be allowing nearly 500 yards of offense and over 33 points per game. Unlike the Ole Miss and South Carolina games, the Gator offense made a single huge late game mistake against A&M.

The biggest of Florida’s defensive problems has been the inability to play well on third (and fourth) down. Against the Aggies, the Gators surrendered first downs on 12 of 15 (80%) third down opportunities. Of these, almost all exceeded 6 yard gains. Frequently, Florida allowed running backs to break contain, slip tackles, and bounce outside. On critical passing plays, the quick slant was successful repeatedly for A&M. Interior D-line depth is a problem. Freshmen are playing too many snaps. Kyree Campbell’s unexplained absence has hurt. Perhaps the biggest surprise has been poor play by experienced defensive backs. Marco Wilson, especially, hasn’t lived up to reputation and expectations as a shut down cover guy.

Today’s bright spots included continued strong play by the offense in general and Kyle Trask in particular. The entire team is playing with poise and great effort. Just way too many mistakes by the defense. Evan McPherson remains perfect and continues to prove he’s the best place kicker in the nation. Today’s field goal was a clutch 52 yarder, his second of over 50 this year.

The Gators just can’t seem to put teams away when they have opportunities. Finally today, this cost them the game. Florida will need to regroup quickly and rebound with a home win next week against defending national champion, LSU. Like the Gators, LSU has struggled on defense this year. They were upset 45 - 41 today by previously winless Missouri. Expect next week’s game to end with both teams scoring over 40 points.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: Florida, Football, Gators, SEC, Texas AM

October 3, 2020 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Florida vs. South Carolina- 10/3/20

The 15,120 member crowd at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium today fell a little below expectations and so did the performance by the Gators. In the end, Florida fans will be satisfied with the 38-24 win, but also concerned about the Gator’s uneven play. Admittedly, expectations for the offense were unrealistic after last weeks performance against Ole Miss. Expectations for the defense were much more realistic, but the Gators underachieved again this week.

Early on, the offensive tempo was good. The Gators moved the ball up and down the field and, minus the one drive killed by a Kyle Trask fumble, put points on the scoreboard board in every first half possession. Midway through the third quarter, with a 38-14 lead, Florida lost offensive focus and limped to the finish line producing only 13 total yards of offense over the final twenty minutes of the game.

Defensively, Florida returned 2 of the 4 players who missed last week’s bloodletting in Oxford. Even with Jeremiah Moon and Shawn Davis on the field, the Gators struggled. Kyrie Campbell and Brad Stewart were still missing in action. The Gator’s problems on defense were allowing too many yards after first contact and the related inability to get opponents off the field on third down and fourth down. South Carolina converted on 6 third downs and on 5 (of 6) fourth downs. The Gamecock game plan, in typical Will Muschamp fashion, was to manage down and distance and run the game clock. South Carolina helped themselves a great deal by limiting turnovers to one and by converting so many third and fourth downs. The time of possession favored South Carolina, 36 minutes to 24 minutes as the Gamecocks ran 83 offensive plays to Florida’s 53. To be fair to the Florida defense, it’s important to note the fatigue factor and how little help the Gator offense provided the last 20 minutes of the game.

Highlights for the Florida offense included another mostly strong performance by Kyle Trask. He continues to manage the offense with poise and focus. He won’t be happy about the previously mentioned early 2nd quarter, first down, fumble and an early 4th quarter series where he threw two balls into coverage and then was intercepted when two Gator receivers collided on third down. He will be happy, though, with the 38 points scored with only 53 plays. Other highlights on offense included another solid performance by the offensive line. The yards per carry in the running game, excluding when Florida was kneeling to run out the clock in the last series, was about 4. Pass protection was good for the most part. No procedure penalties and just one holding penalty. Using three running backs continues to yield nice results as all three keep fresh legs. Dameon Pierce carried the biggest load today. Nine different receivers caught balls and the yards per catch was an impressive 9.2. Kyle Pitts was impressive early and the younger receivers continued to emerge with Trent Whittemore catching his first touchdown pass and Xzavier Henderson contributing with an important third and long conversion. Kadarius Toney had six receptions for 86 yards and a touchdown.

The Florida defense didn’t allow very many explosive plays. Only a handful of over 15 yards. Shawn Davis tackled well in space and Zachary Carter was disruptive along the line. Marco Wilson left the game with an injury on the last possession and true freshman, Travez Johnson finished for him. Other true freshmen seeing action on defense included Gervin Dexter and Rashad Torrence.

It was a nice day for the Florida special teams. South Carolina accomplished zero yards on all of their returns combined. For the Gators, Toney averaged 21 yards per punt return and Keon Zipperer handled two pooch style kickoffs very well. Jacob Finn averaged 45 yards per punt and Evan McPherson has yet to miss a placekick of any kind this season.

Florida will need to play better on defense next week to beat Texas A&M next week in College Station. The Aggies rolled up 450 yards of total offense against Alabama in Tuscaloosa today.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: Florida, Football, Gamecocks, Gators, SEC, South Carolina

September 26, 2020 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Florida at Ole Miss- 9/26/20

Three months ago we wondered if there would be an SEC season. Three weeks ago we wondered if games would start without additional delays. Three days ago we wondered about the quality of play. Check. Check. Check. Florida launched the 2020-21 season with a solid win against the new look Ole Miss Rebels (or Bears or Landsharks). Lane Kiffin lived up to the hype surrounding his ability to create effective offense of schemes, but the Gators were even more impressive offensively. Florida departed Oxford with justified confidence on the offensive side of the ball. Unfortunately, the Gator defense was inconsistent, at best, and has work to do.
Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts have erased any concern that last season was an anomaly. Both demonstrated that they have become even better players than last year. Trask’s gaudy 201 point quarterback rating (QBR) was eye-popping. His numbers included three dropped passes, one of which would’ve been a touchdown. Pitts dominated the Ole Miss secondary and had four touchdown catches despite double coverage most of the afternoon. He looks to have added the ability to win the 50-50 balls that he lacked last year. The rest of the Florida receiving corps played well, too. Eleven different players caught passes, including six new contributors. Of note, three running backs caught five passes. A good start for replacing the productivity lost with Lamichael Perine’s graduation. The running game was more than solid. Florida averaged 6.8 yards per carry and totaled 196 rushing yards. Even if Kadarius Toney’s 55 yards on two jet sweeps is removed from the equation, the team yards per carry was still 5.2. The offensive line also did a nice job in pass protection. Kyle Trask was harassed a handful of times, but mostly as a result of how long he held the ball. There were only a few minor concerns on the offensive of side of the ball. Emory Jones threw one bad interception. Trask had one strip sack that could’ve been avoided and the receivers had the previously mentioned three dropped passes. No procedure penalties, no delay of game penalties, and no confusion. The offense was poised and productive throughout.
The Florida defense was puzzling. On one hand, they asserted themselves physically and had 11 tackles for loss. On the other hand, Ole Miss receivers were running free all afternoon. The Gators were abysmal in third and long situations. This was an issue last year, as well. The Rebels have a number of very elusive players, but Florida’s tackling problems extended beyond that variable. With the exception of Ventrell Miller (15 tackles), who was incredible all day, most other Gators had trouble squaring up the Ole Miss ball carriers. The Florida defense played without Kyrie Campbell, Jeremiah Moon, and Brad Stewart. They lost safety, Shawn Davis, on a targeting call early in the game. Beyond the tackling problems, the other biggest concern was an inability by the defensive backs to have good ball awareness. Some positive notes, the Gators played a bunch of freshman and younger players. Brenton Cox was disruptive, as hoped. Despite some frustrating dynamics, the defense played with poise. No stupid penalties.
The special teams approach deployed by the Gators looked to be very safe. Lots of fair catches. No big effort to block kicks. I suspect Florida was more interested in safely managing the variables in a game they expected to win. It’s worth noting, however, that Jacob Finn handled himself well as the new punter and holder for placekicks. Evan McPherson may be the best place kicker in the country. He was dead center on every kick, including the 55 yard field goal.
It appears the Gators finished the Ole Miss game with no new significant injuries. Next Saturday, South Carolina comes to Gainesville on the heels of their 27 -31 home loss to Tennessee. The Gamecocks may be better than expected on offense with grad transfer, Collin Hill, as their new quarterback and Mike Bobo as offensive coordinator. Survive and advance.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: Florida, Football, Gators, Ole Miss, Rebels, SEC

December 31, 2019 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit: UF vs Virginia (Orange Bowl)

In an up and down performance, Florida ground out a satisfying 36-28 win over a persistent Virginia team. The Gators should be happy to get their 11th win of the season in a “New Year’s Six” bowl game. While Virginia wasn’t a marquee matchup, they were the ACC’s second-best team (behind Clemson) and certainly a tough and poised opponent.

Florida highlights included a big day for Gator senior, Lemichael Perine. 138 rushing yards, 43 receiving yards, and three touchdowns will improve his stock in the NFL draft. Kyle Trask and Damian Pierce also had high yards per carry numbers. The offensive line was good, even in obvious running situations. On the defensive side of the ball, Florida played with high energy and effort throughout. Holding a dynamic dual-threat quarterback to a net 24 rushing yards was impressive. Evan McPherson, who should have been the all-SEC kicker this year, drilled three field goals including a 50 yarder. Just four penalties for 40 yards, even compared to Virginia’s three for 14, was good for the Gators.

There were a few low points for Florida. The secondary, excepting Kiar Elam’s late interception, were often outplayed by the Virginia receivers. The Gator’s 4th quarter bend but don’t break approach wasn’t very successful and distorted the statistics. The Florida receivers blocked well, but had several uncharacteristic dropped balls. Finally, the Gators wasted first half timeouts by failing to get their personnel packages on and off the field timely.

Dan Mullen’s confidence in going for (and getting) two fourth-down conversions on his own end of the field was significant. Both extended drives ended in points for Florida. Mullen also used Emory Jones very effectively. As is usually the case, the Gators leveraged superior depth to be fresh enough to execute well late. The game was closer than it should have been, but this version of Florida has the poise to win anyway.

The senior leadership on this Florida team will be hard to replace. David Reese, Jon Greenard, and CJ Henderson are all leaders on defense. The four senior receivers and Perine are the heart of the Gator offense. It will be interesting to see who steps up on each side of the ball next year.

Up next for Florida is closing out the 2020 recruiting class with six more strong athletes, including a top running back, a dynamic receiver, and a safety. Early indications are that CJ Henderson may be the only Gator leaving early for the NFL draft. Greenard was awarded a 6th year for medical hardship, but isn’t likely to stay. Keeping this coaching staff intact thru the “silly season” is another goal. Next up is Eastern Washington on September 5th in the Swamp.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: ACC, College Sports, Football, Gators, New Years 6, Orange Bowl, Sports, University of Florida, Virginia

December 18, 2019 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit – UF Early Signing

Florida signed a really strong group on December 18th that addressed most of their greatest needs. The day passed without any drama, good or bad. The Gators signed every committed player they expected with zero defections. Unlike last year, however, they didn’t have any unexpected good news. The class was ranked in the top 8 nationally by every significant recruiting publication. Florida will strengthen the class further by signing up to 6 more players in February.

The early signees included high quality and numbers of both offensive and defensive linemen. The group of defensive backs was also impressive. The Gators added a highly regarded dual threat quarterback and one of the nation’s top high school linebackers.

Additionally, Florida has three committed players who are expected to sign in February if they qualify academically and the Gators still have room in the class. These include; wide receiver Leonard Manuel, offensive lineman Jovans Janvier, and athlete Marc Britt.

Meanwhile, Florida is pursuing a number of other unsigned/uncommitted athletes. Ideally, the Gators add a wide receiver and a running back among the remaining 6 slots. New names to watch for include; running backs Jamyr Gibbs and Henry Parrish, wide receiver Xzavier Henderson, and safety Avantae Williams. Florida may also consider a transfer if the right one is available.

Remember, as well, the Gators will have Brenton Cox and Wardrick Wilson who missed last year for eligibility reasons available in 2020.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: 2020, College Sports, Early Signing, Football, National Signing Day, University of Florida

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