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.