Florida – Page 4 – Dug Jones

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.

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

November 30, 2019 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Florida vs. Florida State

Florida passed its final exam with flying colors in the 40 - 17 dismantling of Florida State. The Gators put themselves in great position to be chosen for one of the elite “New Year’s Six” bowl games. Most likely, the Cotton Bowl or the Orange Bowl, but we’ll know more after next week’s conference championship games.

This week, Florida played well on both offense and defense taking advantage of the struggling and unfocused (13 penalties) Seminoles. By five minutes into the second quarter the Gators were never really threatened. The few opportunities Florida State generated quickly dissipated behind sacks or untimely penalties. Injuries and an ejection further hampered the Seminole effort.

On offense, the Gators showcased their deep and talented receiving corps by distributing the ball to ten different receivers, eight of whom had three or more catches each. Seniors Van Jefferson, Josh Hammond, Tyrie Cleveland, and Freddie Swain will all be hard to replace next season. Kyle Trask made good decisions and threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns. Emory Jones completed 5 of his 6 attempts and also ran for 47 yards. On a day when Percy Harvin served as “Mr. Two Bits”, Florida showcased its most similarly elusive athlete, Kadarius Toney. Toney had several electrifying plays including a slip screen that went for 47 yards and a 12 yard punt return.

Jonathan Greenard led the Florida defense with three of the team’s eight sacks. With the exception of a 45 yard pass play on the first FSU drive and a 50 yard Cam Akers touchdown run in the third quarter, Florida completely shut down the Seminole offense. The success on defense for Florida was a clear reflection of total team relentless effort. The rivalry atmosphere ensured the intensity stayed high from start to finish.

Special teams play was uneven. Evan McPherson’s missed his first extra point in 92 attempts, but drilled two field goals, one from 50 Yards. Tommy Townsend had one short punt and was stopped short on an ill-advised fake punt, but neither play ended up hurting the Gators. Tyrie Cleveland had a 40 yard kickoff return. Freddie Swain had his first muffed punt of the year erased by an FSU penalty.

Lamichel Perine, David Reese, and Adam Shuler also played their last games in the Swamp as Gators. Each have been incredible team leaders and strong on-field contributors. It was nice seeing these three and the 23 other seniors go out with a win to cap an undefeated HOME season. They’ve played a large role in restoring Gator football to prominence.

On a final note, the ten win regular season and prominent bowl game coupled with down seasons for both FSU and Miami will position the Gators to close the 2020 recruiting cycle very strongly. The 2020 class should be a top ten class with the 2021 group to be even stronger.

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Tags: Florida, Football, FSU, Gators, Rival, Seminoles

October 19, 2019 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Florida at South Carolina

Florida slogged thru the rain and persevered to beat a solid South Carolina team, 38 - 27, on a wet Saturday in Columbia, South Carolina. The difference was in the “big” plays. The Gators capitalized with a (Pierce) 75 yard touchdown run, a 37 yard touchdown pass (Copeland), and with a fourth quarter strip sack (Carter) fumble recovery (Campbell) on the Gamecock’s 29 yard line. For the day, SC out gained (387 to 354)and out possessed (32:03 to 27:53) Florida, but gave up too many big plays.

First the good. Florida’s defense survived despite the absence of their two top pass rushers and several in-game injuries that forced the Gators to play freshmen in key situations. At different points, at least 5 Florida defenders were helped off the field. David Reese rallied the troops and stabilized a wobbly run defense in critical moments. Kyle Trask wasn’t sharp early, but gained momentum (and accuracy) as the game progressed. The O-line pass blocked pretty well. Kinlaw (SC DT) is a beast. Four TD passes to four different receivers is a nice accomplishment against a tough (Muschamp) defense. The Gators extended drives with two fourth down conversions and a couple long third down conversions. Special teams were good, making a long field goal and averaging nearly 45 yards per punt.

Now the bad. The run game for Florida is still unreliable. Without the 75 yard touchdown run, the Gators netted less than 100 yards on 29 carries. The receivers had several dropped passes and blocked poorly on the perimeter today. Without Greenard and Zuniga, the Florida defense failed to get consistent pressure on Hilinski.

With the exception of last week at LSU, the Gators have made good in game adjustments and finished games strong. Florida leverages it’s superior conditioning and depth to dominate late in most games. The open date comes at a great time. The Gators are a banged up team with a physical Georgia team looming in two weeks. It was great having Pierce back today. By the Georgia game, Florida could be close to full strength (barring injury reports from today).

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

October 12, 2019 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Florida at LSU

The bottom line in Florida’s 42 -28 loss to LSU was that Joe Burrow took Florida’s vaunted defense apart like a precision mechanic. The LSU run game controlled the line of scrimmage and Burrow had ample time to find open receivers on the occasional LSU passing plays. The few times Florida got pressure on Burrow, he escaped to scramble for double digit yardage. LSU had zero turnovers, two punts, and a missed field goal. The remaining possessions all resulted in touchdowns.

Highlights included Kyle Trask’s poise in one of the toughest away venues in college football. The receivers as a unit were more than solid again. Overall Florida competed all the way to the end and gave themselves a chance to win. Absent a couple late, bad breaks, this game might have come down to who had the ball last.

The disappointing pieces were mostly on the defensive side of the ball. Injuries to Greenard and Zuniga impacted Florida’s ability to get any consistent pressure on Burrow. The run defense struggled to get guys in the correct gaps and, consequently, allowed LSU to avoid third and long situations. The few opportunities the Gators had to force punts escaped with Joe Burrow on third down scrambles.

Trask’s single turnover (interception) came when Florida took an end zone shot in a third and short situation, down one score late in the game. Unfortunately, Trask’s primary read (Cleveland) was drug off his route forcing Trask to try a back shoulder throw to a well covered receiver.

Huge game at USC this upcoming week. The Gamecocks, fresh off an upset of Georgia in Athens, will have home field in Columbia. A Gator win returns Florida to a strong position in the SEC east. A loss ends any SEC title hopes. Injuries on both sides will be a factor. Noon kickoff.

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Tags: Florida, Football, Gators, LSU, SEC, Tigers

September 28, 2019 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit: UF vs Towson

Don’t be misled by the score or the stat lines. Florida was solid, but by no means dominant. The Gators were the beneficiaries of three turnovers, a missed short field goal and a blocked field goal. Florida will have to be much sharper to win next week against Auburn.

First the good news. This win creates the opportunity to Florida to face Auburn with an unblemished record. There were no new injuries and Florida will have back several key defenders for the game next week. Track managed the game well and distributed the ball to eight different receivers. He completed 18 (mostly short) passes with only two incompletions. Kyle Pitts has arrived as a marquee target and Pierce ran hard all night. The defense was good in the red zone. Florida stepped up the D in the second half and corrected a number of first half problems. Special teams had a winning night. The blocked FG attempt was the first this season for Gators.

Now the areas for improvement. Trask was sacked three times on the night and all three were because he held the ball too long. He’s looked good overall, but still needs to learn it’s okay to throw it away occasionally. The OL gained momentum in the second half again, but still has frequent assignment issues. Copeland had another drop on a long ball. The defense had a few missed tackles. Admittedly, Tony Flaco is an excellent athlete. Early in the game, the Gator D couldn’t keep him contained. Towson’s first punt was with less than two minutes remaining in the first half.

At the end of the day, it’s a win and a date with undefeated Auburn.

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Tags: Florida, Football, Gators, SEC, Towson

September 21, 2019 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit: UF vs Tennessee

Another SEC win, so there is certainly a reason for the Gators to feel good about themselves. For perspective, however, let’s not forget Tennessee is a train wreck. Much of the Florida success was enabled by Volunteer’s miscues. 75 yards in penalties, four turnovers, and an overthrown wide-open receiver or two. Florida deserves credit for overcoming their own mistakes (three turnovers). They won’t beat Auburn, LSU, Georgia, or Missouri if they have three turnovers in those games, though.

First the good news. Kyle Trask passed his first test with a solid performance. He was sharp in the first half and made good decisions (minus the sack fumble). He is patient and seems to go thru the progressions better than Feleipe. He throws a very catchable ball. The receivers shined again. Ten different guys caught balls. Pitts was especially impressive. He gets open and has great hands. Jefferson is an NFL talent. The Gator defense was aggressive and effective despite missing Henderson, Zuniga, and Stiner (for a half). A few missed tackles, but mostly swarmed. It was nice seeing the DBs come up with three interceptions. Seven tackles for loss (four of them sacks). Special teams we great. Florida made all their placekicks, netted 43 yards on the one punt, and allowed zero return yards.

The areas for improvement include the short yardage run game (again) and ball security. The three giveaways could have been even more if the recovery on Davis’ fumble hadn’t been reviewed and overturned. Two of Florida’s giveaways occurred on FIRST down.

Stray thoughts. None of Florida’s five penalties were due to composure issues. No unsportsmanlikes and no targetings. Jefferson could have been flagged for taunting, but...somehow got away with one. If Copeland didn’t have his one drop, the passing yardage would have been at least 50 more yards. The Gators played several freshmen significant snaps (Elam, Kimbrough, Hill, Bogle, and Zipperer). Florida was 5 for 5 in the red zone.

Towson, next week, is a tune up opportunity. They lost today (in overtime) to Villanova. The Tigers feature a dual threat QB. Tom Flacco is Joe Flacco’s brother and is also a baseball talent. Flacco is nearly 25 years old and attended both Western Michigan and Rutgers before transferring to Towson as a grad transfer.

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Tags: Florida, Football, Gator, SEC, Tennessee, Trask

September 14, 2019 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Florida at Kentucky

Being at the game was fun, but my perspective from the upper concourse in the corner wasn’t great. I haven’t seen the replay yet, but here goes.

Good things. Again, we found a way to win. On defense, David Reese and Shawn Davis were very good. A few others were solid LATE. On offense, Kyle Trask did exactly what you hope your backup QB can do. He was up to the task! The receivers were good. Good routes. No drops. Special teams were good, excepting the one missed short FG.

Bad things. Another week where the OL can’t create enough movement to generate an adequate running game. Our DBs lost most (if not all) of the 50/50 balls. Marco Wilson hasn’t returned to where he was before the injury last year. We didn’t shut down the Kentucky running game well enough. We didn’t get consistent pressure on the QB. We were terrible on third down defense for the first three quarters.

Stray thoughts. Feliepe’s numbers were good and he had two touchdowns called back due to penalties. Other than the early interception, he was actually solid. The QB usually gets the blame, but the offensive woes weren’t his fault. Still, getting in the endzone is the bottom line and Trask got it done better than Feliepe. The late jet sweep was a great call. The game officials were very picky on targeting calls. Trask has three consecutive home games, the first two against teams we should beat, to get comfortable. Noon kickoff next week!

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

September 7, 2019 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Florida vs. Tennessee-Martin

The Gators accomplished the majority of the week two goals, but had two significant injuries. A 45 - 0 win with 15 true freshman seeing game action (several played significant snaps) is always a good thing. Losing CJ Henderson and Kadarius Toney, however, was a high price to pay. Toney’s injury looks to be the more severe with a 6 to 8 week recovery expected. The Henderson loss, even for just four weeks, is the bigger concern. The Florida receivers group is deep and talented. Toney may be the most dynamic, but there are several other playmakers to take up the slack. Jacob Copeland may emerge. The depth for the Gators at cornerback is much thinner. Henderson’s absence will mean important roles for a couple of (talented) freshmen. Even if Florida moves Trey Dean to the boundary cornerback position, freshmen Jaden Hill, Kair Elam, and/or Chester Kimbrough will be needed in the rotation.

Turning to the good news, the defense was just as dominant as expected and the offense, after a slow start, was productive. Special teams, as is almost always the case, were excellent. Feleipe Franks completed all but two of his passes and one of the two incompletions was a half-ending heave to the endzone. Some gator fans have set the bar very high for Franks. He wasn’t perfect, by any means, but he managed the offense and made most of the right throws. While the running game was inconsistent in the first half, the overall stats looked good. The Gators just haven’t been able, in obvious running situations, to get a surge between the tackles. This could be an issue in upcoming SEC games.

Additional good news in red zone success (5 for 5) and in the number of penalties (just three). Florida made every placekick and netted a plus 50 on their only punt. Even allowing for the softer competition level, The Gators played cleaner and sharper than in the Miami game.

It’s difficult to draw significant conclusions from a game like this one, but other than the injuries, most of the Gators goals were accomplished. Next week in Lexington will be a much better measuring stick. Kentucky will be the season’s first true away game. The Wildcats are also 2 - 0 and beat Florida in Gainesville last year. Florida will be happy they do not have to see Benny Snell or Josh Allen this year, but Kentucky is still a very solid team under Coach Mike Stoops. The Gators also benefit from the absence (injury)of Wildcat quarterback, Terry Wilson. As is often the case, the game may come down to turnover differential and special teams play.

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Tags: Florida, Football, Gators

August 24, 2019 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Florida at Miami

This morning I said I’d take a win of any kind with no big injuries and that’s pretty much what we got. It’s nice to be able to win despite making so many mistakes and poor decisions. It’s also nice having a week off and a soft opponent up next. Hopefully, by September 14th (in Lexington) things will be much cleaner.

Felipe regressed at times, but didn’t tank. He battled thru adversity and did just enough good things to win. The first quarter fumble at the Miami 7 yard line was a huge momentum killer. A 14-3 lead would have been demoralized for the Hurricanes. Instead, Florida gave away control of the game with the back to back turnovers. Overall, the offense was mediocre. Take away the two long pass plays and there wasn’t much else to like. Perine ran hard for 42 yards in his ten carries. The rest of the running game averaged about one yard per carry. Florida just couldn’t quite hit the seems. The offensive line needs to keep their feet moving better on run plays, but did pretty well in pass protection for a mostly new unit. Other than a couple bad routes, the receivers were good. No dropped passes and blocked well downfield.

The defense got incredible pressure up front on passing plays. Ten sacks is a bunch. On the other hand, the poor tackling in the secondary allowed TEN+ “big plays”. I was impressed by the depth and energy on the defense. Just disappointed with the dumb penalties and very poor tackling. Henderson was great as always. David Reese was quieter than usual, but stabilized and led the defense. Greenard is an awesome addition. Zuniga is a beast. It was impressive how the defense, despite all the late game penalties, saved the day.

Special teams were excellent excepting one thirty five yard kickoff return. Townsend averaged nearly 45 yards per punt and left all three of his punts inside the Miami 13 yard line. His foot speed on the fake punt was impressive. We covered our own punts very well. Jefferson’s fumble recovery may have been the biggest play of the day. Placekicking was perfect, as usual.

It was an interesting day in terms of the coaching. Winning always makes a coach look smart. Four for four on the fourth down tries was huge. I was surprised at how aggressive Mullen played things. Speaking of aggressive, the first down pass attempt on our end of the field with a four point lead and only four minutes left could have lost the Gators the game. Not a bad idea if your QB was a good decision maker.

I was surprised a couple of times when plays should have been reviewed. Overall, not a great day for the (Big10) zebras. They missed a huge illegal procedure penalty on the Gators that really hurt Miami. They were also inconsistent on what constituted pass interference. The late hit call on Tre Dean was questionable. Malik Davis’ covered his own fumble and dropped it again (from his knees) when he tried to stand up. At the least, it should have been reviewed.

On a side note, two of the three suspensions hurt. Brad Stewart is a better tackler than Juwan Taylor and could have helped in the secondary. Slaton’s absence (combined with the Confiffe injury) left us thin at DT and contributed to Miami’s success when they ran the wildcat package. Wells wasn’t missed. By the way, these were second suspensions for Wells and Stewart. Slow learners, I guess.

At the end of the day, any win against an in state rival is a good thing.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: Florida, Football, Gators

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