September 10, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Samford at Florida- September 7, 2024

Florida rebounded from a disappointing opening week game by putting the Miami game in the rearview mirror and focusing on getting better at execution and focus. The Miami loss attracted "noise in the system" and necessitated that Billy Napier and staff make keeping the players' focus on the things they can impact instead of social media a priority. While the week two win over Samford wasn't pristine, it was certainly a welcome improvement and snapped a six game Gator losing streak.

The last time Florida faced Samford (2021), the Gators had to overcome a 42-28 deficit late in the first half en route to a 70-52 win. This year's Gators managed the game much more effectively and scored the first 21 points of the game before cruising to a 45-7 win. The headline for Florida fans was DJ Lagway's record setting performance in his first start as a Gator. His stat line read; 18-25 for 456 yards and 3 touchdown passes. A great day, for sure. DJ's arm talent was every bit as good as advertised. He showed off his quick release, arm strength, and soft touch. He spread the ball around to 8 different receivers and had completions that went for 85, 77, 44, 41, 40, and 36 yards. Florida also ran the ball pretty well with 7 ball carriers combining for 169 yards on 34 carries (4.9 per carry). Montrell Johnson is the bell cow for good reason, but both Tre Webb and (especially) Jadan Baugh flexed their skill sets. For the Gator offense, no sacks, one turnover, and only one negative yardage play. 

There were a few areas for improvement, offensively, in the Samford game. Lagway slid too early on a couple of runs leaving very short third and/or fourth down plays the Gators ultimately failed to convert. Florida also had a couple of wasted timeouts and several illegal procedure penalties. Things to be cleaned up moving forward.

Florida performed better defensively than it may have seemed in real time. Samford ran a quick-paced offense that made it feel like the Gators were scrambling around, at times. On a few drives, they gave up some yards, but made critical stops outside of field goal range. Once they found their footing, the Florida defense was solid. Other than one long Samford scoring drive in the third quarter and one long non-scoring drive in the first half, the Gator defense was off the field in 6 or less plays the rest of the day. Florida defended 69 plays and gave up just 205 total yards (3 yards per play). The numbers were especially good when you note that the Gators played without 4 defenders (3 DBs) that started the Miami game. Tackling was solid again this week and included 12 tackles for loss. The number of defensive penalties was really low.

Special teams were a bright spot again this week. The Gators converted every field goal and PAT attempt and covered every punt (+49.5) and kickoff (+62.5) well. Chimere Dike had a nice (31 yards) punt return for the Gators. Special team players were on and off the field with no signs of confusion.

Texas A&M, this week, provides an opportunity for Florida to take a step forward. There won't be a large number of games on this year's schedule where Florida will be less than a 3 point underdog, but this is one of them. The Aggies are much more talented than Samford and depth for Florida's defense will be an issue, but being at home should help Florida.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports
Tags: Bulldogs, College Sports, Florida, Football, Gators, Samford, SEC, University of Florida

September 2, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Miami at Florida- August 31,2024

The convergence of a rival opponent, overly high social media fueled fan expectations, and an unquestionably poor performance, made for a very disappointing opening season game for the Gators.

Teams like Florida often launch the season with a soft first game opponent. This hasn’t been a luxury Billy Napier has enjoyed. In all three of his years at Florida, the Gators have begun with a ranked opponent in week one. This dynamic is especially tough in the transfer portal era as there is often great uncertainty around teams, like Miami, with revamped rosters. Whatever Florida prepared to see must not have been what they saw on Saturday.

The most critical issue was Florida’s inability to get any real pressure on Cam Ward. The Gators were only able to pressure him on 9 of 36 pass attempts. Ward typically had as many as four seconds in a clean pocket to wait for receivers to clear coverages. This is a fatal flaw against a team with an experienced QB and talented receivers. I presume the Florida game plan was to have 7 or 8 in coverage rather than bringing blitzes. Clearly, it didn't work.

Mario Cristobal was an all-conference offensive tackle as a collegian and his coaching path came through a career as an offensive line coach prior to becoming a head coach. His Canes controlled their offensive line of scrimmage all day with a solid run game and superlative pass protection.

Of their 69 offensive plays, Miami only faced 10 third downs (converting 5). They punted just once in each half. Conversely, Florida ran only 56 offensive plays and converted just one of their 9 third downs.  Florida’s average third down play had a need of 8.7 yards to convert. Their only successful third down conversion was a DJ Lagway 16 yard scramble on a third and 12.

The most critical juncture in this game was the last three minutes of the first half and the first three minutes of the second half. Miami turned a 7 point lead into a 21 point lead with quick scores to both end and begin the halves.

It was certainly a frustrating and disappointing day for Gator nation. A disgruntled friend asked me if I saw anything for Gator fans to be happy about. Here are a few. Florida’s special teams were good. They converted all kicks, netted +47 average on punts, and averaged 14 on punt returns. The Gators had only two penalties all day. Both extended scoring drives for Miami, but limiting the overall number of penalties to 2 is progress. Montrell Johnson’s 71 yard touchdown run in the first half was an explosive scoring play. Florida didn’t have many long plays last year and none that went for that distance.

Samford next week is a chance to regain composure and balance.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports
Tags: Florida, Football, Gators, Hurricanes, SEC, University of Florida, University of Miami

October 10, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Vandy at Florida- October 7, 2023

The outcome of this week's game against Vandy was close to what most Gator fans wanted to see. Florida controlled the line of scrimmage, ran effectively, and covered the spread in their 38-14 win. The Gators also navigated/survived a number of circumstances that might have shifted the momentum to make the game much closer. Good teams do this with regularity. Florida hasn't reached the point of consistently shrugging off bad breaks and mistakes to quickly "right the ship". When bad things happen, especially in away games, the tendency has been to stagger around and collapse. This week, the Gators bounced back pretty quickly from giving up a first quarter 85-yard touchdown pass. They survived a 52-yard pass completion that placed Vandy at the Florida 7-yard line. They recovered from a turnover on a failed trick play. And... they overcame 70 yards in penalties. Clearly, the goal is to avoid these type things in the first place, but developing the ability to survive them is also progress.

The Gators are at the midpoint of the season with a 4-2 record despite facing good competition (three nationally ranked teams, two of them on the road). They are 2-1 and tied for second in the SEC East. Certainly, things to feel good about. The road ahead, however, is a very tough one. Florida will be the underdog in at least 5 of the 6 remaining regular season games. The nations #1 and #4 teams are among those ahead for the Gators. Florida will also face two additional teams that are, or have been, nationally ranked. The current cumulative record for Florida's remaining opponents is 24 and 10. To become the best, you have to play the best. It will be tough for Gator fans to maintain perspective through this gauntlet. Attaining bowl game eligibility will be a challenge.

The tough schedule provides Florida's young team opportunities for growth. A baptism by fire, of sorts, for the twelve TRUE freshmen on Florida's two-deep roster. The Gators are very young even beyond the freshmen playing. Twenty-eight of the forty-four players on the two-deep roster are sophomores or younger. Five non-freshman starters are transfers in their first year with the Florida program. Ricky Pearsall is the only senior starter on the team. If they survive, this team should be good the next two years.

This week’s highlights from a statistical perspective include a really effective running game for the Florida offense. The Gators rushed for 215 yards and averaged 7.2 yards per carry. This occurred without two offensive line starters and without Trevor Etienne. Graham Mertz continues to be among the nation's most efficient quarterbacks. The Florida defense, despite the two long pass plays mentioned earlier, was stout. Coming in to the game, Vandy was the best in the SEC in terms of third down conversions. This week, the Gators' defense allowed only 1 successful conversion on 13 third and fourth down plays.

South Carolina is a two-point favorite at home this week. Florida has another opportunity to move beyond the recent road game struggles and get a win that would make bowl eligibility much more attainable. Win or lose, this is an opportunity for the young Gators to compete with poise and focus in a hostile environment.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports
Tags: commodores, Florida, Football, Gators, SEC, University of Florida, vanderbilt, Vandy

October 3, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Florida at Kentucky- September 30, 2023

An ugly day by any measure. Poor tackling, too many penalties, and a multitude of other problems. Florida wasn't ready. No real debate there.

Unfortunately, inconsistency is usually part of the rebuilding process. It happens almost everywhere. Good days and bad days with very small margins for error (especially in the SEC). There is ample evidence, of course, to support a "stay the course" approach. FSU provides a nearby example. There are plenty of others.

The temptation to panic and implode in the face of adversity is great for fans. Yes, games like the Kentucky game are frustrating. Too much euphoria with the Tennessee win and too much depression with the Kentucky loss. Rebuilding is a roller coaster ride of emotions. It’s not for everyone. Starting over every two years is not the answer. The social media and call in radio voices who want Billy Napier replaced should be ignored. They create “noise in the system” that interferes with progress.

Before the season began, Florida was expected to be 2-3 at this point. The Gators are one win BETTER than expected. They’ve lost twice as underdogs on the road. They’ve won three games, including one as an underdog. And still, we have some “noise in the system”.

No question, the mental errors contributing to the failures at Utah and at Kentucky were baffling at times. The fact these two opponents are nationally ranked, have a combined 9-1 record, and have head coaches with double digit tenures isn’t enough, alone, to excuse how badly the Gator’s were exposed. But still, each week creates another opportunity and Florida will get there with incremental steps.

The encouraging news is the Florida players, coaches, staff, and administration continue to trust the process. Recruits continue, thus far, to ignore the criticism in favor of understanding the potential at Florida. Players from the Spurrier and Meyer eras, almost without exception, espouse confidence in the process and progress being made at Florida. They understand it will take some time.

The next two weeks will be critical for reestablishing momentum for the Gators. Home as a favorite against Vandy and away as an underdog against South Carolina. An opportunity to continue the home field success this week AND an opportunity to flip the script to get an away SEC game win the following week.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports
Tags: 2023, College football, Florida, Football, Gators, Kentucky, SEC, wildcats

September 26, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- UNC Charlotte at Florida- September 23, 2023

The Gators left sixteen points on the field by settling for field goals in 4 of their 6 trips in the red zone, but there was still plenty to like in Florida’s 22-7 win over the UNC Charlotte 49ers. Offensively, the Gators had 16 plays that gained ten or more yards, seven of them went for more than twenty yards. On defense, Florida continues to be among the stingiest with a national ranking of 5th in total defense. The Gators have allowed just 13.5 points per game despite playing 2 of their 4 games against nationally ranked opponents. For the first time this season, the Florida special teams played winning football. All six place kicks, five of them field goals , were made. The Gator punt team averaged 49 yards per kick with zero yard’s allowed. Florida had 53 yards on their own punt returns.

Individually, a number of Gators had good days. Graham Mertz continues to be among the nation’s most efficient passers. This week he completed 20 of 23 passes. Ricky Pearsall caught 6 balls for 104 yards (17.4 per catch) and Trevor Etienne averaged 6 yards per carry. Scooby Williams had 7 tackles to lead a swarming Gator defense.

For the third consecutive week, the Gators had less penalties, won the time of possession battle, and had significantly more rushing yards than their opponent. This is a formula for success.

There were, however, two major problem areas this week. The first was struggles with red zone offense. Florida gained only 35 yards on 13 plays inside the Charlotte red zone. They failed to convert on 4 red zone third down plays. Two of them were very short yardage opportunities. The other noteworthy problem was the minus two turnover ratio. The Gators lost two fumbles and had no takeaways. To have a chance to win against SEC opponents, these issues will have to be fixed.

The Gators will take their three game win streak to Lexington to face the 4-0 Kentucky Wildcats as a 2.5 point underdog. While Kentucky hasn’t faced a tough schedule or looked especially sharp so far this year, they HAVE beaten Florida the last two years. This game provides a nice opportunity for the Gators to take a next step in the growth process by winning an away SEC game as an underdog.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports
Tags: 49ers, Charlotte, College football, College Sports, Florida, Football, Gators, SEC, UNCC, University of Florida

September 22, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Tennessee at Florida- September 16, 2023

Clearly, Florida's big win over Tennessee is an important milestone in the Gator’s rebuilding project. Maintaining perspective, however, should be a priority for all Florida fans. The team is still very much a work in progress with plenty of work left to be done. The Utah loss in week one and the Tennessee win this week are both steps along this path. Still…it’s good to pause and celebrate. It's great to be a Florida Gator.

Perhaps the most critical benefit to this win is the reduction of the “noise in the system”. More optimism and, hopefully, a renewed fan and media commitment to patience and trusting the process. Positive energy around any program fuels recruiting success and recruiting success (in time) brings on the field wins. Florida’s 2024 recruiting class is looking very good to date. Currently ranked as one of the top 5 in the nation, this recruiting cycle has the potential of finishing as Florida’s best since the Tebow/Spikes/Harvin class twenty years ago.

There is cause for enthusiasm around the improved depth and play in both the offensive and defensive lines. The number of young players, on both sides of the ball, seeing extensive action and delivering good outcomes is a real high point. Graham Mertz has shown why Billy Napier and staff went and got him in the transfer portal. Poise and consistency at QB was a need and he has provided both.

The Gator defense, despite it's youth, has earned a much higher level of trust and confidence than the defenses over the last several seasons. Through three games, Florida has the best stats in the SEC for missed tackles with only 19. Other than failing on five “third and long” situations in the second half of the Tennessee game, this defense has delivered. The aggressive style of play, especially from the linebackers and safeties has been a key.

Special teams play is a continuing area of concern for this year’s team. Florida has left too many points on the table and killed momentum with missed field goals and other special team's gaffes.

The last 9 seconds of the Tennessee game provided a disappointing end to what had been a game where Florida leveraged an advantage in focus and poise. Unfortunately, Josh Heupel’s poor decision to use Tennessee’s last time out while down 13 points, without the ball, and with only nine seconds remaining opened the door for unnecessary conflict. While Heupel’s decision and the ensuing personal foul on a Tennessee player were the triggers, the impulsive physical response by several Gator players was a backwards step. The officials had already flagged the Tennessee infraction and the game was over. The consequence of the fighting is three Gator players (all starters) will have to sit out the first half of the UNC Charlotte game this week. Truly disappointing that these players allowed themselves to be so easily drawn into Tennessee’s own lack of composure. It was also puzzling to hear some Florida fans attempt to justify the behavior with, “they started it”. I’m confident the Florida coaching staff is looking forward, as a part of the new team culture, to reaching the point where players place team goals ahead of their own instant gratification.

This week’s home game against the UNC Charlotte 49ers provides an opportunity for the Gators to maintain the forward momentum on offense and defense while also cleaning up special teams play ahead of the big September 30th game AT Kentucky.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports
Tags: 2023, College Sports, Florida, Football, Gators, napier, SEC, Tennessee, University of Florida, Volunteers

September 3, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Florida at Utah- August 31, 2023

The conventional approach to week one scheduling for Power Five conference teams is to schedule a cup cake. The rationale for scheduling easy first game opponents is to have live action to work out the kinks. Teams also hope to carry the typical off-season hopefulness into the season. This and last season, Florida chose to start with games against the nationally ranked Utah Utes. The win last year launched the Billy Napier era with (perhaps too much) optimism. This year’s loss had the opposite effect. Despite the realities of playing a nationally ranked, back to back PAC-12 champion on the road and at altitude, Gator fans expected a better showing from the their team. The ugliness of the early action set the tone and made it difficult for the Gators to recover. It also made it tough for Florida fans to appreciate some good things that did occur.

Generally speaking, Florida tackled better in this game than in many of last year’s game. Defensive line depth looked to be improved and the third down (defensive) conversion rate was better. Young players on both sides of the ball contributed and will just get better and better with experience. Gator quarterback, Graham Mertz, handled himself well. In the big picture, these things are important.

Unfortunately, in the shorter-term, procedural penalties in three key red zone short yardage situations cost Florida points and momentum in important game situations. A missed short field goal attempt and a poor (freshman) decision to catch a punt at his own five yard line were other gaffes that contributed to the hole Florida dug for themselves. If the Gator’s can address these type problems, they have a chance to win seven games this year.

My take on the ultra-critical “two players with same jersey number” penalty that cost Florida seven points is different than most. The problem to me, originates much earlier than determining whether blame falls on the players or the coaches. In a program that purports it’s priorities to be “team first”, there is no excuse for assigning multiple players the same jersey number. This practice doesn’t help referees, statisticians, fans, or teams in any way. It serves only the individual players who want single digit numbers. With 99 possible jersey numbers and the limit of 70 players that can dress out for games there is no need for duplication.

Florida has struggled on the road of late, but has an opportunity to settle down and rebound with home games the next three weeks. Tennessee on September 16th will be another very tough task, but McNeese State (on the 9th) and Charlotte (on the 23rd) are both games the Gators should win.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports
Tags: 2023, College Sports, Florida, Football, Gators, SEC, Utah

January 9, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Gator Football Heads Into Year Two

The Florida Gator football team heads into 2023 ready to put the disappointing end of the 2022 season behind them and poised to build on the program growth that occurred in 2022. Ideally, that growth might have translated into a couple more wins and a few less erratic performances in 2022. Instead, Florida battled throughout, but caved in late. The primary factors were roster/depth challenges and a very difficult schedule. Florida played nine games against teams that spent some portion of the season in the AP Top 20. Of those nine teams, six reached rankings as high as #7. The Vanderbilt loss was the only truly confusing outcome.

Turning to the things that matter most in the big picture, the Gators made strides forward in terms of roster/player development and program culture this season. Many of the players who arrived with or who were recruited by Billy Napier and his staff were strong contributors this year. O’Cyrus Torrence was an All-American. Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne made up one of the best running back tandems in the SEC. Ricky Pearsall led the Gators in receiving. Austin Barber was a frequent starter as a true freshman. Kamryn Waites and Caleb Douglas also contributed on the offense. Defensively, Kamari Wilson, Shemar James, Chris McClellan, Devon Moore, Miguel Mitchell were all important contributors even as true freshmen. At least four other true freshmen played and gained valuable experience this season. These things are important to note and understand as this coaching staff works towards having enough of the right personnel to run their systems. The 2023 class of recruits is even more impressive and is already ranked in the top ten despite having room for three more additions. This 2023 class includes an elite quarterback and much needed help on defense. The Florida staff has added five players in positions of need from the transfer portal and will likely add three or four more in the next several weeks.

The importance of a coach having adequate time to recruit and build their roster goes far beyond website rankings and measures of athletic ability. Roster composition is critical in terms of each players’ fit into the systems being deployed by the current staff. Asking a coach to run their systems with someone else’s personnel is like asking a chef to cook their specialty with only the ingredients they find in another chef’s kitchen. It will be 2024 before Billy Napier has all the ingredients needed for sustainable success.

The other critical area of growth in the Gator football program was culture. The 2022 team was more disciplined than the 2020 and 2021 teams. In most games, there were less penalties resulting from a lack of focus (illegal formation, offsides, etc). In all games, there were less penalties due to selfishness (unsportsmanlike conduct, late hits, etc). Overall, less yaking, taunting, and posing. More getting ready for the next play. The culture pieces are less obvious from the stands because much that matters reflected in player behavior at practice, in the weight room, in class, on campus, and in the community. Programs with players displaying a team first attitude are more successful and more sustainable. Florida is moving steadily in this direction.

Changing team culture isn’t easy. Talk is cheap and the culture isn’t changed until a new attitude is reflected consistently in behavior. Many people will say they want change, but then balk when that change creates any need for personal sacrifice or discomfort. Not everyone is built for these realities. For some, it’s easier to just accept the status quo or to quit.

One of the best and quickest ways to bring about change in any organization (especially sports teams) is to flip the roster. The players who aren’t “onboard” simply move on (or are moved on) and are replaced by individuals who are a better fit for the new organization. This is occurring in Florida football. Of Florida’s 85 player roster, there are 33 players (22 in the portal) who have departed since this point in time last year. In many instances the change will benefit both the player and the program. Some players will find new teams that fit them better. Others won’t and their careers will be over. For the program, the benefit is more roster space to recruit new players who buy in to the new culture and fit the program better.

As a society, we’ve grown accustomed to immediate gratification. One challenge for teams in the midst of program and culture change is navigating the realities of a sometimes impatient fanbase. Programs like Florida have the benefit of large numbers of passionate and vocal fans. The downside, unfortunately, is instances where some of the more impatient fans take to social media to vent their frustration. Social media carries substantial unfiltered power that can be harnessed for good or for bad. There is very little accountability within these platforms for inaccuracy or rationality. Anyone can have an account and can push out “information” not only to the people willing to “follow” them, but also to the followers of their followers. This is creates what is truly an information virus. In a more perfect circumstance, the credible influencers would unfollow, mute, or block irrationally negative people instead of being a secondary conduit for their negative posts. Sadly, because social media "success" is measured by quantity (volume) of influence rather than quality of influence, users tend to tolerate irrational negativity if it pushes additional interaction (posts). This dynamic is counter productive to building positivity and a winning culture for an intercollegiate athletics program. The cultural change for Florida football will progress even more quickly and true Gator fans will be happier once the program can get this corner turned and some of the "noise in the system" is reduced. 

Published by Dug Jones in Sports
Tags: College Sports, Florida, Football, Gators, recruiting, SEC, University of Florida

November 19, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Florida at Vanderbilt- November 19, 2022

On this disappointing Saturday in Nashville, Tennessee, the Florida Gators squandered an opportunity to extend the momentum they had built over the last several weeks. Instead, they took backward steps in most measurable areas. In his post game comments, Billy Napier, made the obvious observation that this week was a bit of a reality check. As I’ve commented in previous blogs, rebuilding a program is an arduous process. Ultimately, it becomes mostly about whether teams can be consistently and sustainably productive. Rebuilding teams, like Florida, will inevitably have bad days. The Vanderbilt game was clearly one of these.

In recent weeks, the Gators had been able to run the ball for an average of about 250 yards per game while having zero turnovers. Against the Commodores, Florida turn the ball over twice and rushed for less than 50 yards. The turnovers were especially costly, because one was in their own end zone, and the other was inside their own 25 yard line. They compounded these challenges with 80 yards in penalties, several that extended scoring drives for Vanderbilt. Every single Commodore point was either a direct result of a turnover, or of a Vandy scoring drive enabled by Florida penalties.

As has been the case in every SEC game this year, Florida was brutal the last four minutes of the first half. For the season, the Gators were outscored 0-52 in the last four minutes of the first half of SEC games.

Perhaps the most disappointing component this week was the squandered opportunities to seize control of the game early. Florida settled for a short field goal on their first drive after being in a first down situation at the Vandy 11 yard line. They enabled the Commodores first scoring drive with two third down and long defensive penalties. They followed this with the muffed punt to give the Commodores an additional free 7 points. In the first half, the Gators had three dropped passes and Anthony Richardson missed several open receivers with errant throws.

The Gator offense continues to go as Anthony Richardson goes. When he’s willing to run the ball, the Florida offense succeeds. He has to be willing to keep the ball on read options even if just to keep the defense honest. This week, he ran the ball only 4 times. Richardson also hasn’t figured out the he must throw a catchable ball on game ending, desperation plays. For the third time this season, his last pass was thrown out of bounds instead somewhere that would have at least given a Florida receiver an opportunity to make a play.

To maintain perspective, the Gators are still inside Billy Napier’s first year. Ten months ago, Florida fans knew there was work to be done on the roster and the culture. No rational fan would have expected these two priorities to have been addressed this quickly. It’s just that last week, it seemed the Gators were ahead of pace and this week’s reality check was hard to accept. To be clear, however, the Florida culture is changing and recruiting looks good thus far. This point next season will be the better barometer of progress. Ideally, the local sports media and social media will understand this and resist damaging the effort and momentum with impulsive negativity.

Next week’s game, in Tallahassee, against a surging Florida State team will be a formidable challenge, but also an opportunity to make a statement.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports
Tags: 2022, commodores, Florida, Football, Gators, SEC, University of Florida, vanderbilt

November 14, 2022 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- South Carolina at Florida- November 12, 2022

The Florida Gators rode a quick start and stellar defense throughout to maintain their late season momentum. Saturday’s 38-6 home win over South Carolina was much more important than just clinching bowl eligibility. Florida has now positioned themselves to wrap up the season with a win/loss record that more favorably reflects the progress this program has made over the last 11 months. The Gators are also well-positioned to finish the 2023 recruiting cycle with a class ranked in the top 10 nationally.

Of late, Florida’s has demonstrated an ability, both, to execute a running game that earns over 240 rushing yards per game and also takes care of the football. For the season the Gators have averaged 225 rushing yards per game. For the most recent 4 games, even with just 100 rushing yards against Georgia, Florida has averaged 243 per game. In Florida’s 6 wins, they’ve rushed for an average of 279 per game. In the 4 losses, the per game rushing average was just 147. To win, the Gators must run the ball well.

Turnover margin has been a key, as well. In the last 4 games, the Gators have had nine takeaways and just one (insignificant) turnover.

The Gator’s also continue to made great progress with poise and focus. This week’s game provided further evidence of progress in this area. Florida remained poised during the second half of this week’s game despite chippiness initiated by the Gamecocks. In recent years, Florida has been too easily provoked into bad decisions. The Gators are growing up as a team.

Focusing on this week’s South Carolina game, there was much to like. The Florida defense extended their good work from last week at Texas AM, by providing 4 more quarters of shutout football. It has been 6 quarters since the Gators allowed any points on defense. The scheme has been more aggressive and tackling has been solid. Against SC, Florida had 3 sacks and a whopping 7 tackles for loss. In 49 snaps, the Gators allowed no plays for over 18 yards and only 5 that gained more than 8 yards. Offensively, Florida scored on every one of their first half possessions. In the second half, however, they failed to score points on two of three third quarter possessions that all began within field goal range. For the second week in a row, the Gators could have made the game a romp with better third quarter execution.

The most concerning aspect of this week’s game was special teams play. There was nothing special about the Florida special teams. The Gators gave up a 48 yard touchdown on an SC fake punt. The game circumstance when the fake occurred was such that the fake could have clearly been anticipated. Somehow Florida completely failed to cover the SC gunner who was open by twenty yards. The Gators also missed a short field goal, mishandled the placement on another short field goal attempt, had net negative yardage on their own punt returns, and allowed a 37 yard punt return by SC. It took a great day by the Gator defense to erase the opportunities the special teams gave to the Gamecocks.

Next week’s game against Vanderbilt offers a golden opportunity for the Gators to get to 7-5 (4-4 in SEC games). As a 14 point favorite, Florida has to simply trust the process and execute the same formula that has brought the best results. Over 240 yards of rushing offense and no turnovers.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports
Tags: 2022, College Sports, Florida, Football, Gamecocks, Gators, SEC, South Carolina, University of Florida
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