ChompTalk.com

Offense: B
Kyle Trask and Co. clearly shook some cobwebs off the offensive unit this game. Florida might’ve been 6-for-6 in the redzone but it settled for field goals on the first two drives. The third drive of the game ended with a pick six that seemed to have more to do with pass blocking than Trask’s decision making. Plus, freshman Anthony Richardson nearly turned the ball over during a designed quarterback run. The Gators also gained 25 first downs but posted a 4-for-13 performance on third down. Despite some rust Florida still threw up 41 points, Kyle Trask posted four touchdowns again and the Gators outgained Missouri 514 to 248 on just eight more plays. However, Trask did force/miss some throws but quarterbacks will have those moments. Trask was the lesding rusher but Dameon Pierce once again provided some tough carries and great catch-and-runs out of the backfield.

Also how about the play of Kadarius Toney? Three touchdowns in one game including two remarkable ones definitely fueled the Gator offense. Check out his first touchdown below.

Defense: B
Possibly Florida’s best game on defense this season. And it coincidentally came when shorthanded. The Gators forced seven punts and allowed only three first down conversions on 15 third down attempts. Missouri possessed the ball for six fewer minutes than Florida but accrued just half the offensive yardage and scored only 10 points. Florida still benefited from some Missouri miscues but one could tell this defensive performance was different from the others. For example, the Gators had more influence on the defensive line of scrimmage against the Tigers. I mean Mizzou only netted 40 yards rushing on 23 attempts compared to 169 on 35 for Florida. A key contributor to the defensive front’s night was the return of senior defensive tackle Kyree Campbell. He certainly made a difference eating up Missouri blocks and giving other Gators opportunities to make plays. Florida’s pass rush seemed to help that short-staffed secondary. Not to mention some key tackles for loss and a fumble recovery to end a few Missouri drives allowed Florida with chances to pull away on the scoreboard.

Special Teams: A-
This unit obviously performed well Saturday given the letter grade. Chris Howard filled in admirably for the absent Evan McPherson at kicker. The redshirt junior made all five of his PAT attempts and went 2-for-2 on field goals. Plus he limited the Tigers to just three returns on eight kickoffs. The punt unit didn’t allow a single return on Jacob Finn’s three attempts. Finn averaged 43 yards a punt plus he had a fantastic 60-yarder downed at the one at the end of the first half that unfortunately never counted due to a penalty. Kadarius Toney only had two returns on punt team but still pulled off a good 19-yard return. The one glaring issue was an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on freshman corner Kamar Wilcoxson on one of Finn’s punts.

Overall, Florida had probably as good a return as possible from its two-week hiatus. The question now is can it string together good games on both sides of the ball? The Gators will need to next week if they want any shot at making it to Atlanta as the Georgia Bulldogs and the Cocktail Party await.