It seemed like business as usual after the Gators’ first two games of the season. The team had won both of its matches, and Canadian international Deanne Rose was impacting games like expected. She was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week after she scored three and assisted once in opening weekend.
The team then proceeded to lose four straight. Rose injured her hamstring and featured only twice in the stretch of road games. The offense struggled without her, scoring only twice while conceding nine.
After the Gators fourth loss, their home opener, to a winless UCF team, coach Becky Burleigh said, “I just don’t want to get used to this, it’s not settling well with me,”
In typical Burleigh fashion, her team began winning again. The Gators have now posted back-to-back shutouts of their opponents and the goals are flowing again. The offense looks fluid and dangerous; they’ve scored seven in their last two matches. The team will ride this two-game win streak into SEC play starting tonight against Louisiana State University.
LSU won its first SEC title in 2018. Even though they sport a 2-4-1 record so far this season, Florida knows the game will be tough. Burleigh and senior midfielder Tess Sapone acknowledged that they will not be taking the opposition lightly.
The Tigers lost two big pieces from their successful 2018 team, forwards Alex Thomas and Adrienne Richardson. They were both top scorers for the squad and the Tigers are struggling offensively in their absence. LSU has not scored in its last three games.
Defensively, though, the Tigers are solid. Excluding a blowout loss to No. 12 Duke, LSU has only conceded five goals in six games.
Streaking Gators
Deanne Rose has missed the last two games and her availability for the LSU match is still questionable. In her absence, senior forward Vanessa Kara has stepped up.
⚽️⚽️⚽️ in 2⃣ matches earns 🐊⚽️ Vanessa Kara @SEC Offensive Player of the Week honor!
Her knack for being in the right place at the right time has allowed her to score three goals in the last two games, good enough to earn her SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Redshirt junior Parker Roberts has also been playing well recently with a goal and two assists in the last two matches. She has been a positive influence on the team with her role from deep in the midfield.
With ten games left, every team the Gators face from now on is an SEC opponent. The SEC champion gets an automatic berth into the NCAA DI Women’s Soccer Championship.
The No. 11 Florida Gators defeated the No. 23 Florida State Seminoles in straight sets (25-21, 27-25, 25-14) to win their fourth consecutive match of the season.
A Look at FSU
Heading into the match, FSU was on a decent run of their own. They had won their last three in straight sets, defeating RV TCU, Stony Brook and St. John’s. In addition, earlier in the season, they defeated No. 3 Minnesota in straight sets. The Gators, on the other hand, got swept by the Golden Gophers.
Historically, the Gators have the edge over the Seminoles. Overall, Florida leads the series with a 42-20 record. Under Mary Wise, the Gators are 35-6. In their previous meeting, the Gators won in three sets; just like Tuesday’s match.
Match Recap
After a back-and-forth first set, FSU led the second 10-4 early on. However, the Gators came back through a well-rounded team effort. FSU helped give Florida points from four straight attacking errors to get them going. Then, the likes of Thayer Hall, Marlie Monserez, Lauren Dooley and Rachael Kramer put them away with multiple kills each.
The third set wasn’t close, as the Gators got off to a 13-2 lead and never looked back.
Hall, Monserez and Dooley led the way for the Gators offensively. Hall led the game with 15 kills, followed by Paige Hammons‘ 10 and Dooley’s nine. Monserez got 40 assists.
Overall, the Gators had a hitting percentage of .322 compared to FSU’s .150. Dooley continued her offensive efficiency, picking up her nine kills from just 13 attempts.
Afterthoughts
“From an offensive standpoint, I thought Marlie was her best today,” said Wise. “It’s pretty heroic what she’s doing to be able to control the ball as well as she was, and as a result, giving our hitters such good looks.”
“It was a great team effort tonight,” said Monserez. “Everyone came in ready to play, ready to compete, and we all knew our game plan and our roles and how to do it.”
Next Up
Next, the Gators will host the Gator Invitational beginning Friday at 10 a.m. Florida will face Liberty at noon on Friday, Northern Arizona at 7 p.m., and Louisiana at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The Florida Gators will face a familiar foe on September 4, 2021, when Lane Kiffin and the FAU Owls take a visit to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
The Florida Atlantic athletic association announced the newly scheduled game today, moving a matchup with Fordham and canceling a series with Central Michigan to pencil-in the Gators.
UF and FAU last played in 2015 in Gainesville, a contest that ended as an unlikely overtime thriller and a 20-14 Florida victory. However, Kiffin last faced the Gators in the 2016 SEC Championship as offensive coordinator of Alabama.
Kiffin will make his return to SEC competition for the first time since serving as Nick Saban’s offensive play caller. He coached for three seasons at Alabama (2014-16, for four seasons as head coach of Southern California (2010-13) and for one season as head coach of Tennessee (2009) before being hired by the Owls in Dec. 2016.
Kiffin is 17-12 as FAU’s head coach, going 11-3 and winning the Conference USA championship in his first season. However, he is 6-9 since that time.
Florida Atlantic started the 2019 campaign going 1-2; however both losses came to ranked opponents. The Owls fell to No. 6 Ohio State (45-21) in Week 1 and lost to No. 15 UCF (48-14) a week later. They bounced back last week with a 41-31 away win over Ball State.
Mark Stine is a contributing writer for Chomp Talk. Follow him on Twitter @mstinejr.
Florida midfielder Vanessa Kara was named the SEC Soccer Offensive Player of the Week Monday after she registered three goals in a span of just two games.
Kara, a graduate from Drexel University, scored twice in Florida’s 4-0 shutout over FGCU on Thursday and scored once against Miami in a 3-0 victory on Sunday.
These were the first goals for Kara as a Gator since coming to Florida after receiving her civil engineering degree from Drexel. The Burlington, New Jersey, product is the first Gator since All-American Savannah Jordan to start their career at Florida with multiple goals.
Kara’s offensive surge is much needed after the Gators scored just twice in their last four matches, all of which were losses.
The back of the net isn’t new for Kara, however. She is No. 2 all-time in career goals (22) at Drexel and led them in scoring as a freshman and as a junior.
Kara and the Gators will begin conference play when they face LSU in Baton Rouge on Thursday at 8 p.m.
As per his usual schedule, Dan Mullen met with the Gators sports media on Monday afternoon. After a brief discussion about Saturday’s come from behind victory of Kentucky, Mullen dove right into the injury update.
CJ Henderson and Jabari Zuniga are both “right on the edge” of being ready to play. Because they are both veteran players and know what to do, Mullen is optimistic that they will get enough rest this week to be ready to go on Saturday. Amari Burney will be available against the Volunteers this weekend.
Just as expected, Feleipe Franks is done for the season. “He has a dislocated ankle… It comes with a fracture in there,” Mullen said, of Franks. Franks will undergo surgery on September 23rd and is expected to miss six months for recovery.
Mullen was asked about how much the offense will change now that Kyle Trask and Emory Jones will be sharing quarterback duties.
“Not a whole lot,” said Mullen. “You know, I expect us to play both guys in a combination of it for several different reasons. One, I think they both bring a little something different to the table. Not just in running plays, but even how they run certain plays. They’ve got a little bit different weapon. I think, now, you went from having two experienced, you would hope, two experienced backups to two inexperienced sstarters. We’ve got to get those guys in the game, and get them reps, and get them, you know, comfortable. But every time both of them have been in the game they’ve performed at a pretty high level for us. So you’re comfortable with that, but now it’s a little different role and you’ve gotta have both of them continue to get ready to go.”
The combination of skill sets harkens back to the 2006 national championship team when Chris Leak and a freshman Tim Tebow split duties behind center. When asked about whether this situation is similar, Mullen responded, “Could be.”
“We’ll see,” Mullen continued. “Emory’s much further along than Tim would have been in ’06. But you know, I think we’ll have the situations ’cause I think both… each guy brings a little bit something different issue to the defense. It crosses over a lot too, and so I think that’ll be kinda fun for us, offensively, to put it all together.”
During Florida’s comeback on Saturday night, Kentucky linebacker, Kash Daniel attempted to twist the ankle of Kyle Trask, as he lay at the bottom of the pile. Regardless of where your allegiance lies, there is absolutely zero place for intentionally attempting to injure somebody. Whether or not the University of Kentucky or the league officials issue any form of punishment is entirely up to them. However, Mullen was asked to give his opinion on the matter.
“You know, when that stuff happens, that’s something for the league office and the commissioner. You know, I’m sure… It’s around the media, I’m sure they’ve looked at it, as I’m sure it’s something they will address.”
As the Gators prepare for their second SEC game of the season, they will do so with a new pair of quarterbacks. Each brings their own unique talents, and I, for one, am excited to see what this new iteration of Florida Gators Football looks like.
The Gators play host to the Tennessee Volunteers, this Saturday, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville. Coverage begins at noon EST on ESPN. Be sure to follow along throughout the week with Chomp Talk, as we provide all of latest news and updates!
The Southeastern Conference announced senior linebacker David Reese II as the SEC Defensive Player of the Week today.
Reese accumulated a career-high 16 tackles in Florida’s 29-21 victory over Kentucky on Saturday, leading all players in the statistic. The Farmington, Michigan, product made a critical stop to begin the fourth quarter, when he stuffed UK running back Asim Rose on fourth-and-one from the UF 38 yard line. The turnover on downs preceded a Gator touchdown drive and helped shift the game’s momentum.
Reese currently sits at fourth in SEC with 24 tackles on the season, four behind conference leader Cale Garrett of Missouri, according to cfbstats.com. Reese also leads all Gators in the category.
This is the second time Reese has received this honor. He was also named SEC Defensive Player of the Week following his 12-tackle performance in a 16-10 win at LSU in 2016.
Mark Stine is a contributing writer for Chomp Talk. Follow him on Twitter @mstinejr.
The game saw few chances early. Miami’s plan was to defend deep and compactly, and the Gators struggled to break them down.
Miami registered the first shot of the game in the 24th minute when senior midfielder Lauren Markwith booted the ball from the top of the box, only for it to sail off-target.
Florida’s main attacking threats were down the wings. Kit Loferski, who has started every game for the Gators so far, and Cassidy Lindley were often running down the flanks looking to cut in or cross.
Lindley generated the team’s most dangerous chance of the first half when she rounded the keeper and whipped in a low cross to substitute Laney Steed at the top of the six-yard box, but Steed’s shot was cleared off the line.
Despite Florida holding a four to two shot advantage in the first half, both teams entered the break scoreless.
Second Half
The Gators were a team on a mission in the second half. Just five minutes after play resumed, they took the lead. Midfielder Parker Roberts’ header from a corner kick fell to the feet of Lindley at the top of the box, who released a stinging effort that sailed past the outstretched Miami keeper and into the right side of the net.
The Gators then began controlling the game.
After some dangerous chances, Florida found the back of the net again in the 62nd minute. Loferski beat her defender on the right side of the box before she found a waiting Vanessa Kara in the box who doubled the Gators’ lead. Kara’s goal marks her third strike in the last two games.
Florida buried the Canes for good in the 68th. Senior Sammie Betters cut in from the right side of the box and delivered a ball, whether it was a shot or cross, that bounced off the Miami keeper to put the Gators up 3-0.
🐊🐊🐊 goals!
67:58@samiambetters scores on 12-yard angled shot – assist @parkerrRoberts Watch now on @SECNetwork +
The Hurricanes had a last-gasp attempt at getting on the score sheet when midfielder Kristina Fisher curled a shot from the top of the box in the 89th minute. But, it sailed just over the crossbar.
The Gators’ strong second half allowed them to end the game with a 14 to 7 shot advantage over their south Florida opponents.
What’s Next for the Gators
Florida now holds a 4-4 record and will begin SEC play in their next game. They have scored seven and conceded zero in their last two games.
The team travels to face LSU (2-4-1) on Thursday. Historically, the Gators have dominated this matchup and have won their last six against the Tigers.
The status of Gator forward Deanne Rose is worth monitoring before the LSU game. Rose began the year red hot. She was named the first SEC Offensive Player of the Week before she injured her hamstring on the team’s California road trip. She has since missed four of the last five games.
With tonight's win, 🐊 Head Coach @BeckyBurleigh earns her 5⃣0⃣0⃣th career win!
✔️3rd all-time in NCAA D1 ⚽️ history ✔️2nd among NCAA D1 active ⚽️ coaches ✔️1st woman NCAA D1 history with 5⃣0⃣0⃣ wins
The Gators drew passing grades across the board in their 29-21 victory at Kentucky… barely. Florida’s mistakes and misfortune quickly evaporated when backup quarterback Kyle Trask took command for injured starter Feleipe Franks (ankle) late in the third quarter, as it scored three unanswered touchdowns to claw back from an 11-point deficit.
Offense: C+
Somehow the Gators won despite their offensive line surrendering the line of scrimmage.
If you strip away Josh Hammond’s 76-yard, game-sealing scamper, the Gators rushed for 69 yards on 26 carries. For those of you who don’t enjoy quick math, that’s 2.7 yards per carry. Not good.
However, Kentucky’s inexperienced and thin secondary (with regard to a targeting ejection and injury) made things easier for Florida through the air.
Trask took advantage of Kentucky’s zone coverage with a quick passing game. He lifted the ball over underneath defenders, averaging 14 yards per completion (9 for 13 passing, 126 yards).
The Wildcats dropped back and failed to put much pressure on Trask, but you have to give the redshirt junior credit for making critical plays in the face of pressure.
He made a tough pitch to running back Lamical Perine for a touchdown while being tackled in the shadow of the goaline. He also completed a lofted pass to tight end Kyle Pitts for 30 yards with linebacker Jordan Wright in his face. That play set up Trask’s rushing touchdown, which gave Florida the lead.
The Gators moved the ball decently with Franks, as it didn’t punt once under his direction. The field opened up for Trask, as the Wildcats dared him to beat them with his arm, sitting on their lead.
It wasn’t pretty for UF’s offense, but Trask’s comeback certainly vaulted him into Florida folklore.
Defense: B-
That ‘B’ probably turns into a ‘C’ if UK kicker Chance Poore (let’s take a moment to think about how terrible a name for a kicker that is) hits his late field goal attempt. However, the Gators won the turnover battle and played a stingy second half. So ‘B’ it is.
UF played soft defense on Kentucky’s second-to-last drive, which ended with Poore pushing a 35-yard field goal wide right.
Linebacker David Reese II was ravenous. His 16 tackles, including a crucial fourth-down stop of Asim Rose early in the fourth quarter, were nine greater than UF’s next-best tackler, Ventrell Miller.
Florida’s pass rush ‒ which entered the contest leading the nation with 15 sacks ‒ was rather quiet. It only sacked UK quarterback Sawyer Smith once (thanks to a busted assignment) to go with just three quarterback hits.
However, UF pressured Smith on two interceptions by safety Shawn Davis in the second half, which led to 10 points. This second-half resurgence was rather impressive since star defensive end Jabari Zuniga (ankle) sidelined for the final 30 minutes.
The Gators also allowed Kentucky to convert 8 of 13 third downs, but they defended three straight third downs to finish the night.
So while the defense was underwhelming for the majority of its performance, it finished strong.
Special Teams: B
There weren’t many special teams plays to focus on, as each team punted just once and hardly returned kickoffs (UK returned one for 18 yards).
Evan McPherson missed a field goal from point-blank range (27 yards to be exact) definitely brings down the special teams grade, but he did make up for it with a 32-yard conversion.
Another big special teams play came off the boot of Tommy Townsend, who pinned the Wildcats on their eight yard line with a 44 yard punt in the fourth quarter.
So barring McPherson’s bad miss, the special teams played solid football when it actually got the chance.
Coaching: C-
You can’t give the Florida coaches anything less than a passing grade for winning an SEC game, but poor coaching was evident.
Let’s start with penalties. Two holding calls nullified two rushing touchdowns by Franks, while the Gators defense was caught with too many players on the field when the Wildcats had first-and-goal from the five yard line. Shawn Davis also picked up an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty following his second interception. He has to know better, and it’s up to his coaches to teach him better.
Let’s move to turnovers. Franks threw a dreadful interception on the opening drive. He scrambled away from pressure then chucked a deep pass to the end zone, which safety Tyrell Ajian easily intercepted. He could have found a better option (Pitts looked open on the play) or thrown the ball away. Regardless, he’s probably been taught better, and ball security needs to be emphasized.
Another coaching miscue actually occured on Hammond’s touchdown run.
With a one-point lead and only one timeout for Kentucky, all Hammond had to do was fall in bounds after picking up the first down. Instead, he went to the end zone, giving his team an eight-point lead and the Wildcats an unlikely opportunity to tie the game.
On the defensive side, what happened to Todd Grantham’s aggression? UK was so successful on third down, especially third-and-long because Smith had plenty of time to find receivers. We’re used to Grantham bringing pressure in those situations, and we’d certainly expect that strategy against a pass-happy backup quarterback.
Lastly, let’s talk about play calls. I’m not going to knit-pick the bad play calls, because Mullen called a good game for the most part. As previously stated, Florida only punted once. Mullen continues to call plays that allow his team to move the ball in spite of its shoddy offensive line. The short-pass play-calling was particularly successful when Trask entered the game, so the Gators deserve positive credit on that front.
In a game that had more drama than Broadway, Florida battled their way to a gutsy victory at Kroger Field, on Saturday night. The storylines were plenty, as Kentucky started Troy quarterback transfer, Sawyer Smith due to a torn patellar tendon suffered by Terry Wilson Jr. in last week’s victory over Eastern Michigan.
Florida entered the game down a couple playmakers of their own, in CJ Henderson and Kadarius Toney. I’m not entirely certain of just how much of an impact any of these absentees had on the final outcome of the game, which had its own storyline, but those who were on the field provided an evening filled with highs and lows.
Florida was attempting to avenge their first loss to Kentucky in 32 years. Kentucky wanted to begin a streak of their own by winning back-to-back games against the Gators for the first time in over forty years. Yet despite already having so many storylines, this meeting between the two SEC East rivals brought forth a couple more.
Florida’s Feleipe Franks sold out on fourth down, late in the third quarter, sacrificing his body as he fought to meet the line to gain. Unfortunately, he was twisted around and forced backward on top of himself.
He was in visible agony as the pile began to dissipate. Moments later, he was placed in a cast and loaded onto the back of the medical cart. He didn’t reach the first down marker, but as he rested on the rear of the cart, his entire team poured onto the field, surrounding him with a message of unity and support.
The Gators trailed 21-10 at that moment, though not because of the play of Franks, who finished 12/17 for 174 yards, a touchdown, and a pick. After that moment, the Gators galvanized, outscoring the Wildcats 19-0.
Kyle Trask made the most of finally seeing meaningful reps, leading the Gators to three fourth quarter scoring drives. By the time it was all said and done, Trask had recorded 126 yards passing, going 9/13 in the process. He even scored a touchdown on his only carry of the game.
To be certain, the offense was mostly effective when it came to moving the ball on Kentucky. The problems came from “the little things” that Dan Mullen frequently refers to. Franks found the endzone twice only to have both scores negated by holding penalties. Failure to execute blocking assignments closed the door on any potential for a running game.
On the defensive side of things, the Gators played uncharacteristically shy. The team that boasted 15 sacks and 26 tackles for loss coming into the game, failed to apply pressure for most of the first three quarters, and the coverage offered far too soft a cushion.
Once Grantham returned to his style of defensive play-calling, Sawyer Smith began to display some of his weaknesses in what was an otherwise respectable performance. It was pressure that eventually forced Smith into tossing three interceptions, and it was pressure that nearly caused another turnover when Jonathan Greenard forced a fumble on his only sack of the night.
Despite the late game heroics, Kentucky proved to be a much tougher opponent than Florida might have anticipated. Smith completed 23 of 25 passes for 267 yards, a pair of touchdowns, and the aforementioned trifecta of interceptions. Kavosiey Smoke added 81 yards on 16 carries, and was a problem for the Gators for most of the night.
Perhaps it was the team rallying around their fallen leader, or maybe they just got hot at the right moment. Whatever it was, the Gators did display some heroics as they found a way to win.
Kyle Pitts only had four catches on the night, but he was clutch in the moments he had to be, on his way to 63 yards. Similarly, Van Jefferson always seemed to find his way open as he recorded 7 catches for 93 yards.
When Florida needed to convert on third down while nursing a 22-21 lead late in the fourth quarter, Josh Hammond provided a 76 yard touchdown run. No one player got the job done on their own. Instead, they each contributed exactly what was needed in that moment, to reach their collective goal.
The Gators still have a long way to go before they reach their potential. There is much to improve before they can, once again, be a championship caliber team. It will be interesting to see how this team responds to losing their unquestioned leader, in Feleipe Franks. At least for now, they live to fight another day.
The No. 11 Florida Gators defeated Long Beach State in five sets (25-27, 25-16, 25-20, 19-25, 19-17) to complete the Honda of Gainesville Gator Invitational 3-0. The Gators are now 5-2 overall.
After Rachael Kramer went down injured against USF, Darrielle King and Lauren Dooley needed to fill the large gap the 6’8 middle blocker left. They did just that, and more, against LBSU.
King and Dooley led the Gators in kills and hitting percentage for players with more than one attempt. King had 15 kills from 19 total attacks for a hitting percentage of .789. Dooley bagged 14 kills from 23 total attacks, ending with a hitting percentage of .565.
Dooley started the match on fire. Through the first two sets, she had nine kills from 11 attempts. She was keeping pace with LBSU’s Kashauna Williams, but she’d eventually take off and bury 26 kills.
A Slow Day on the Outside
Thayer Hall, who’s been the Gators’ go-to outside hitter, had the most attempts for Florida (34). However, she finished with 12 kills and seven errors for a hitting percentage of .147.
Paige Hammons struggled, too. From 19 attacks, Hammons registered four kills and two errors to finish with a .105 hitting percentage. However, she chipped in with three aces to lead the team.
Coaches’ Thoughts
One problem Long Beach State had was defending the net. In all, LBSU managed two blocks. The Gators, on the other hand, got eight. While that’s not as many as Mary Wise would like to have, she was still happy with her young middles’ performances.
“From an offensive standpoint, it was flawless,” said Wise. “We’ve had All-American middles that don’t go 15 for 19. She was outstanding offensively. We’ve gotta get better from a blocking standpoint. She’s not blocking as many balls as she will in her future.” -Wise on King’s performance.
“It wasn’t just her numbers; it was her composure,” said Wise. “I can’t say enough good things about Lauren and how hard she worked.” -Wise on Dooley’s performance
Next Up
Next, the Gators will host the No. 25 Florida State Seminoles on Tuesday at 6 p.m.
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