Joseph Erickson is a journalism major at the University of Florida. Originally from Winter Haven, he enjoys spending his time watching and talking about soccer.
The Florida Gators returned to winning ways in Day 1 of the Honda of Gainesville Gator Invitational against South Florida and James Madison.
Prior to the start of the invitational, the Gators had lost two straight matches in straight sets. They lost to No. 1 Stanford in their home opener, then lost on the road at No. 8 Minnesota.
Vs. USF
It took the Gators four sets to pick up their first win of the day against USF. The final score of the match was 25-22, 25-20, 19-25, 25-13. While the team performed well, Kramer left early due to injury. She would not play in the Gators’ second match of the day.
🎥 Highlights from this afternoon's 3-1 win over USF 🎥
Florida’s Paige Hammons racked up four aces in the match; half of the total amount of aces the Gators registered overall.
USF’s leaders were Jac St. Cin and Lindsey Pliapol. Each registered 12 kills to lead their team, followed by Jac’cara Walker with nine. CC Clausen had the most digs in the match with 15.
With that win, Mary Wise is now 17-0 against USF.
Vs. JMU
The Gators continued their momentum into the second and final match of the day against JMU. They defeated the guests in straight sets (25-19, 25-11, 25-17) and improved to 4-2 on the season.
Hall was the only player on the court to manage double-digit kills (10). Carlton was right behind her with nine.
Lauren Dooley made a major impact filling in for Kramer. Against JMU, Dooley put up six blocks to lead the game. Overall, the Gators finished with 14. For context, against USF with one extra set played, the Gators had 12.
“I thought Lauren Dooley was a game-changer tonight, just bringing a nice calm presence and just making really big plays at the net.” -Holly Carlton
“We’re definitely starting to play like the Gators and establish who we’re going to be in 2019.” -Thayer Hall
“I thought the team showed a whole lot of grit in how they played and sustained their efforts and focus throughout all three sets with a quick turnaround against a senior-laden, experienced team.” -Mary Wise on the JMU match
Day 2
On Saturday, the Gators will wrap up the Honda of Gainesville Gator Invitational with their third and final match against Long Beach State. The match will begin at 5 p.m.
Florida opens SEC play against Kentucky on Saturday. Coming off a blowout of the inferior UT-Martin Skyhawks, the Gators will travel to Lexington for their first true road contest of the season.
The following are our staff predictions for the game:
These teams are each facing a watered down version of the other. Kentucky quarterback Terry Wilson was lost for the season in their last game, while the Gators lost key contributors on both sides of the ball in Kadarius Toney and CJ Henderson. However, I believe the loss of Wilson to be much more detrimental. The Gators struggled to shut down the combination of Wilson and Snell, last season. The Wildcats will now be forced to face a terrific Gators defense without either of them. Meanwhile, the Gators remain loaded with playmakers. In my opinion, the game will come down to the play of Florida’s offensive line. Although they are not a finished product, they have done quite well at protecting Feleipe Franks up to now, and I believe the experience gained from the week zero matchup with Miami helps them in this game. I am picking the Gators, 31-24.
I have a feeling this will be a game for the ages. Unlike situations when one team has everything to gain while the other has everything to lose, after last year’s streak-snapping game, both teams have everything to win and everything to lose. A win for Florida would obviously come with the smell of vengeance whereas a Kentucky win would start a streak of their own. However, an ‘L’ in the column for either of these teams could be season shattering. A week three loss typically isn’t anything to freak out about, but I think this game will be the best indication of what these teams will accomplish this year. Not to mention its a divisional contest. The Wildcats will be without Terry Wilson, a quarterback that torched the Florida defense last year. While it’s a very unfortunate situation Kentucky, but more so for Wilson, the Gators are likely wiping their brow a little. Nonetheless, the Gators are going to be facing their most talented team yet. The offensive line will be immensely challenged and while they haven’t been spectacular, they’ve been good enough. But “good enough” might not be enough this weekend. Likewise, the defensive line will have to maintain the pressure we’ve seen all season long as they line up across some really big and talented UK offensive linemen. This is a game that will be won in the trenches, for sure. Florida’s defense wins the game, 35-21.
As the Gators’ head to Lexington to start SEC play, they will be doing so with one thing on their mind – revenge. I’m sure we all remember what happened at The Swamp a year ago, but I believe things will be different this time around. With Kentucky Quarterback Terry Wilson going down with an injury, my biggest question for the Wildcats’ is can second string quarterback Sawyer Smith have the same energy and impact on the game as Wilson had a year ago, and I do not think so. Gators are looking for revenge and do so in Lexington, final score 31-17. Time to start the streak again!
Saturday’s clash between Florida and Kentucky will come down to quarterback play, the battle in the trenches and the secondaries.
The Wildcats are at an immediate disadvantage without their signal caller, Terry Wilson.
Wilson suffered a torn patellar tendon late in Saturday’s win over Eastern Michigan. Troy transfer Sawyer Smith will get the start this Saturday. He went 5 for 9 passing for 76 yards and two scores after Wilson’s injury.
Applying pressure to Smith will be a major factor for Florida in this game, but it must also focus on protecting Feleipe Franks against a fearsome defensive front.
The UK interior is comprised of seniors Calvin Taylor and T.J. Carter and junior nose guard Quinton Bohanna. Edge threats Jamar Watson, Jordan Wright and redshirt-freshman Xavier Peters, a transfer from Florida State who was granted eligibility by the NCAA on Tuesday, will attempt to fill the 17-sack void left by Jacksonville Jaguars first-round pick Josh Allen.
How this defensive line plays against Florida’s inexperienced, yet so-far solid offensive line will prove critical.
Lastly, UF enters with an experienced starting secondary, but it fears the likely absence of Preseason First-Team All-SEC corner CJ Henderson. Behind Henderson is a cast of freshmen in Kaiir Elam, Chester Kimbrough and Jaydon Hill.
Meanwhile, Kentucky lost virtually its entire secondary from last season to the NFL and graduation. This group held Franks to a frustrating 17 of 38 passing in 2018.
I give Florida the edge with the higher-caliber quarterback and more experienced secondary, but Kentucky will fire back with a stout front seven and experience offensive line. The away team will win, but it won’t cover the eight-point spread in a 20-14 UF victory.
I keep trying to figure out a way that Kentucky can win this game. Barring turnovers and offensive ineptitude from the Gators, I just don’t see it.
Even if all things were equal (they aren’t), Florida has the revenge factor because of the humiliation they endured against the Wildcats at home just a year ago.
Starting under center for UK will be Troy transfer Sawyer Smith. Smith completed 5-9 passes against Eastern Michigan in relief of the injured Terry Wilson, but he doesn’t have nearly the legs that Wilson used to carry his team past UF last year. His 74 carries at Troy last year netted him only 2.6 yards per attempt. Expect to see the Gators defense focus on the rushing game with DC Todd Grantham bringing the rush on third and long. Gators 28-17.
Florida and Kentucky are set for a 7:00 PM kickoff. The game will be aired on ESPN. You can follow @ChompTalk and @MikeyPfeffer on Twitter for live updates of the contest.
Also check out our own Michael Pfeffer on Read and Reaction’s, Own The Fourth Quarter, a live call-in show that airs during the final period of play.
What are your predictions, Gator Nation? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter or Facebook.
The Gators felt like they were the better team in the 2-0 home opening loss to the University of Central Florida on Sunday.
They had more possession but could not turn it into goals. Without a fully fit Deanne Rose, the offense struggled. Rose put in only 42 minutes in a substitute appearance against UCF, but she still was one of the most dangerous players on the field.
“We had a reality check in the last game losing when we thought we should have won,” said senior Vanessa Kara, “We thought it came down, not even to a lack of finishing, but a lack of confidence in the box.”
The Gators turned it all around against Florida Gulf Coast tonight. The team put four goals past a helpless Florida Gulf Coast to return the Gators to winning ways.
Florida had only scored one goal in their last three games, but the team came out looking confident and fluid.
Their energy paid off early, when Kara tapped in a cross to from Cassidy Lindley in the 13th minute for her first goal of the season.
She did not stop there. Just 13 minutes after her opener, Kara pounced on a long shot from Madison Alexander after it ricocheted off the cross bar to double the Gators lead.
Despite not having Deanne Rose at all this game, the Florida attackers had their way with the FGCU defense. There were plenty of pretty passes exchanged and fluid movement on-and-off the ball on display in the first half.
The Gators hit the back of the net again in the 37th minute when freshman Kouri Peace cut in from the left side of the box and released a curling effort that the Gulf Coast keeper could do nothing about.
At halftime, Florida sported a 7 to 3 shot advantage and had a 3-0 lead to show for their efforts.
The second half was more of the same, as FGCU struggled to carve out good chances. Their best opportunities of the game were often generated from Florida mistakes.
The Gators came out of the break strong and squandered a few good looks at goal just minutes into the second half.
However, they did not take their foot off the pedal. In the 70th minute, Laney Steed delivered a corner that the Gulf Coast keeper came out to claim. She failed to get her hands on it, and the ball fell in the box to redshirt junior midfielder Parker Roberts who headed it in. The Gators led 4-0.
🐊🐊🐊🐊 goal!
@parkerrRoberts header off @LaneySteed corner kick scores at far post.
Florida had a few more chances to close out the game, but ultimately, they did not convert. By the end of the match, the Gators had 17 shots compared to the Eagles’ five.
Outlook for the Gators
This was the Gators highest scoring game of the season so far. The team looks to round out their three-game homestand on Sunday when the Miami Hurricanes visit.
The status of Deanne Rose is uncertain, but the team will hope their leading goal-scorer can return soon from a hamstring injury that she picked up in California at the end of August.
The No. 11 Florida Gators are set to host the Honda of Gainesville Gator Invitational this Friday and Saturday. The teams involved this year include James Madison, Long Beach State and South Florida.
Florida is the only ranked team participating in the invitational.
South Florida has a 3-3 record on the season, with wins against UAB, Ball State and North Florida. They’ve lost to Florida Gulf Coast, Auburn and Miami.
Long Beach State has a 2-4 overall record. They have wins against UNC Asheville and Southern University. They’ve lost to Georgia Tech, Texas State, Georgia and UCLA.
James Madison has a 3-3 record, with wins against Stony Brook, Furman and High Point. They’ve lost to Washington State, Iowa and Kennesaw State.
History
The only team the Gators have a negative record against is Long Beach State at 4-6. Otherwise, the Gators are 28-3 against USF and 1-0 against James Madison.
Tournament Schedule
Friday
The first match takes place Friday at 10 a.m. between James Madison and Long Beach State. Next. the Gators face USF at noon.
Long Beach and USF will play at 5, then, to wrap up the day, Florida will face James Madison at 7.
The following day, USF and James Madison will play at 2, and the Gators will face Long Beach at 5.
A Tough Few Games
After starting the season 2-0 with wins over No. 25 Louisville and Dayton, the Gators have lost their last two games. The first came against No. 1 Stanford at home. That ended in a sweep for the guests. Then, the Gators traveled to Minneapolis to face No. 8 Minnesota. That, too, ended in a sweep.
Team Leaders
Thayer Hall has been the go-to Gator this season. She leads the team in kills with 56. The next-highest kills tally belongs to Paige Hammons and Holly Carlton at 28.
On the defensive side of things, Rachael Kramer leads the team in blocks with 16. Darrielle King has 13, and Carlton has 10.
For more of the latest news, follow @ChompTalk and @jericksonreport on Twitter.
In Dan Mullen’s first year as the head coach of the Florida Gators, there were several monumental moments. Although many of them were milestones of success, there is one that will forever be etched on the hearts and minds of Gator Nation. The Kentucky Wildcats, Who had lost a staggering thirty-one consecutive games to Florida, came into the Swamp and thoroughly manhandled the Gators.
Although it could be said that the game was much closer than the final score would indicate, the fact remains that Florida was dominated in the trenches, and the streak was over. Arguably the greatest running back in Kentucky’s history, Benny Snell Jr. gashed the Gators defense on his way to 175 yards rushing.
As much as the Gators struggled to contain Snell, they were equally ineffective in shutting down Kentucky quarterback, Terry Wilson Jr. Wilson completed 11/16 for just over 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but it was the threat of his legs that really hurt Florida, as they allowed him to pick up 105 yards on ten attempts.
Florida won’t face either of those weapons on Saturday night. Snell took his services to the NFL after the season’s end, and Wilson suffered a torn patella tendon last week, ending his season.
Although the Gators will be without playmakers, Kadarius Toney and CJ Henderson, themselves, neither of those losses will hurt Florida in the same way that Kentucky’s loss of Wilson will. The Gators still have an embarrassment of riches at the skill positions, while the Wildcats will be starting a quarterback that gets his indoctrination into the SEC versus one of the most lethal defensive fronts in the nation.
Through just two games, the Gators have recorded fifteen sacks and an incredible twenty-six tackles for loss. Expect Todd Grantham to employ a gameplan that keeps Troy transfer Sawyer Smith from ever being able to find his footing in the passing game.
The Gators offense has taken tremendous strides since their last meeting with Kentucky, but they will be challenged by a solid and experienced defensive line. The youthful offensive line of the Gators has proven capable in pass protection, but they are still very much a work in progress in the running game.
Feleipe Franks has been excellent, save for a late game interception against Miami, but for the Gators offense to reach its true potential, the rushing attack must be effective and consistent. That begins up front, and Dan Mullen challenged his offensive line to impose their will on their opponent, at halftime last week.
Last week, the 2019 Gators took a large step of improvement. This week, we will have a true litmus of where Dan Mullen’s Gators are in year two of his program. He admitted to not really having a good idea of who his playmakers were when these teams met last September. He now has a full grasp of his team, their strengths, and their weaknesses. The players now have a full understanding of what Mullen and his staff expect of them.
Florida enters the game as an 8-point favorite, and I like them to cover that spread. I believe the depth and talent of the skill players will be enough to overcome any deficiencies, and the Gators will be too much for Kentucky.
Florida travels to Lexington and begins a new streak, 32-24.
Coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPN. Be sure to follow along with Chomp Talk’s coverage on our Twitter accounts, @ChompTalk, and on facebook.
Also, be sure to tune in to Own The Fourth Quarter! Hosted by Will Miles and myself, OTFQ is a new call-in show that airs during the fourth quarter of Florida Gators games. Look for the link on our Twitter accounts, @WillMilesSEC, and @MikeyPfeffer.
As the Gators prepare for their first SEC opponent, Dan Mullen kept his weekly date with the media. He detailed what he thought the team did well, and what he’s still looking to see from them.
Florida will be without a pair of electric athletes when they make the trip to Lexington this weekend. Mullen announced that Kadarius Toney will miss “a couple of weeks” with an undisclosed injury, and cornerback CJ Henderson will be listed as doubtful as he nurses a minor ankle sprain.
The Gators take on Kentucky this weekend and it will be the first opportunity for the Gators to face the Wildcats following the end of a streak of 31 consecutive wins over the team from the bluegrass state. As expected, Mullen fielded a query about how much last season’s loss will be used as a motivating factor for the team’s preparations this week.
“Not really,” Mullen replied. “It’ll be discussed within the scheme we’re trying to do, but I don’t see how it has much effect on this year’s game. You know? To be honest with you, they did a good job and won the game last year. And hopefully, we’ve… I mean, we grew a lot from that as a team, within our program, and where we are.”
Asked about Mark Stoops’ secondary and the challenges that it presents to Florida’s coaching staff, Mullen was complimentary of Kentucky’s defense as a whole.
“I think that they have a very good defensive system. Very complimentary. You know what I mean? He knows his system. They have the answers, you know, to the questions. That’s always a big one. You know, they do enough things to cause you problems. You say, ‘Ok, well, if they’re gonna do this, we wanna attack here.’ Ok? But then it’s like, ‘Well, they could do that to take that play away.”
He continued by acknowledging the back and forth chess match between Stoops and himself. Mullen added that Franks would face a new challenge on Saturday and that he would need to continue to make the right reads and just take what the defense gives him.
After a sluggish first quarter on Saturday night, Mullen went into the locker room at halftime, unhappy with his team’s overall performance. He even let slip, an expletive during his halftime interview. Mullen expanded on why he was disappointed and what his message was to his team during the halftime break.
“I mean, to me, it was just all about everything,” said Mullen. “It’s all about the little attentions to detail. You know? A little mistake here. Little mistake there. And a a little mistake here and there caused us to not score on two possessions, offensively. Right? A little mistake here, a little mistake there allowed them to get, I think, five first downs in the first half. And I wanted to make sure our guys knew, you gotta fix those things. They weren’t going to cost us on Saturday night, but they will cost you moving forward. And I don’t know when. It might not be this week. Might not be next week, or the week after that, or three weeks after that. I don’t know when it would be, but eventually, if you’re not paying attention to every little detail, one of those little mistakes will end up costing us at a key moment in a game. An avoidable mistake. That’s what I wasn’t pleased with.”
With such attention to details and expectations so high that he could be unhappy with a 45-0 shutout, it is obvious that Mullen is the right guy for the task of bringing the Gators back to the heights that the fans have come to expect of the University of Florida football program. However, Mullen also realizes that it’s not only about the results on the field, as he made sure to point out that the university has climbed all the way up to number seven in the “poll that counts.” Florida has been recognized as the nation’s seventh ranked public university.
Florida will take on Kentucky at 7:00 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast live from Kroger Field in Lexington, on ESPN. Be sure to follow along with Chomp Talk all week for all of your Florida Gators coverage!
After losing their last three games, a matchup against a winless UCF squad in the Gators first home contest of the year seemed like a perfect opportunity to bounce back.
The Knights had other ideas.
Despite dominating possession on the night, the Gators failed to pierce the visitors’ armor, losing 2 goals to zero in front of a crowd of over 800.
The Knights came into this game on seven days’ rest, and their fresh legs were apparent early as they pressed Florida high up the field.
In the third minute, UCF pounced on a Gator turnover. The ball found its way to freshman forward Ally Gudorf, who powered the ball into the back of the net after some shaky Florida defending to put the Knights up 1-0.
After their early strike, Central Florida was content sitting back and absorbing Gator pressure. That was their only shot of the first half.
Freshman Ava Kuyken and Canadian international Deanne Rose, who was subbed on after missing the last two games with injury, were the bright spots in a Gator team that struggled to register any solid chances of their own.
Kuyken attempted a shot from the top of the box in the 10th minute that sailed over the crossbar, and Rose struck the bar twenty minutes later with a long shot of her own.
The Gators failed to threaten UCF keeper Caroline DeLisle at all in the first 45. The team ended it with four shots, none of which were on target.
Florida’s best chance of the game came early in the second half. In the 52nd minute, midfielder Cassidy Lindley curled a shot from the left side of the box that forced DeLisle into action. Her diving save pushed the ball to the feet of Kouri Peace in the box, but she could not put the rebound on target.
Either offense failed to produce much excitement after that until the 85th minute. UCF forward Zandy Soree put through fellow forward Kristen Scott into a 1 v 1 with Florida keeper Susi Espinoza. Scott proved the victor, slotting a low shot into the net that doubled the Knights’ lead.
As the sun set, so did the Gators chance of salvaging a result. They could not conjure up a late attacking surge and nearly conceded a third time when Central Florida’s Dayana Martin hit the post in the 87th minute.
Florida ended the match with seven shots compared to UCF’s five. After the game, head coach Becky Burleigh stressed her team’s mental errors as a point of emphasis that must be improved next game.
“I thought it was a slow start. I mean, you can’t give up a goal in the first few minutes and that type of mental error – that’s tough,” said Burleigh.
Outlook for the Gators
Florida now sports a 2-4 record. The team continues its homestand Thursday night when Florida Gulf Coast University comes to Gainesville.
Rose, the team’s top scorer, will likely have a more prominent role in that match as she continues recovering from the injury she suffered in California.
The Florida Gators are now 2-2 on the season after falling victim to back-to-back sweeps from top-10 opposition. First, it came from No. 1 Stanford at home. This time, it was No. 8 Minnesota in Minneapolis.
The Gators are now 1-4 in all-time meetings with the Golden Gophers.
Despite another loss (25-20, 25-17, 25-22), the Gators put up a better fight against the Golden Gophers than they mustered against the Cardinal. Looking to the final stats, the Gators almost matched Minnesota in several areas of play. For example, Minnesota registered 44 kills to Florida’s 38 and 41 assists to 37. The Gators even led in total blocks; 8.5 to five.
However, where the margin of error gets clearer is when looking at the teams’ total errors and hitting percentage. Overall, the Gators hit for .137 percent and committed 21 errors. The Golden Gophers, on the other hand, hit for .242 percent and committed only 14 errors.
The Best Gators on Display
Thayer Hall was the only Gator to reach double digits in kills on the night with 11. Paige Hammons and Holly Carlton came close, having ended the match with nine each.
On the defensive side of things, Allie Gregory tied her match-best in digs with 22. Rachael Kramer led the Gators in blocks with four, followed closely by Darrielle King and Hall with three each.
What’s Next?
Next, the Gators return home to host the Honda of Gainesville Gator Invitational. Florida will face USF again on Friday at noon. Later that night, at 7, Florida faces James Madison. Lastly, on Saturday, the Gators will face Long Beach State.
For more of the latest information, Follow @ChompTalk and @jericksonreport on Twitter.
Florida cruised to 45-0 victory over FCS opponent UT Martin on Saturday.
The grades for the Gators were strong, as they improved from their mistake-prone performance against Miami two weeks ago.
Offense: A
Florida featured a balanced attack against the Skyhawks Saturday night.
Quarterback Feleipe Franks (25 for 27, 270 yards, two touchdowns) shined, starting 15 for 15 through the air. It was his decision making that led to his success.
Franks took what the defense gave him and didn’t force passes through UT Martin’s zone coverage. Instead, he took his check downs and went to deep and intermediate distances when his receivers were open on well-timed routes.
Perhaps his best example of poise was on third-down conversion to Josh Hammond midway through the second quarter. The Skyhawks brought a corner blitz from Franks’ right side, and the redshirt junior felt the pressure despite looking left. He escaped left and found Hammond underneath the zone coverage for the first down.
It was also nice to see a touchdown toss from backup quarterback Kyle Trask (4 for 5 passing, 40 yards) to redshirt freshman Jacob Copeland.
Backup quarterback Emory Jones (1 for 4 passing, two yards) found the end zone on the ground as well. He had four carries for 31 yards.
The only knock on the Gators was their lack of complete dominance in the run game (38 rushes for 231 yards), but that’s knit-picking. The unit consistently got decent push but not to the effect of letting its running backs break off huge runs.
Redshirt freshman Iverson Clement busted off a 41-yard scamper in the fourth quarter, but the play developed behind the blocks of the second unit.
Defense: A-
Any time a defense allows 0 points and less than 200 total yards, it grades positively.
Florida gave up only 194 yards, and it disrupted the Skyhawks’ offense for 10 negative plays.
Once again, edge rusher Jabari Zuniga led the front line with 1.5 sacks. Fellow pass rusher Jeremiah Moon proved disruptive early and often, logging 1.5 tackles for loss.
The defensive play of the night came from defensive back Kaiir Elam. The true freshman was playing man coverage against his receiver on a fade route when he intercepted quarterback John Bachus on a pass to the end zone.
The Gators incurred a minus because it gave up the big play a little too often against its FCS opponent. Over 57 percent of UT Martin’s yards came on three plays: a 34-yard pass in the second quarter, a 29-yard pass in the fourth quarter and a 48-yard scramble by Bachus in the fourth quarter.
Even though the chunk plays were few and ultimately insignificant, three big plays would prove much more costly against a quality opponent (namely next week’s opponent, Kentucky).
Special Teams: C+
Nothing too special happened on special teams, so we won’t dwell on it.
Evan McPherson made a 32-yard field goal to score the contest’s first points. Yay.
Tyrie Cleveland had a nice 38-yard kickoff return, Florida’s only of the night.
Tommy Townsend booted a 50-yard punt. Not bad.
And that’s pretty much it.
Coaching: A
Perhaps the best indication of coaching was that mistakes from Week 0 against Miami didn’t carry over to Florida’s home opener.
UF had no turnovers after four against the Hurricanes. It committed only three penalties for 30 yards on Saturday compared to nine for 100 yards in Orlando. Finally, tackling was much improved from Week 0 (for the most part… and partly because of the lack of athletes on UT Martin, but I digress).
Franks took a step forward this week from his more erratic showing against the Canes, which can be partially credited to the coaching efforts of Dan Mullen and quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson. Franks’ reads were near perfect, and the backup quarterbacks were also well prepared as each led a touchdown drive.
It’s easy to praise the coaching in all areas against an FCS team, but we won’t know the true progress of this Florida team until it travels north to Lexington, Kentucky, to take on the Wildcats.
The emotion of a rivalry seemed to play into the psyche of the Gators against Miami, so an attempt at another rival in Kentucky will be a strong barometer for Mullen’s team.
Florida opened the Swamp in grand fashion Saturday night. Despite a slow start, the Gators offense hummed as they amassed 543 yards and 45 points. Feleipe Franks was superb, completing 25/27 for 270 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The redshirt junior signal caller completed passes to nine different receivers, and didn’t throw an incomplete pass until the final play of the first half, a jump ball heave to the endzone. Among his favorite targets, Van Jefferson and Tyrie Cleveland each hauled in long touchdowns that displayed touch and accuracy.
It was apparent early on that Dan Mullen wanted to establish the running game, as it was mostly non-existent versus Miami in week zero. The offensive line has struggled with run blocking so far this season, but they still paved the way for Florida’s backs to rack up 231 yards.
Lamical Perine led the Gators rushing attack with 10 carries for 51 yards and a score, but it was Iverson Clement with the longest run of the evening. Late in the fourth quarter, Clement made the most of his lone touch, breaking open for 41 yards.
In all, nine Gators recorded at least one carry. Even backup quarterback Emory Jones got in on the action with four rushes for 31 yards and a touchdown. The level of attention to the rushing attack is necessary with SEC play beginning next week. The Gators offensive line was pushed out of its comfort zone and forced to grow up just a little bit.
Even with the emphasis on developing the running game, Mullen and his staff do a phenomenal job of maintaing balance. Against Miami, the Gators were dead even in their run/pass balance with 27 a piece. On Saturday night the Gators rushed 38 times while running 36 passing plays.
After handing the ball over to Miami four times in the season opener, the Gators finished with a plus one turnover ratio in Saturday’s shutout win over the Skyhawks. The lone takeaway was an interception in the endzone by freshman cornerback Kaiir Elam.
As one would expect in a shutout performance, the Gators’ defense was stifling. Not only did they allow just 194 yards, they lived in UT-Martin’s backfield. In all, Florida recorded five sacks and ten tackles for loss. Conversely, Florida’s offensive line allowed just one sack and one tackle for loss.
It wasn’t all good for the Gators, as both Kadarius Toney and CJ Henderson left the game with injuries. Both players received the coveted number one jersey that is awarded to the most outstanding playmakers, so any amount of time with them not on the field will be noticed.
It is uncertain just how severe their injuries are at this point, but Henderson was seen on the sidelines wearing a boot and using crutches. It is possible that this was just a precautionary measure though, as Henderson was able to walk off the field mostly on his own.
Although there is a great disparity in talent between the two teams, Florida played well overall and showed improvement from their first outing. With a trip to Lexington on the horizon, that improvement must continue as they prepare this week, but for now, it’s great to be a Florida Gator!
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