Wins and Losses from Week 2: Florida Gators Football

The Florida Gators football team had their way with Kentucky in a 45-7 win on Saturday. Now there are still some questions left. Is Florida just that good or is Kentucky just that bad? Or maybe it’s a mix of both. Whichever it is, the Gators certainly impressed in the game and there are a lot more positives to take away this week.

We will continue the “Wins and Losses” series by taking a closer look at the biggest takeaways, good and bad, from the Kentucky game.

Losses

Good news for the Gators, the biggest losses from last week were much improved against Kentucky. While they made strides from game one to game two, there are still a few things they must clean up this week and next week before they head to Knoxville to take on Tennessee.

LOSS #1: Some questionable decisions by Luke Del Rio

Besides the one interception, most of Del Rio’s poor decisions were covered up, because Kentucky did not take advantage. So far he has had 4-6 passes per game that he probably wishes he could have back. There have been plays where he rushes his throws when he actually has time. He threw into double coverage several times against Kentucky when there was another receiver coming wide open.

A few poor decisions didn’t come back to hurt Del Rio against Kentucky, but as the Gators take on better SEC defenses throughout the year, those plays could be game changers. Del Rio’s decision making skills will improve as he gets more college experience.

LOSS #2: Pineiro showed he’s human

We were all hoping Pineiro was immortal and would never miss, but he did, twice. A bad game was bound to happen eventually, luckily he got his shank out of the way in an offensive clinic by the Gators.

Keep in mind, Pineiro has been attempting some long field goals so far this season. Every one of his field goal attempts have been from 40-plus yards. He made a 54-yard field goal against Kentucky that would’ve been good from 64. He is above and beyond what Florida has had in the kicking game since Caleb Sturgis. No need to panic, he just needs to use this rough game to help him get better.

Wins

Florida stayed winning on Saturday, the defense was sharp as always and the offense finally found a groove and hopefully some confidence moving forward.

WIN #1: Having Jalen Tabor back in the secondary changes everything

With Tabor back in action, there was absolutely nowhere for Kentucky quarterback Drew Barker to throw the ball. Throw it to either side of the field, and Tabor or Quincy Wilson will make you pay. Throw it to the middle, and you’ve got to deal with Marcus Maye. The Gators’ defensive backs caught the same amount of passes in the game as the Wildcats’ receivers did.

Florida’s secondary is going to cause problems in the SEC this year. There are playmakers all over the field and that leaves virtually nowhere to throw to. Tabor’s return brought the life back to the secondary on Saturday.

WIN #2: The running game

While no one accused Kentucky of having great run defense (it’s actually quite bad), it was huge for the Gators to be able to put up 244 rushing yards on the day. It kind of felt like things were starting to fall together for the running backs. Each of them possess a different skill set, leaving defenders with no clue what is going to come at them next. Jordan Cronkrite is the only one out of the four-man committee that did not score a touchdown against Kentucky. Freshman Lamical Perine carried the largest load with 17 carries in the game and compiled 105 rushing yards. Not bad for just his second game in a Florida uniform, I’m telling you he’s going to be good.

Besides giving the running backs more confidence moving forward, it likely gave the offensive line some confidence too. The performance of the offensive line against UMass did not help the Gators in the run game at all, so they needed every ounce of confidence they could find. It’s going to be fun to watch these running backs develop throughout the year.

WIN #3: Del Rio put up the numbers

Del Rio completed 19-of-32 passes for 320 yards against Kentucky. The Gators have not seen numbers like that from a quarterback in a very long time, actually not since 2013 when Tyler Murphy threw for 305 yards against Vanderbilt. It feels like it has been decades though, and it has been over a decade since a Florida quarterback has thrown for more yards. Chris Leak threw for 322 against Arkansas in 2004.

It was good for the offense to have a day like that, but Del Rio does not have to do that every single game and he probably won’t need to do it again this season. The fans love it, but with this Florida defense the Gators do not have to score a lot of points to win football games. It is nice to see that the offense is no longer non-existent though, because the Gators would have struggled to score 45 points against air in the last half of the 2015 season.

WIN #4: More aggressive play calling

The Gators only had one offensive play for more than 25 yards against UMass and only attempted one shot down the field the very first play of the game. There were five plays for over 25 yards against Kentucky with one 78-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Callaway that really got the offense going.

Florida’s play calling still has some work to do, but it was nice to see a few more aggressive plays on offense against Kentucky.

WIN #5: There is still a ton of room for improvement

It is obvious this Florida team has not reached its full potential yet. The offensive line was not perfect, but was much improved and has given Del Rio a chance to make plays. Del Rio is still learning with his timing and decision making. Alex Anzalone is an absolute beast, and in my opinion he is just getting started. He and Jarrad Davis are a dream duo at linebacker just like Tabor and Wilson at cornerback. The Gators have potential to have the best duo in the country at both of those positions this season, and that is something special.

There is no reason to make more out of the Kentucky game than what it actually was. Kentucky is not a great football team, but the Gators showed a lot of promise not seen in the UMassgame.

Bailiegh Carlton
A lifelong sports fan, Bailiegh Carlton knew from a young age that she wanted to work in sports in some capacity. Before transferring to the University of Florida to study journalism, she played softball at Gulf Coast State College. She then interned for Gator Country for three years as she worked toward her degree. After graduation, Bailiegh decided to explore other opportunities in the world of sports, but all roads led her right back here. In her time away, she and her husband welcomed a beautiful baby girl into the world. When she isn't working, she can almost always be found snuggled up with sweet baby Ridley, Cody and her four fur babies.

1 COMMENT

  1. while I see the need for a slow methodical grind it out-keep the opponent’s D on the field offence, I sure hope we toss in some long throws to compliment our offense. I just get a bit worried if we have no quick strike/score offense, we can never build a real buffer zone in the score. The Kentucky game was a thing of beauty. Me likey-me want more. More=better :) I expect things won’t be quite as dramatically wonderful as we move through the SEC schedule, but it was nice to see what this could be with good play-calling, execution and personnel. GO GATORS!