It was a game the Gators needed to win to continue their goals of getting to Atlanta.
It was a game the Gators needed to win to quell the rumblings of Gator Nation.
It would be a game that may be the beginning of the end for the current coaching staff.
The Florida Gators (3-3, 2-3 SEC) looked worn down in their 42-13 loss to the Missouri Tigers (5-2, 2-1 SEC). Offensively the Gators struggled throughout the night, amassing total yards and committing six turnovers.
The long night started with Missouri’s Marcus Murphy returning a 96-yard kickoff for a touchdown on the opening play of the game. From there the night continued to unravel for Florida.
First Quarter
Missouri 7, Florida 0- 96-yard kickoff return by Marcus Murphy. Andrew Baggett PAT good with 14:49 left.
Missouri 14, Florida 0- 5-yard run by Marcus Murphy. Baggett PAT good with 3:50 left.
Scoring drive: 4 plays, 19 yards, 1:21 time of possession
Second Quarter
Missouri 17, Florida 0- 25-yard field goal by Andrew Baggett.
Scoring drive: 18 plays, 55 yards, 8:30 time of possession
Missouri 20, Florida 0- 34-yard field goal by Andrew Baggett.
Scoring drive: 4 plays, -11 yards, 1:01 time of possession
Halftime Score: Missouri 20, Florida 0
Halftime Superlatives: Florida offense- 66 total yards, 2.1 yards per play, 3 turnovers.
Third Quarter
Missouri 28, Florida 0- 82-yard punt return by Marcus Murphy. Maty Mauk pass to Bud Sasser good for the two-point conversion.
Missouri 35, Florida 0- 21-yard fumble recovery by Markus Golden. Andrew Baggett PAT good with 7:25 left.
Missouri 42, Florida 0- 46-yard interception return by Darvin Ruise. Andrew Baggett PAT good with 5:57 left.
Missouri 42, Florida 7- 5-yard touchdown pass from Treon Harris to Tevin Westbrook. Frankie Velez PAT good with 1:43 left.
Scoring drive: 9 plays, 63 yards, 4:14 time of possession
Fourth Quarter
Missouri 42, Florida 13- 3-yard run by Treon Harris. Frankie Velez PAT no good with 0:26 left.
Scoring drive: 15 plays, 82 yards, 6:36 time of possession.
Final Score: Missouri 42, Florida 13
Final Superlatives: Florida offense- 283 total yards, 3.6 yards per play, six turnovers.
You know, we’re seeing some of the quotes that are coming from the press conference, but anyone who saw the game, saw our offense progressing with Treon in the driver seat. Now that we have a much larger body of work for Treon, look at the completion percentage. Look at the stats. If Jeff Driskel gives us the best opportunity to win, then why are his stats so similar to that of a true freshman who only has received a FRACTION of the reps and opportunities that Jeff has been given.
Time and time again, they put Jeff in the driver seat and he repeatedly drove this team into oncoming traffic.
Against LSU they showcased Jeff’s running ability by running more than all of our qbs combined. Tonight they asked him to throw the football all over the field. Neither worked. Bench him and begin the healing process for his psyche. You have the ability to groom and mature both qbs. Jeff would be an excellent backup and could even threaten to take the starting job back later in the season. But repeatedly throwing him out there when he and the team are clearly not gaining anything is a disservice to them all.
Glad we had a blowout loss like this at home, homecoming weekend. Just like last year.. Now, Foley can focus on our next coach. The excuses have been exhausted… OVER..!!
Thanks for checking out the article guys. It was a rough weekend, and while this bye week will give Florida fans a little bit of a break, the season is in peril right now.
SuperG8R, it will be very interesting to see where Florida goes with the quarterback situation, especially with Georgia coming up. I do agree with you that it isn’t too assuring that UF’s more experienced quarterback isn’t doing that much better than the team’s freshman. However, Muschamp will have to pull out all the stops at this point if he wants to keep his job. I don’t think they’re going to run the two-qb system anymore, and I have a feeling that they will go with Driskel from here on out.
Milehighgator, you’re absolutely right. There really isn’t any thing else to say regarding the issues plaguing the team. They’ve said they’re going to fix them and they haven’t. Wednesday’s teleconference is going to be very telling.