Florida Gators week one: Not bad at all

Well, wasn’t that fun? It was game one of the Jim McElwain era and the Gator Nation is feeling almost giddy. There was a little bad (very little) but there was a whole lot of good. Of course, the thing you must repeat to yourself over and over is that it was just New Mexico State. It was the perfect opponent for week one of this rebuilding project. ECU is also the perfect opponent for week two. A slight step up in talent but not a dangerous team by any means. Week three against the Kentucky Wildcats will be when fans find out just long this project is going take.

Obviously, the quarterback battle was what fans were waiting to see the most. Word coming out of camp was that both quarterbacks struggled at times. They both looked great in the game. Treon Harris got the start and was nearly perfect with two scoring drives in three possessions. Will Grier came in for the fourth series and with the exception of one costly fumble looked, in my less than humble opinion, even better. The best part of what I saw on Saturday was that the team can win behind either of these young men. It is hard to find much fault in what I saw from Treon, but I just felt like Grier was a little sharper and had better timing. However, I’m not breaking down the game film and it might not be what the coaches see when they do. My personal opinion is that Grier has a little more upside but I wouldn’t have a problem with both of them playing as the season progresses if both keep playing like this. There haven’t been many 382 yard, 4 touchdown passing games for the Florida Gators lately.

Fifteen different Florida Gators caught passes Saturday. As badly as the receivers have performed in recent years, it was fantastic to see so many receivers and tight ends making plays. Antonio Callaway and CJ Worton appear ready to contribute. With Demarcus Robinson and Brandon Powell you can now see the beginnings of a wide receiver rotation developing for the Gators. With three tight ends with receptions in game one, it is clear to see that McElwain is planning to run the offense he is most comfortable with right from the start at Florida. It will not take long for this staff to develop an identity on offense. Ahmad Fullwood must start catching the football if he is ever going to be a part of the offense.

Kelvin Taylor finally looked like the running back he was supposed to be coming out of high school. Taylor hit the hole quickly and ran with authority. Conversely, highly touted freshman Jordan Scarlett appeared tentative to me. Jordan Cronkrite (that’s too difficult to say, I’m going with “Cronk”) was quite impressive. He ran with a vicious determination. He may be a star before it’s over. Any way you slice it, 224 yards rushing and four touchdowns is a solid performance.

There is still reason for concern with the offensive line. There were some breakdowns in blocking assignments and they will face defenses with a lot more talent, speed and strength than what they saw on Saturday. The line will have to improve every week for the Gators season to be anything special and there will almost certainly be a couple of games where the o-line gets manhandled this season. I believe that this is the one area that will keep the Gators from challenging for a spot in Atlanta this season. Hopefully, Martez Ivey returns soon.

Defensively, it was a very good performance. There were a few breakdowns in the first half but they adjusted and completely dominated the second half. Vernon Hargreaves III was exceptional including a spectacular interception and return. I know that some fans are wondering why McElwain would risk his best player by using him on special teams and offense. Hargreaves might have the kind of year defensively where a few big plays on offense and/or special teams could get him into the Heisman discussion. That in not only good for Vernon but it would help keep the string of great defensive backs coming into the program. I like a coach that doesn’t coach from a perspective of fear. I think I speak for virtually all of the Gator Nation when I say we’ve seen enough of that lately.

If Antonio Morrison returns to 100% this will be a very good linebacker unit with the emergence of Alex Anzalone. When Keanu Neal returns from injury and Marcus Maye comes back from his one game suspension, this may well be the best secondary in all of college football. The return of Alex McCallister will allow the Gators to move Jonathan Bullard inside more often where he can help stop the run. That will be important against teams like Tennessee, LSU and Georgia. While it was nice to see the Gators score what seemed like more points than the entire Muschamp era, there will be games where the defense will have to win it for Florida. I believe this defense is capable of doing just that.

I can’t believe that any Gator fan was disappointed on Saturday. I’m sure at least one was because I know the fan base but that game was a pleasure to watch. I caution everyone to keep it in perspective. Don’t be like the Georgia fans up here declaring the Bulldogs the best team in the country after beating up on UL Monroe. The Jim McElwain era is off to a great start. The Gators looked like a well-coached team evidenced by only one penalty charged against Florida in the entire game. McElwain handles the interviews extremely well. I know it is very early but I think this was a homerun hire.

Mark Miller
Mark Miller's bravery knows no limits. He's a Gator living deep in the heart of Georgia. Mark's weekly columns appear in the Coosa Valley News in Rome, Georgia, where Gators are few and Bulldogs are many. His updates about football and life among the heathens will appear in Gator Country on a weekly basis.