Florida survives self and RedHawks, 34-12

GAINESVILLE — Don’t allow the final score of the 104th season opener in Florida football history to fool you.

The fourth-ranked Gators may have beaten an inspired Miami of Ohio football team, 34-12, on a hot and muggy Saturday afternoon in The Swamp. But the 22-point victory that ushered in the starting career of quarterback John Brantley for the Orange and Blue was anything but a lopsided win.

It was an ugly, lopsided win, one that head coach Urban Meyer nevertheless was willing to take.

Indeed, if not for a relentless defense that picked off four passes thrown by Miami quarterback Zac Dysert, including one returned 67 yards in the second quarter by junior Janoris Jenkins that helped Florida overcome a 3-0 first-quarter deficit, second-year coach Mike Haywood RedHawks, who went 1-11 last season, might have been the darlings of the college football world as you read this. They certainly might have ended Florida’s dream of a national championship, and they could have temporarily hurt Florida’s national rankings when they are released next week.

Instead, a somewhat subdued Meyer wondered what his team, which was a five-touchdown favorite in the game, and coaching staff have to do to get the 1-0 Gators ready for what figures to be another inspired and certainly more talented team, the Big East’s South Florida, next Saturday afternoon at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (kickoff is at 12:21 for the SEC Network). Too many times Saturday, Florida was its own worst enemy, fumbling eight times and losing three. Those miscues along with dropped passes together with Miami’s gambling special teams play (the RedHawks attempted two fake punts in the second quarter, the first which worked and the second which did not) kept the crowd of 90,178 bewitched, bothered, bewildered and booing somewhat until a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns salted the victory away.

“Give Miami credit. Their coach (Haywood, a good friend) did a nice job getting them ready to play. They played hard,” Meyer said. “I’m disappointed with our performance, that’s obvious. But I told the team I don’t mind coaching guys who want to work. It’s when you coach entitlement where it’s hard to get guys to react. There’s a sense of urgency that I felt in the locker room. We’ll come back tomorrow and work hard. That’s what we do around here. We work really hard and try to get better.”

Florida finished with 99 yards rushing on 31 carries, but 72 of those yards came in the fourth quarter on Jeff Demps’ touchdown run with 12:31 remaining in the game that gave the Gators a 27-12 lead. The Gators, who had minus 16 yards rushing on 21 carries and 25 total yards on 39 carries through three quarters, matched Miami’s offensive output of 212 yards. Demps finished with a team-high 98 yards on 8 carries (12.2 average) while sophomore Mike Gillislee finished with 55 on 6 carries (9.2 average) and also had two kickoff returns, one for 50 yards. For the Redskins, the 6-4 sophomore Dysert completed 25 of 44 passes for 191 yards and Miami as a team threw for 208. But the RedHawks managed just 4 net rushing yards on 22 attempts by a Florida defense that was led by senior safety Ahmad Black (eight solo tackles and 12 tackles total, including 1.5 totaling 4 yards) and 6-2, 302-pound redshirt junior defensive tackle Jaye Howard, who had five tackles and two quarterback sacks. Dysert was intercepted by Jon Bostic, Jenkins, Black and Jeremy Brown.

Brantley, the former Ocala Trinity Catholic standout and son of former Gator QB John Brantley III, was making his first start after backing up Tim Tebow for the last two seasons, and he completed 17 of 25 passes for just 114 yards and two touchdowns. Brantley’s first touchdown toss came on a third-and-9 play and was a 10-yard bullet with a blitzer in his face to Omarius Hines in the second quarter. The final touchdown toss was a 25-yard prayer on fourth down late in the game that bounced off Gators and Miami defenders before Chris Rainey pulled it in for the Florida touchdown.

Florida’s other touchdown was scored by true freshman Trey Burton, who scooted two yards on an option play following a second-quarter interception and return by Ahmad Black to the Miami 3. That was Florida’s third touchdown in a 5:11 span of the second quarter that erased Miami’s 3-0 lead.

The Gators’ struggles might have resulted from a series of preseason camp injuries to the offensive line. Florida started an offensive line that featured Mike Pouncey at center between left guard James Wilson and right guard Jon Halapio, who was making his first start, with normal right tackle Marcus Gilbert on the left side and his place taken by normal right guard Maurice Hurt. Normal starting left guard Carl Johnson did not play (nor did safety Will Hill) because of “issues” that Meyer wouldn’t specifically address.

In the latter stages of preseason camp, offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Steve Addazio had mentioned that Pouncey might move to right tackle for the opener. But Meyer had put an end to any of those solutions to the losses of Nos. 1 and 2 left tackles Xavier Nixon (knee) and Matt Patchan (broken wrist). The Florida coach said he was concerned about the exchange between Pouncey and Brantley.

It didn’t take long for that concern to manifest itself. On the third play after the Florida defense forced an 11-yard punt by Miami’s Ryan Kennedy that gave the Gators their first possession of the day, Pouncey centered the ball on the first count while Brantley was trying to check Florida into another play. The ball scooted past Brantley, who then tried to fall on it with no success. Miami defenders then kept trying to corral the elusive pigskin as it moved across midfield and toward Florida’s goal. Finally, Miami’s Pat Hinkle recovered the ball and ran another six yards to give Miami a first down at the Florida 21. Four Miami plays netted just eight yards and Trevor Cook booted the first of a game-record four field goals, this one from 33 yards, to give Miami a 3-0 lead with 7:01 remaining in the first quarter.

After the game, Meyer indicated that the fumbles and exchanges have been a problem in the preseason.

“It’s been a little more of a concern than it has been in the past,” Meyer said. “We have to get it cleaned out. I had a sense (we’d struggle) when you see so many new guys playing. I didn’t imagine the offensive incompetence that we experienced today. We made some plays on defense, but that wasn’t a Florida defense yet. I looked out there one time and had to check the roster a few times to see who was out there. We have a lot of talented guys, but we just have to get a lot better.”

And Urban Meyer knows the answer for that is what golfing legend Ben Hogan said it was— “in the dirt.”

Yes, Allen Iverson, they do call it practice.

HOW THEY SCORED

No. 4 FLORIDA 34, MIAMI (OHIO) 12

Game: No. 1. Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010 at Florida Field / Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Gainesville, Fla.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Miami (Ohio) 3 3 3 3 — 12

Florida 0 21 0 13 — 34

FIRST QUARTER

MIAMI — FG Trevor 33 good at 7:01. Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 0 first downs, 2:38 time elapsed following botched snap from Mike Pouncey that went past John Brantley as he was making a check; Brantley tried to fall on it and missed, a couple of Miami defenders also missed, with the ball rolling back into Florida territory where Miami’s Pat Hinkel corralled the ball and returned it 6 yards to UF 24. Score: Miami (Ohio) 3, Florida 0.

SECOND QUARTER

FLA — Janoris Jenkins 67 interception return (Caleb Sturgis kick good) at 13:14. Key play: On second-and-9 at the Florida 35, after successfully fooling Florida on a fourth-down punt fake, quarterback Zac Dysert, his vision perhaps screened by a Miami receiver and Florida defender, threw a pass to Chris Givens that Jenkins intercepted at the 33 and returned for the touchdown. Score: Florida 7, Miami (Ohio) 3.

FLA — Omarius Hines 10 pass from John Brantley (Sturgis kick good) at 9:27. Drive: 5 plays, 21 yards, 2 first downs, 2:18 time elapsed after Miami attempted a pass out of punt formation (upback Ryan Kennedy to Erik Finklea) that fell incomplete with Matt Elam covering, giving Florida a short field to work with. Key plays: Demps ran twice for 10 yards and a first down, and then on third-and-9 from the Miami 10, Brantley hung in there despite a strong blitz by Kennedy and delivered a strike to Hines for the touchdown. Score: Florida 14, Miami (Ohio) 3.

FLA — Trey Burton 2 run (Sturgis kick good) at 8:03. Drive: 2 plays, 2 yards, 0 first downs, 0:48 time elapsed following Ahmad Black interception of overthrown pass and 40-yard return to Miam 3 and unsportsmanlike conduct call and ejection of Miami RB Thomas Merriweather put the ball at the Miami 2. Key play: Burton took direct snap and optioned left before knifing into end zone for his first career TD. Score: Florida 21, Miami (Ohio) 3.

MIAMI — FG Cook 31 at 0:21. Drive: 16 plays, 61 yards, 5 first downs, 7:42 time elapsed Florida kickoff. Key plays: Miami converted four third-down plays; Dysert picked up 56 yards on 5-of-8 passing. Score: Florida 21, Miami (Ohio) 6.

THIRD QUARTER

MIAMI — FG Cook 31 at 6:33. Drive: 6 plays, 15 yards, 1 first down, 2:14 time elapsed following short Chas Henry punt from his own end zone that was downed at the Florida 28. Key play: Dysert pass completion of 16 yards to Armand Robinson for a first down at the 12. Score: Florida 21, Miami (Ohio) 9.

FOURTH QUARTER

MIAMI — FG Cook 33 at 13:24. Drive: 9 plays, 57 yards, 5 first downs, 4:43 time elapsed following missed 44-yard field goal by Caleb Sturgis. Key plays: Dysert completed six passes totaling 52 yards but a personal foul by Armand Robinson after he dragged Florida defenders to the 1-yard line led to Cook’s school-record fourth field goal of the game. Score: Florida 21, Miami (Ohio) 12.

FLA — Jeff Demps 72 run (Sturgis kick no good) at 12:31. Drive: 2 plays, 75 yards, 1 first down, 0:53 time elapsed following Miami kickoff. Demps sliced through a hole made by right tackle Mo Hurt and turned on his speed to outrun the RedHawks for a touchdown that also put Florida’s rushing offense into the positive for the first time since the first quarter. Score: Florida 27, Miami (Ohio) 12.

FLA — Chris Rainey 25 pass from Brantley (Sturgis kick good) at 1:21. Drive: 5 plays, 55 yards, 2 first downs, 2:14 time elapsed following interception by Florida’s Jeremy Brown at the sidelines. Key plays: Mike Gillislee’s determined, tackle-busting 41-yard scamper on the first play and Brantley, a former standout at Ocala Trinity Catholic, throwing a “Hail Mary” pass on fourth and 21 that bounced off a couple of receivers and defenders before Rainey picked it out of the air. Score: Florida 34, Miami (Ohio) 12.

Game information

Weather: Overcast skies, temperature 89 degrees, humidity 58 percent, winds from the WSW at 8 miles an hour.

Coin toss: Florida captains Ahmad Black, Duke Lemmens, Mike Pouncey, Justin Trattou; Miami captains Zac Dysert, Jordan Gafford, Bob Gulley and Austin Brown. Florida wins the toss and defers to the second half; Miami receives and Florida will defend the south end zone goal.

Officials: Referee, Matt Austin; Umpire, Wilbur Hackett; Linesman, Jay Vines; Line judge, Mickey Haddock; Back judge, Lee Nabors, Field judge, Rob Skelton; Side judge, Chris Jamison; Replay, Steve Landis; Scorer, Steve Howard.

Attendance: 90,178.

Records: Florida (1-0, 0-0 SEC), Miami (Ohio) (0-1, 0-0 MAC).

Next games: South Florida at Florida, Sept. 11, 12:21 p.m.; Eastern Michigan at Miami, Sept. 11, 2 p.m.

GAME STATISTICS

http://www.gatorzone.com/football/boxscore.php?gameid=8274

FOOTBALL SCORES FROM WEEK 1

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