Miller report: Halfway home for Florida Gators football

It is always a little disappointing to not have Florida Gators football on a fall Saturday, but bye weeks can be good as well. Florida needs the time to heal. Luke Del Rio certainly appears in need of some reps to get back in sync with the offense. With half of the season behind them, the Gators can now regroup, self-scout and get prepared for the stretch run with complete control of their destiny. It doesn’t hurt that I do not have to work around a Gator game on opening day of deer season up here in Georgia. Yeah that’s right, I go the self-serve route on meat acquisition. Send your hate mail to Andrew.

Last week I commented on the fact that every week Gator fans eye the next game with the belief that it will shed some light on just what and where this team really is only to have each game create more questions than answers. The Missouri game was no different. If you would have told me before that game that the final score would be Florida-40 Missouri-14 I would have told you that the Gators finally put together a complete game and established that they are for real. That was not really the case.

The offense was sputtering and inconsistent. The Gators did manage to churn out nearly 300 yards on the ground but the passing game left much to be desired. Del Rio was pretty bad in his first game back from the knee injury throwing three interceptions and finishing with a QB rating of only 32.3. To be fair, one of those interceptions was on a jump ball on the final play of the first half, but honesty also compels me to point out that another couple of passes could have easily been picked off as well. It is to be hoped that Del Rio was just rusty from the time off. It would be nice to see Florida field the same starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.

The running game was much more successful and it DID answer some questions. Lamical Perine and Jordan Scarlett have established themselves as the top two backs. Both find what holes the offensive line does create and both break through initial contact. They each had over 100 yards for the game and averaged over eight yards per carry. It is my belief that when the Gators find themselves in a close game down the stretch the rotation will be narrowed down to these two backs.

The offensive line was not very good yet again. Seven false start penalties and there could have been a few more called I believe. Part of that can be attributed to changing quarterbacks again and part of it can be trying to get off the ball quickly against a very good Missouri defensive line. But those penalties were drive killers and that kind of play cannot continue. This offense is not good enough to keep making the same yardage twice.

The Gator defense on the other hand was dominant. Again. Don’t let the final offensive stats for Missouri fool you. Much of that yardage was cranked out against Florida’s backup defense late in the game with the result long since determined. The pass defense was outstanding holding the Tigers to only 98 yards total through the air on only 7 completions in 22 attempts. Add in the two pick six interceptions by Jalen Tabor and Quincy Wilson and that is about as good as a team can play pass defense.

So at least defensively the Gators answered all the questions Saturday, right? No, not really. Thanks to injuries there is still some uncertainty along the defense. The apparent ankle sprain to middle linebacker Jarrad Davis could prove to be a big blow especially facing Nick Chubb and Sony Michel in the next game. Thankfully that contest against Georgia is not this week. The bye week comes at a very good time. Whether that means Davis will be ready to take the field in Jacksonville remains to be seen but at least there is a chance. Yes, freshman David Reese played well in place of Davis Saturday but Jarrad is the heart and soul of the Gator defense. His absence would be felt in Jacksonville.

As has been the case for years, some Gator fans were full of negativity even after a win. Even after a 40-14 blowout there was complaining and hand wringing. Gator Nation needs to take a look just a little to the north to see how things could be for them at this point. Kirby Smart inherited a team that had won ten games the previous season. Smart inherited a roster loaded with talent including future NFL players on defense AND two future NFL running backs including a Heisman contender. He also inherited a commitment from the top ranked quarterback in the county that opted to remain in the recruiting class. Smart is currently 4-3 with a one point win over Nicholls, a loss to Vanderbilt and an absolute drubbing by Ole Miss. Coach McElwain on the other hand inherited a team that had won just eleven games in the previous two seasons combined. McElwain inherited a team with an offense in complete shambles and virtually no offensive line. He inherited a team with one viable but inexperienced quarterback on the roster and lost him five games into his tenure. McElwain is 15-5 over that stretch. McElwain won the SEC East his first season and has his team in the lead in the East this season.

Florida enters their midseason bye week in sole possession of first place in the SEC East and in complete control of their own destiny. Win out, including the SECCG, and the Gators would be in the football playoff. That, of course, is a lot easier said than done. After the Cocktail Party on the 29th, Florida still faces brutal road games against Arkansas, LSU and FSU. Win all of those and it would almost certainly mean a December matchup against the juggernaut that is Alabama. But it is alright to ponder such things during an off-week. Gator Nation should take this opportunity to take a deep breath and appreciate just how great it is to be a Florida Gator right now.

Obviously, the offense must improve and become much more consistent for any talk of winning the SEC East can be realistic, but there is still time for that to happen. The defense needs to heal up and be healthy down the stretch. Most importantly, there cannot be another lapse of intensity like the second half against Tennessee. But, I am pleasantly optimistic at the midway point of the 2016 college football season and I like it.

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.

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