Florida Gators Football: Wins and Losses of Week 1
The first week of Florida Gators football has come and gone and now that we’ve had time to get over the emotions the first game of the season brought, we can go back and evaluate the positives and the negatives.
Throughout the season Gator Country will bring an in depth look at the wins and losses the Gators can take from each game.
Florida narrowly escaped a disaster start to the season against UMass on Saturday in a 24-7 win. Though it never felt like the Gators were going to drop the game, their performance was far from dominating.
Losses
The first game of the season proved Florida has a long way to go before they are ready to meet any of the expectations they have set for themselves. The night was ridden with penalties, drops, and lack of explosive plays on offense.
LOSS #1: Too many penalties
The Gators struggled with penalties all night, with eight penalties costing Florida 80 yards. 35 of those yards came on UMass’ only scoring drive. Two inexcusable major penalties by Jarrad Davis and Taven Bryan to go along with an offside penalty on the very first play of the drive all but handed UMass a touchdown.
Two costly penalties by offensive linemen Martez Ivey and Fred Johnson took any momentum the Gators had on offense away two drives in a row. Johnson’s holding penalty led to a first down being taken away and Florida had to settle for a field goal in the red zone.
Following the game, McElwain said he is excited to fix the penalty problems this week (with a wink at the end). Florida needs to learn a lot about discipline this week, because as the season moves along, giving opposing teams free yards will have a much bigger consequence and offensive penalties in the red zone will not cut it.
LOSS #2: Poor offensive line play
Point blank, the offensive line has to get better. There was a lack of energy on the offensive line, and it was reflected in their game play. The UMass defensive line dominated the line of scrimmage all night and put pressure on Luke Del Rio nearly every play. The offensive line just looked passive and didn’t play with the aggressiveness they will have to have to compete in the SEC.
After giving up the most sacks in the country last season (46), the offensive line only gave up one in the season opener. Much credit to Luke Del Rio, but it is a good sign nonetheless. This week the Gators must work on picking up blitzes and opening up holes for the running backs.
LOSS #3: Not enough explosive plays
Even though Del Rio just missed connecting with Callaway on a pass downfield on the first play of the game, it was the type of play the Gators needed to make happen all night. They never tried the play again and finished the game with only one explosive pass play. Powell caught a screen pass from Del Rio, broke a tackle in the backfield, and jetted down the sideline for a touchdown to put Florida up by two scores in the fourth quarter.
One explosive play against a defense that ranked 103rd in the country last season is unacceptable. In order to make strides on offense this season, the Gators are going to have to take more chances instead of sticking with the same plays throughout the game.
LOSS #4: Secondary depth
With Jalen Tabor suspended and Duke Dawson leaving the game early with an injury, lack of depth at cornerback became apparent. When Chris Williamson went in for Dawson, UMass quickly realized which direction they needed to throw in. Williamson showed a lack of awareness in his time on the field and was burnt twice, one of which led to the Minutemen’s only touchdown of the night. Junior college transfer Joseph Putu and freshman Chauncey Gardner replaced Williamson and made some good plays, but the Gators were desperately missing the experience and cornerback.
Luckily, Dawson announced he will be back for this week’s game against Kentucky and Tabor is back from his suspension. That should solve a great deal of Florida’s struggles in the secondary, but the players behind them have to step up.
Wins
Not a whole lot of good can be taken away from week one, but looking back, there are a few bright spots to hold on to.
WIN #1: Kicking is finally a strength
Florida has struggled in the kicking game for so long now, fans were optimistic Eddy Pineiro would be the answer to their prayers. Chants of “Eddy, Eddy, Eddy,” could be heard around the stadium when he took the field. He lived up to the hype in his first game as a Gator, effortlessly kicking three field goals from 40-plus yards.
He has two more home games to get even more comfortable kicking in game before Florida hits the road to take on Tennessee. Pineiro looked like he has been kicking in games for years on Saturday. It might not be good that he was the highlight of the Gators’ offense, but fans can finally breathe when the field goal unit takes the field.
WIN #2: Luke Del Rio looked confident
The offense was not always fun to watch, but Del Rio showed confidence and poise when he was on the field. He was pressured a lot throughout the night, but showed a great sense of pressure and he knew when to get rid of the ball, another thing the Gators have been missing. He managed the offense and didn’t turn the ball over, that’s what was expected and that’s what Florida needs.
Del Rio isn’t going to be a flashy guy, and that is okay. He is doing everything he is asked to do and he will continue to do that. If he can carry over what he did in week one and be the leader of the offense, the Gators can win with him at the helm.
WIN #3: Jordan Scarlett looked like the guy at running back
Although the offensive line didn’t help the running backs out much in game one, Scarlett managed to rush for 70 yards. He had a consistent game, and while the numbers don’t compare to his 96-yard game against Georgia last year, it was probably the best game of his career overall. He went on some tough runs throughout the night and played to his size.
Right now, Scarlett is the man to beat. Kentucky gave up 262 rushing yards in their season opener against Southern Miss, so Florida should run the ball more in week two against a shaky Wildcats run defense. Expect Scarlett to get the bulk of the carries next game after his performance against UMass.
WIN #4: That linebacker duo is tough
With Alex Anzalone and Jarrad Davis healthy at the same time for the Gators, it sure was fun to watch. Davis led Florida with nine tackles and combined with Keivonnis Davis for a sack. Anzalone was right behind with six tackles and a sack of his own. Davis and Anzalone both got their hands on the ball, with a couple of batted down passes.
If both can stay healthy, they could be the best linebacker duo in the country by seasons end. After the game, McElwain said he did not know of two better linebackers in the country than Davis and Anzalone.