When Billy Napier took over at the University of Florida, the most popular word amongst the staff was discipline. The 2021 Gators football team was one of the most undisciplined teams in recent memory, averaging 7.8 penalties per game, ranking 119th in the country. The penalties, defensive mishaps, and lack of team chemistry forced Napier to place an emphasis on discipline.
Napier’s goal for this team was to average less than one penalty every 30 plays. Through four games this season, the Gators commit a penalty every 24.8 plays, totaling 26 penalties for 161 yards. Gators’ opponents have 20 penalties for 148 yards this season.
The Gators are only a third of the way through the season, but they have some work to do in order to meet their goal. Nonetheless, the Gators have shown drastic improvement in this area as they rank 65th in penalties per game this season.
PENALTY BREAKDOWN
SPECIAL TEAMS
I’m not overly concerned with the penalties because there’s one unit that’s weighing the Gators down. The kickoff return team has committed five penalties on their 13 returns this season. If the Gators were to fair catch every kickoff, they would average one penalty every 30.8 plays, meeting their team goal. Their 5.3 penalties a game would rank 36th in the country, which looks a lot better than 65th. The kickoff returns haven’t been dangerous enough to warrant a penalty 38% of the time.
We’ve seen holdings from Donovan McMillon, Dante Zanders, Jordan Pouncey, Chief Borders, and a personal foul from Derek Wingo.
OFFENSE
The Gators’ offense has committed 12 penalties this season. Here’s the breakdown.
False Start – 6 (Eguakun, Tarquin, Leonard, Zipperer, White)
Holding – 2 (Wright, Gouraige)
Personal Fouls – 2 (Shorter, Barber)
Illegal Shift – 1 (Zanders)
Face Mask – 1 (Gouraige)
Nothing here is concerning me. Two holding penalties through four games is impressive. The only player with multiple penalties on offense is Richard Gouraige. Zanders has two penalties as well, but one of them is a holding on special teams.
You want to keep the false starts down, but I thought the Gators’ offensive line took a step in the right direction last Saturday, committing just one false start on the road in a hostile environment.
DEFENSE
The Gators’ defense has committed 8 penalties this season. Here’s the breakdown.
Offsides – 3 (Sapp, Marshall, Umanmielen)
Illegal Substitution – 2 (Team penalties)
Roughing the Passer- 1 (Dean)
Holding – 1 (Burney)
Disconcerting Signals- 1 (Cox)
The Gators’ defense has no players with multiple penalties and not a single pass interference or face mask penalty through four games. Disconcerting signals is really the only penalty here that bothers me.
BILLY NAPIER
The missing penalty belongs to Billy Napier as he was given an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for his frustration with the referees. The penalty ended up not costing Florida any yards because Tennessee was already at the one-yard line.
ANALYSIS
I’m not overly concerned with Florida’s penalties this season. I think the Gators will improve in all areas as the season progresses. It’s important to note that there’s not one player on the front page of the Florida Gators penalty book. There are no players with three penalties on the season and just Gouraige and Zanders have committed two. The Gators have just two personal fouls and I don’t think either of them were particularly bad plays. This is a major step forward from last season.
We need to see improvement from the kickoff return unit. Napier has displayed his frustration with the group and has claimed they need to adjust their strategy. The Special Teams unit is negatively affecting the Gators this season and that’s largely due to their 38% penalty rate on kickoff returns. The lack of talent and depth on the Gators roster is showing up in this unit.
It’s fair to say that this Gators team has improved from last season. You are seeing a more collective effort, with guys holding each other accountable after mistakes. It’s important to remember that Napier is in year one and is already trending in the right direction regarding penalties and discipline.