Five takeaways from Florida Gators win over UMass

Five takeaways from the Gators 24-7 win over UMass on Saturday night in The Swamp.

Luke Del Rio was what we expected

Del Rio admitted that he was a little amped up for his first collegiate start. It showed on the first play of the game when he overthrew Antonio Callaway by a healthy seven yards.

“It was probably the farthest I’ve ever thrown a football,” Del Rio said. “I threw it and was like, ‘Oh, that’s way too far.’ I didn’t think I could overthrow him, but I did.”

Del Rio attempted more passes (44) than any other Gator quarterback did in 2015. He more than doubled his career attempt total (18) and was serviceable. He didn’t get a lot of help from his offensive line, more on that later, but he managed the offense. Del Rio showed good poise in the pocket, a knack for being able to sense pressure, escape when need be and he got rid of the ball. He didn’t turn the ball over and he executed the offense.

That’s what he’s going to be asked to do all season. It’s what he’s capable of doing and Florida can be successful with that. Fans may want more flair from the position but the Luke Del Rio we saw on Saturday is about what we can expect to see the rest of the season. That’s fine. He’s not going to be a Heisman contender and he doesn’t need to be.

WOEffensive line

The Florida Gators returned three starters along the offensive line, four if you include right tackle Fred Johnson who started once as a freshmen. That familiarity led many to assume that the line would be better than the unit that allowed 45 sacks in 2015. The Gators only allowed one sack on Saturday night but the line was far from good.

The Minutemen defensive line averages 265 pounds, 54 less than the average of the Gators five starting offensive linemen but you wouldn’t know it based on the way the two units played. The Gators couldn’t consistently set the pocket for Del Rio and too many times have the line of scrimmage pushed back into the backfield on running plays. The excuse of youth doesn’t fly anymore. This is an old, experienced unit and they need to play better.

Jim McElwain challenged the group when he decided to take points off the board when UMass jumped offsides on a made field goal. The Gators lined up with an extra offensive lineman (Jawaan Taylor) and defensive end Bryan Cox at Fullback. They added the 240-pound Mark Thompson, who is almost the size of a Minutemen defensive lineman.

No push from the line, no gain, no points.

Add on a holding call on Fred Johnson, not to mention several “look out” blocks from the sophomore, a personal foul on Martez Ivey that killed a drive and the line won’t have a good time watching the film on Sunday.

It’s time for a reality check and a gut check.

Pineiro is a game changer for the Gators

The Florida Gators finished the 2015 season with the second worst field goal conversion percentage in the country.

In the country.

Eddy Pineiro was automatic on Saturday night. He drilled three field goals from 40 yards, the only Florida Gator in the last decade to accomplish that, and would have connected on four kicks if not for the one taken back, discussed above.

Pineiro’s debut lived up to the unrealistic expectations that surrounded it and he’s truly going to change the way the Florida Gators play offense. Last year if the Gators stalled on the 35-yard line you were more likely to see Johnny Townsend on the field than Austin Hardin. This year, that’s right in Pineiro’s wheelhouse. Having a reliable kicker will open the playbook and should give everyone in Orange and Blue a vote of confidence.

Lack of depth at cornerback rears its ugly head

Quincy Wilson could have taken the night off after Duke Dawson went down with an injury in the first quarter. It didn’t take UMass long to figure out that whoever was on the other side of the field was the person they needed to go after and Chris Williamson provided an easy target. Williamson was burned twice, once leading to a UMass touchdown. Williamson looked like he was in the wrong jersey on Saturday night.

As we’ve been telling you all offseason, the Gators have three cornerbacks. With Jalen Tabor suspended and Duke Dawson missing most of the game with an injury that depth issue was exposed in a big way. Junior college transfer Joseph Putu replaced Williamson in the second half and played well, but the drop-off from the big three is huge.

Without Tabor and Dawson on the field DBU turned into DBWHO and a better team and a better quarterback will make them pay for that.

Explosive plays are hard to come by

The Gators ran 77 plays on Saturday night and only three of them went for more than 20 yards. Luke Del Rio didn’t have a pass go for 20 yards until the fourth quarter.

“When you try to force [explosive plays], that’s when you turn the ball over, that’s when you get behind,” Del Rio said. “Trying to make plays, that doesn’t work. It might work every now and then, but you’re going to lose more times than you win.”

Del Rio averaged 8.8 yards-per-attempt in his first collegiate start. Jordan Scarlett’s 11-yard run goes down as the longest of the night for the Gators.

On a night where the Fun N Gun 1996 National Championship team was honored, the Gators opted for a dink and dunk offense, settling for check downs, stand passes and screens. It was hardly what was expected in McElwain’s second season opener with the Gators and kind of unsettling.