The Oregon State Beavers defeated the Florida Gators 30 to 3 in the Las Vegas Bowl game on Saturday afternoon. Florida was nearly shut out for the first time in 435 games but added a field goal with 42 seconds left on the clock.
Gator Country provides key takeaways from the beatdown in Vegas.
JACK MILLER STRUGGLES
Miller struggled in his first career start, completing 13-22 passes for 180 yards and no touchdowns. Miller’s lack of experience was evident in this contest. He made several ill-advised throws on the sideline early on in the game, nearly resulting in interceptions.
Oregon State blitzed Miller early and often, trying to make him as uncomfortable as possible; it worked. I noticed throughout the game that Miller would drop backwards in the pocket as he felt pressure instead of moving up and keeping his eyes downfield. This resulted in Miller being in a bad position to make a throw. Miller improved in this area after halftime and put together a solid 4th quarter, extending plays and making accurate throws on the run during Florida’s final drive.
Miller played exactly how I expected him to, but with no help in the running game, the Gators offense was nowhere to be found. Miller made mistakes that I would expect a quarterback making his first career start to make.
Anthony Richardson was very helpful for the Florida Gators’ running game this season. Without him, Florida struggled to move the football. His presence alone is a positive factor on the football field.
BEAVERS GAMEPLAN
I have to tip my cap to Oregon State’s defensive coordinator Trent Bray. The Beavers defense executed his game plan flawlessly. Oregon State stacked the box and eliminated Florida’s elite rushing attack, forcing Jack Miller to beat them through the air. Florida carried the ball 33 times for 39 yards. An absolutely suffocating defensive performance from the Beavers.
SPECIAL TEAMS STRUGGLES
I’ve said this time and time again; Special teams is going to be a season takeaway. I spoke often this week on my concerns with special teams going into the game due to the number of contributors missing.
Florida missed a FG on their 2nd drive of the game which would have given them the lead. The Gators allowed a fake punt conversion on 4th and short from Oregon State’s territory. Jeremy Crawshaw had his punt blocked, giving the Beavers a first and goal.
Despite another bad special teams outing, there were some positives. Florida blocked a kick for the first time all season by the hands of Jordan Young. Wingo had a chance at returning it for a touchdown but was ultimately hawked down.
Gators punter Jeremy Crawshaw continues to impress me. He booted the ball four times for 226 yards, an average of 56.5 yards. He’s been the lone bright spot this season.
It’s time for Florida to move on from Adam Mihalek. A 52-yard field goal is far, but he’s connected on just 66.7 percent of his kicks this season.
PENALTIES
Florida was penalized 11 times for 82 yards in today’s contest. Penalties were not the reason Florida lost, but you would have loved to see cleaner football in the last game of the season.
It seemed like every time Florida gained a little bit of momentum, it ended with a false start (or two). Those are drive killers, especially when you are working with a QB making his first career start.
OFFENSIVE LINE
This may have been the worst game this offensive line unit has played all season. However, it’s impossible to block more bodies than you have available. There were several situations where Miller needed to see the pressure pre snap and either check the play or be prepared for the blitz.
There were also several plays where Miller sat in the pocket all day, yet nothing positive came from the play.
Florida was without All-American guard O’Cyrus Torrence and his backup Richie Leonard. Kam Waites filled in and struggled throughout the game.
I’m not worried about the future of the offensive line.
GATORS FRONT SEVEN
Recruit, recruit, and recruit. The Gators need more talent in their front seven if they want to get back to dominating on defense. A lack of pressure up front has been the storyline all season and that trend continued again today. It doesn’t matter how good your secondary is if you don’t fix the front seven.