Behind the Numbers: Florida Gators vs. Towson Tigers

Florida Gators place kicker Evan McPherson and the team celebrate a win over Tennessee- 1280x852
Florida Gators place kicker Evan McPherson and the team celebrate a win over Tennessee- GatorCountry.com photo taken by David Bowie

I always say, “beat the teams you’re supposed to beat, the way you’re supposed to beat them” – and that is exactly what the Florida Gators did in their win over the Towson Tigers.

Towson isn’t your typical FCS opponent – they are one of the top-10 FCS teams and posed a challenge for the Gators in a quarterback in Tom Flacco, who was a dual-threat with a good ability to put the ball in a small window.

The Gators ended with a 38-0 win for their fifth on the year and for the first time since 2012 have two shutouts in a season.

The Gators will now face their toughest stretch of the season, but so far they have done exactly what they should have done – outscoring opponents 170-44, ranking second in the country in scoring defense against teams that have played five games.

Nearly halfway through the season, some trends are starting to come into play. Let’s look behind the numbers.

  • Gators currently rank 44th in the country in scoring offense (34) and fifth in scoring defense (8.8).
  • Kyle Trask completed his first 18 passes of the game, breaking a record Chris Leak set in 2005 against Wyoming. The Gators have now broken the consecutive completion record (Trask – Towson) and pass completion percentage in a game (Franks – Tennessee-Martin) this season.
  • Despite a vaunted pre-season running back group, the Gators rank 88th in rushing offense per game (141.40), 71st in rushing attempt average (4.36), but 26th in rushing touchdowns (11).
  • Gators rank 17th in total defense and rank 19th in total defense in yards-per-play.
  • Gators rank 8th in the SEC in total offense and 3rd in total defense.
  • The Gators rank 1st in the country in red zone defense, allowing just five scores in 13 attempts (38.46%). Florida ranked 116th last season.
  • On offense, the Gators have scored 21-of-the-23 times they’ve been in the red zone: 16 touchdowns to five field goals.
  • The Gators rank second in the country for the first time this season in sacks with 24 and 5th in the country in sack yardage. They rank 5th in the country in tackles for loss with 45.
  • The 170 points during the first five games is seven points off last year, but the second most since 2009.
  • The 44 points the Gators have allowed through four games are the fewest they’ve allowed in the first five games of the year since 2009.
  • The Gators’ 28 penalties through five games are the fewest in over 20 years.
  • The Gators rank 1st in the country in interceptions, 26th in passes broken-up, and ninth in passes defended.
  • The Gators have gained a turnover in nine straight games and have had one in 16 of the 18 games under Dan Mullen and Todd Grantham.
  • The Gators have now extended their scoring streak to 389 games, by far the most in college football.
  • The Gators currently have the longest active win streak in the SEC.
Daniel Thompson
Dan Thompson is a 2010 graduate of the University Florida, graduating with a degree in Economics and a degree in Political Science. During this time at UF, Dan worked three years for the Florida Gator Football team as a recruiting ambassador. Dan dealt daily with prospects, NCAA guidelines, and coaching staff. Dan was also involved in Florida Blue Key, Student Government and Greek Life. Currently, Dan oversees the IT consulting practice of a Tampa-based company. Dan enjoys golfing, country music, bourbon, travel, oysters, and a medium-rare steak. Dan can be found on Twitter at @DK_Thompson.