Sports – Dug Jones

September 15, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Campbell University at Florida- September 12, 2026

A cursory inspection of the box score from Saturday’s game with Campbell University would create the impression the game folded out pretty much as expected. The Gators won 52-3 and outgained the Camels 514 to 210 in total yards. Clearly, as expected, the game was over early. For these type games the takeaways are in the smaller details and in the measures of progress from game to game in overall team growth. I’m not sure Florida provided much evidence of growth from game one to game two.

The Gators, other than Campbell’s first possession, looked focused in the first half. Unfortunately, in the second half, at least offensively, Florida was disappointing. While it’s accurate to acknowledge that taking a 45-3 lead into halftime invites a second half let down, it’s also true to note that mature teams are able to maintain focus even in blowouts. There is something to be gained in every possession no matter the score. Ideally, second and third team players grasp their opportunities to earn more playing time. This past week, a few Gators did and others didn’t.

We won’t throw out the baby with the bathwater today. There was plenty to like. Aaron Philo and Jaden Baugh looked good again. Dallas Wilson had a good day. Vernell Brown was electric on punt returns. The defense had a takeaway, two red zone stops, and allowed just 3.3 yards per play. Special teams, other than an ill-advised fake punt, were top notch again.

Campbell wasn’t an opponent familiar to Florida fans, but they did arrive in Gainesville with a 2-0 record and a quarterback who began his college career at Oklahoma. In the Camels first two games, Kamden Sixkiller, averaged 337 yards per game passing and 57 yards per game rushing. Against the Gators, he threw for 127 and rushed for negative 10. The 117 yards of total offense was less than a third of his 396 average.

The biggest negative for Florida in the Campbell game was second half penalties. These penalties cost the Gators 90 yards of field position and also wiped out a 42-yard run by Jaden Baugh and a 58-yard punt return by Vernell Brown.

This week at Auburn will be a big test for Florida. It’s always difficult to win on the road in the SEC. The Tigers have beaten Baylor and Southern Miss, but haven’t been overpowering. Not unlike the Gators, they have a new coaching staff working with a talented roster. Florida is a 2.5-point favorite, but I don’t trust early season betting lines. Auburn’s quarterback, Byrum Brown, is mobile and demonstrated a willingness to scramble last week against Southern Miss. The Gators will need to have a disciplined pass rush to contain him. Jeremiah Cobb is a quality running back with big game experience.

Florida has been more explosive than Auburn on offense this year. The Gators also look to have a special teams advantage. The Tigers have had tougher tests in their first two games and a huge home field advantage. The outcome of this game will likely be driven in large part by how well Florida handles the noise and pressure created by 88,000 screaming Tiger fans. Win or lose, there will be ups and downs ahead this season, but for now this game shakes out to be a nice opportunity for the Gators to establish themselves as contenders.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: Camels, Campbell, Florida, Football, Gators, SEC, University of Florida

September 7, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Florida Atlantic University at Florida- September 5, 2026

The Swamp was sold-out and over 90,000 fans were rocking for the Gators 2026 season opener against the Florida Atlantic Owls. Special stadium lighting effects and a really cool halftime drone show punctuated the highly anticipated kickoff for the Jon Sumrall era. The atmosphere and the game outcome both met the characteristically high expectations of Florida’s fanbase. Things are good in the Gator Nation.

I’m rarely as high in the good times or as low in the bad times as others and today is no exception. There is certainly legitimate cause for optimism and enthusiasm but realists like me will maintain perspective by remembering that Billy Napier’s debut at Florida was a 29-26 upset of #7 ranked Utah and Jim McElwain’s tenure began with a 61-13 win. Anyone except those with short memories or revisionist history inclinations, will acknowledge the Florida fanbase was similarly “all in” then, too. Perhaps this is different? Sumrall’s attitude and approach are certainly different, but this is still SEC football where the stakes, the challenges, and the pressure are off the scale. Next Saturday is another tune up and then things get real. By the end of September (after the Auburn and Ole Miss games), we’ll have the sample we need to draw better conclusions and set realistic expectations. Right now, for me, a 7-5 season is still the realistic tipping point.

Turning back to this week’s outcome, I was pleased with the Gator’s overall effort, focus, and poise. There were many things to like. The quarterbacks looked comfortable and ran the offense well. Jadon Baugh reminded us why he’s an NFL caliber running back. On top of his immense talent, he plays every play with great effort. Florida’s receivers are good and committed downfield blockers. They don’t take running plays off and this contributed to the Gators having ten running plays that went for double digit yardage. Offensive line play was physical and coordinated. Florida had over 300 rushing yards and 7.5 yards per carry (excluding the 20-yard loss on the bad snap). To succeed in the SEC, Florida has to be able to run the ball.

The Florida defense was adequate this week. FAU isn’t easy to defend. They play fast and use multiple sets. In this type arrangement, defenses can get confused and/or fatigued and give up big plays. The Owls gained plenty of yards (396), but it took them 90 offensive snaps. The Gator’s defensive plan was to play relatively safe on the backend and contain FAU’s offense. The Owls were able to move the ball, but had only two plays for greater than 14 yards. FAU’s 12 possessions resulted in three turnovers, three punts, one failed 4^th down attempt, and the end of each half. Just three scoring drives of the 12 possessions.

There wasn’t much to assess in terms of special teams play. Placekicking was excellent with all (9) extra points and (53 yard) field goal attempts made. Florida didn’t punt at all and only one of the Gator’s ten kickoffs was returned (to the 22-yard line).

There are always things that need improvement. The most noticeable, this week, was the lack of consistent defensive pressure on the quarterback. This comes, though, with an important caveat. FAU gets the ball out to the perimeter very quickly and the defensive line has to get out there and help close off inside cut backs quickly. Florida also didn’t blitz linebackers and defensive backs at all. The game plan was disciplined assignment football and not a “hair on fire” approach. A second area for attention was the number of bad center snaps. Harrison Moore had a handful of bad snaps (one completely unreachable). Moore is a quality center on the Rimington Trophy watch list. I don’t expect this to be a continuing concern.

This type game doesn’t typically expose coaching confusion and/or clock management issues and it didn’t. The staff looked to have created and executed a good game plan for addressing the challenges FAU creates. The Gators had no delay of game penalties, only three live action penalties, and no confusion on substitutions. Off to a good start here.

The Campbell game won’t test the Gators in big ways, but will provide the opportunity to become more and more solid on executing both offensively and defensively. The Camels have averaged 38.5 points in their first two games and feature an experienced dual threat quarterback who leads the team in rushing.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: College football, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gators, Football, Gators, SEC, Sumrall

September 2, 2025 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Long Island University at Florida- August 30, 2025

Florida's season opening game came off as positively as most Gator fans hoped and expected. The Long Island game was the first opener scheduled against a significantly overmatched opponent since the 2017 game against Charleston Southern. Over the most recent decade, Florida's game one foes have included; Michigan, Ole Miss, FAU, Miami (twice), and Utah (twice). Losses in the 2023 and 2024 openers meant the Gators fought uphill battles throughout those seasons. The LIU breather gives Florida a chance to generate some momentum before tackling the nations toughest schedule. The Gator's Strength of Schedule metric became even stronger with the opening game upsets by USF (over Boise State) and FSU (over Alabama). There's a very challenging road ahead with no real breathers. Florida is currently listed as underdogs in 7 of the remaining 11 regular season games.

In summary, the Florida offense shook off some early cobwebs, adjusted to a few unexpected LIU defensive wrinkles, and took care of business. The defense was stifling throughout. Special teams were good with the obvious exception of three missed field goal attempts.

The Gators are the only FBS Division (1-A) team to complete week one without any penalties. Florida also avoided useless timeouts and obvious assignment busts. The level of team focus demonstrated by these accomplishments is noteworthy in light of the number of players, including 13 true freshmen, who saw action on Saturday.

There is evidence of continuing progress in the development of a stronger, deeper roster at Florida. The increase in talent level is important and evident, but so also is the growing culture of accountability. Over the course of the second half of the 2024 season and this first game of 2025, players are more accountable for their assignments and self-control. Players for whom the new Florida program personality wasn't a good fit have left and leaders with "team first" attitudes have emerged. Recruiting has gone well and portal additions have become less necessary. The recruits and transfers added are being more carefully selected for both talent and program fit. This Florida coaching staff evaluates and develops players very well. Coach Napier's program development process may be slower, but should end up creating a program with more sustainable, longer-term outcomes.

A challenge for the Gator fan-base will be impatience. This year's team could be more talented and more focused and still not win more games (7) than last year's team. Florida's schedule is brutal. Alternatively, though, there is also the possibility the Gators get the corner turned and win 8 or 9 games.

Turning to this week's matchup with the University of South Florida, the Gator's focus will be a continuing focus on detail and execution. Last week, USF drew national attention for their dismantling of Boise State. The Bulls benefited from Boise State's sloppy play. Three fumbles and a special teams gaffe paved the way for USF to take charge in the second half and cruise to a 34-7 win. USF's Byrum Brown is an athletic quarterback who doesn't hesitate to run when the pocket breaks down. The Florida pass rush will need to be disciplined enough to maintain contain or Brown will scramble for first downs. The Bull's had 5 plays (2 running and 3 passing) that went for more than 20 yard's each. Of their 372 yards of total offense, 211 came on these 5 plays. The remaining 81 of their 86 offensive plays gained just 161 yards (less than 2 yards per play). Of USF's 12 offensive possessions, 10 went for 6 or less plays. Clearly, the Florida defensive game plan will be to make USF sustain long drives. This means disciplined, assignment football.

The USF defense allowed BSU plenty of yardage, but ultimately stopped drives with turnovers. Florida's team speed is superior to BSU's and this will create problems for the USF defense. If Florida takes care of the football, they should have success on offense.

Florida, despite the three missed field goals against LIU, will be fine on special teams. Trey Smack is a veteran kicker who made 18 of 21 field goal attempts last season. Vernell Brown was very good in his first game returning kick offs and punts. He averaged 15 yards each for the three he returned and made good decisions on the punts he fair caught. Florida's kick off and punt coverage teams are loaded with experienced and athletic players. USF was good on special teams last week, too.

Florida will be happy to be playing at home again this week against what could be a tough USF team. A sold out Swamp should help the Gators. USF will be away for their first time this season.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: University of Florida

September 10, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Samford at Florida- September 7, 2024

Florida rebounded from a disappointing opening week game by putting the Miami game in the rearview mirror and focusing on getting better at execution and focus. The Miami loss attracted "noise in the system" and necessitated that Billy Napier and staff make keeping the players' focus on the things they can impact instead of social media a priority. While the week two win over Samford wasn't pristine, it was certainly a welcome improvement and snapped a six game Gator losing streak.

The last time Florida faced Samford (2021), the Gators had to overcome a 42-28 deficit late in the first half en route to a 70-52 win. This year's Gators managed the game much more effectively and scored the first 21 points of the game before cruising to a 45-7 win. The headline for Florida fans was DJ Lagway's record setting performance in his first start as a Gator. His stat line read; 18-25 for 456 yards and 3 touchdown passes. A great day, for sure. DJ's arm talent was every bit as good as advertised. He showed off his quick release, arm strength, and soft touch. He spread the ball around to 8 different receivers and had completions that went for 85, 77, 44, 41, 40, and 36 yards. Florida also ran the ball pretty well with 7 ball carriers combining for 169 yards on 34 carries (4.9 per carry). Montrell Johnson is the bell cow for good reason, but both Tre Webb and (especially) Jadan Baugh flexed their skill sets. For the Gator offense, no sacks, one turnover, and only one negative yardage play.

There were a few areas for improvement, offensively, in the Samford game. Lagway slid too early on a couple of runs leaving very short third and/or fourth down plays the Gators ultimately failed to convert. Florida also had a couple of wasted timeouts and several illegal procedure penalties. Things to be cleaned up moving forward.

Florida performed better defensively than it may have seemed in real time. Samford ran a quick-paced offense that made it feel like the Gators were scrambling around, at times. On a few drives, they gave up some yards, but made critical stops outside of field goal range. Once they found their footing, the Florida defense was solid. Other than one long Samford scoring drive in the third quarter and one long non-scoring drive in the first half, the Gator defense was off the field in 6 or less plays the rest of the day. Florida defended 69 plays and gave up just 205 total yards (3 yards per play). The numbers were especially good when you note that the Gators played without 4 defenders (3 DBs) that started the Miami game. Tackling was solid again this week and included 12 tackles for loss. The number of defensive penalties was really low.

Special teams were a bright spot again this week. The Gators converted every field goal and PAT attempt and covered every punt (+49.5) and kickoff (+62.5) well. Chimere Dike had a nice (31 yards) punt return for the Gators. Special team players were on and off the field with no signs of confusion.

Texas A&M, this week, provides an opportunity for Florida to take a step forward. There won't be a large number of games on this year's schedule where Florida will be less than a 3 point underdog, but this is one of them. The Aggies are much more talented than Samford and depth for Florida's defense will be an issue, but being at home should help Florida.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: Bulldogs, College Sports, Florida, Football, Gators, Samford, SEC, University of Florida

September 2, 2024 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Miami at Florida- August 31,2024

The convergence of a rival opponent, overly high social media fueled fan expectations, and an unquestionably poor performance, made for a very disappointing opening season game for the Gators.

Teams like Florida often launch the season with a soft first game opponent. This hasn’t been a luxury Billy Napier has enjoyed. In all three of his years at Florida, the Gators have begun with a ranked opponent in week one. This dynamic is especially tough in the transfer portal era as there is often great uncertainty around teams, like Miami, with revamped rosters. Whatever Florida prepared to see must not have been what they saw on Saturday.

The most critical issue was Florida’s inability to get any real pressure on Cam Ward. The Gators were only able to pressure him on 9 of 36 pass attempts. Ward typically had as many as four seconds in a clean pocket to wait for receivers to clear coverages. This is a fatal flaw against a team with an experienced QB and talented receivers. I presume the Florida game plan was to have 7 or 8 in coverage rather than bringing blitzes. Clearly, it didn't work.

Mario Cristobal was an all-conference offensive tackle as a collegian and his coaching path came through a career as an offensive line coach prior to becoming a head coach. His Canes controlled their offensive line of scrimmage all day with a solid run game and superlative pass protection.

Of their 69 offensive plays, Miami only faced 10 third downs (converting 5). They punted just once in each half. Conversely, Florida ran only 56 offensive plays and converted just one of their 9 third downs. Florida’s average third down play had a need of 8.7 yards to convert. Their only successful third down conversion was a DJ Lagway 16 yard scramble on a third and 12.

The most critical juncture in this game was the last three minutes of the first half and the first three minutes of the second half. Miami turned a 7 point lead into a 21 point lead with quick scores to both end and begin the halves.

It was certainly a frustrating and disappointing day for Gator nation. A disgruntled friend asked me if I saw anything for Gator fans to be happy about. Here are a few. Florida’s special teams were good. They converted all kicks, netted +47 average on punts, and averaged 14 on punt returns. The Gators had only two penalties all day. Both extended scoring drives for Miami, but limiting the overall number of penalties to 2 is progress. Montrell Johnson’s 71 yard touchdown run in the first half was an explosive scoring play. Florida didn’t have many long plays last year and none that went for that distance.

Samford next week is a chance to regain composure and balance.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: Florida, Football, Gators, Hurricanes, SEC, University of Florida, University of Miami

October 10, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Vandy at Florida- October 7, 2023

The outcome of this week's game against Vandy was close to what most Gator fans wanted to see. Florida controlled the line of scrimmage, ran effectively, and covered the spread in their 38-14 win. The Gators also navigated/survived a number of circumstances that might have shifted the momentum to make the game much closer. Good teams do this with regularity. Florida hasn't reached the point of consistently shrugging off bad breaks and mistakes to quickly "right the ship". When bad things happen, especially in away games, the tendency has been to stagger around and collapse. This week, the Gators bounced back pretty quickly from giving up a first quarter 85-yard touchdown pass. They survived a 52-yard pass completion that placed Vandy at the Florida 7-yard line. They recovered from a turnover on a failed trick play. And... they overcame 70 yards in penalties. Clearly, the goal is to avoid these type things in the first place, but developing the ability to survive them is also progress.

The Gators are at the midpoint of the season with a 4-2 record despite facing good competition (three nationally ranked teams, two of them on the road). They are 2-1 and tied for second in the SEC East. Certainly, things to feel good about. The road ahead, however, is a very tough one. Florida will be the underdog in at least 5 of the 6 remaining regular season games. The nations #1 and #4 teams are among those ahead for the Gators. Florida will also face two additional teams that are, or have been, nationally ranked. The current cumulative record for Florida's remaining opponents is 24 and 10. To become the best, you have to play the best. It will be tough for Gator fans to maintain perspective through this gauntlet. Attaining bowl game eligibility will be a challenge.

The tough schedule provides Florida's young team opportunities for growth. A baptism by fire, of sorts, for the twelve TRUE freshmen on Florida's two-deep roster. The Gators are very young even beyond the freshmen playing. Twenty-eight of the forty-four players on the two-deep roster are sophomores or younger. Five non-freshman starters are transfers in their first year with the Florida program. Ricky Pearsall is the only senior starter on the team. If they survive, this team should be good the next two years.

This week’s highlights from a statistical perspective include a really effective running game for the Florida offense. The Gators rushed for 215 yards and averaged 7.2 yards per carry. This occurred without two offensive line starters and without Trevor Etienne. Graham Mertz continues to be among the nation's most efficient quarterbacks. The Florida defense, despite the two long pass plays mentioned earlier, was stout. Coming in to the game, Vandy was the best in the SEC in terms of third down conversions. This week, the Gators' defense allowed only 1 successful conversion on 13 third and fourth down plays.

South Carolina is a two-point favorite at home this week. Florida has another opportunity to move beyond the recent road game struggles and get a win that would make bowl eligibility much more attainable. Win or lose, this is an opportunity for the young Gators to compete with poise and focus in a hostile environment.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: commodores, Florida, Football, Gators, SEC, University of Florida, vanderbilt, Vandy

October 3, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Florida at Kentucky- September 30, 2023

An ugly day by any measure. Poor tackling, too many penalties, and a multitude of other problems. Florida wasn't ready. No real debate there.

Unfortunately, inconsistency is usually part of the rebuilding process. It happens almost everywhere. Good days and bad days with very small margins for error (especially in the SEC). There is ample evidence, of course, to support a "stay the course" approach. FSU provides a nearby example. There are plenty of others.

The temptation to panic and implode in the face of adversity is great for fans. Yes, games like the Kentucky game are frustrating. Too much euphoria with the Tennessee win and too much depression with the Kentucky loss. Rebuilding is a roller coaster ride of emotions. It’s not for everyone. Starting over every two years is not the answer. The social media and call in radio voices who want Billy Napier replaced should be ignored. They create “noise in the system” that interferes with progress.

Before the season began, Florida was expected to be 2-3 at this point. The Gators are one win BETTER than expected. They’ve lost twice as underdogs on the road. They’ve won three games, including one as an underdog. And still, we have some “noise in the system”.

No question, the mental errors contributing to the failures at Utah and at Kentucky were baffling at times. The fact these two opponents are nationally ranked, have a combined 9-1 record, and have head coaches with double digit tenures isn’t enough, alone, to excuse how badly the Gator’s were exposed. But still, each week creates another opportunity and Florida will get there with incremental steps.

The encouraging news is the Florida players, coaches, staff, and administration continue to trust the process. Recruits continue, thus far, to ignore the criticism in favor of understanding the potential at Florida. Players from the Spurrier and Meyer eras, almost without exception, espouse confidence in the process and progress being made at Florida. They understand it will take some time.

The next two weeks will be critical for reestablishing momentum for the Gators. Home as a favorite against Vandy and away as an underdog against South Carolina. An opportunity to continue the home field success this week AND an opportunity to flip the script to get an away SEC game win the following week.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: 2023, College football, Florida, Football, Gators, Kentucky, SEC, wildcats

September 26, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- UNC Charlotte at Florida- September 23, 2023

The Gators left sixteen points on the field by settling for field goals in 4 of their 6 trips in the red zone, but there was still plenty to like in Florida’s 22-7 win over the UNC Charlotte 49ers. Offensively, the Gators had 16 plays that gained ten or more yards, seven of them went for more than twenty yards. On defense, Florida continues to be among the stingiest with a national ranking of 5th in total defense. The Gators have allowed just 13.5 points per game despite playing 2 of their 4 games against nationally ranked opponents. For the first time this season, the Florida special teams played winning football. All six place kicks, five of them field goals , were made. The Gator punt team averaged 49 yards per kick with zero yard’s allowed. Florida had 53 yards on their own punt returns.

Individually, a number of Gators had good days. Graham Mertz continues to be among the nation’s most efficient passers. This week he completed 20 of 23 passes. Ricky Pearsall caught 6 balls for 104 yards (17.4 per catch) and Trevor Etienne averaged 6 yards per carry. Scooby Williams had 7 tackles to lead a swarming Gator defense.

For the third consecutive week, the Gators had less penalties, won the time of possession battle, and had significantly more rushing yards than their opponent. This is a formula for success.

There were, however, two major problem areas this week. The first was struggles with red zone offense. Florida gained only 35 yards on 13 plays inside the Charlotte red zone. They failed to convert on 4 red zone third down plays. Two of them were very short yardage opportunities. The other noteworthy problem was the minus two turnover ratio. The Gators lost two fumbles and had no takeaways. To have a chance to win against SEC opponents, these issues will have to be fixed.

The Gators will take their three game win streak to Lexington to face the 4-0 Kentucky Wildcats as a 2.5 point underdog. While Kentucky hasn’t faced a tough schedule or looked especially sharp so far this year, they HAVE beaten Florida the last two years. This game provides a nice opportunity for the Gators to take a next step in the growth process by winning an away SEC game as an underdog.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: 49ers, Charlotte, College football, College Sports, Florida, Football, Gators, SEC, UNCC, University of Florida

September 22, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Tennessee at Florida- September 16, 2023

Clearly, Florida's big win over Tennessee is an important milestone in the Gator’s rebuilding project. Maintaining perspective, however, should be a priority for all Florida fans. The team is still very much a work in progress with plenty of work left to be done. The Utah loss in week one and the Tennessee win this week are both steps along this path. Still…it’s good to pause and celebrate. It's great to be a Florida Gator.

Perhaps the most critical benefit to this win is the reduction of the “noise in the system”. More optimism and, hopefully, a renewed fan and media commitment to patience and trusting the process. Positive energy around any program fuels recruiting success and recruiting success (in time) brings on the field wins. Florida’s 2024 recruiting class is looking very good to date. Currently ranked as one of the top 5 in the nation, this recruiting cycle has the potential of finishing as Florida’s best since the Tebow/Spikes/Harvin class twenty years ago.

There is cause for enthusiasm around the improved depth and play in both the offensive and defensive lines. The number of young players, on both sides of the ball, seeing extensive action and delivering good outcomes is a real high point. Graham Mertz has shown why Billy Napier and staff went and got him in the transfer portal. Poise and consistency at QB was a need and he has provided both.

The Gator defense, despite it's youth, has earned a much higher level of trust and confidence than the defenses over the last several seasons. Through three games, Florida has the best stats in the SEC for missed tackles with only 19. Other than failing on five “third and long” situations in the second half of the Tennessee game, this defense has delivered. The aggressive style of play, especially from the linebackers and safeties has been a key.

Special teams play is a continuing area of concern for this year’s team. Florida has left too many points on the table and killed momentum with missed field goals and other special team's gaffes.

The last 9 seconds of the Tennessee game provided a disappointing end to what had been a game where Florida leveraged an advantage in focus and poise. Unfortunately, Josh Heupel’s poor decision to use Tennessee’s last time out while down 13 points, without the ball, and with only nine seconds remaining opened the door for unnecessary conflict. While Heupel’s decision and the ensuing personal foul on a Tennessee player were the triggers, the impulsive physical response by several Gator players was a backwards step. The officials had already flagged the Tennessee infraction and the game was over. The consequence of the fighting is three Gator players (all starters) will have to sit out the first half of the UNC Charlotte game this week. Truly disappointing that these players allowed themselves to be so easily drawn into Tennessee’s own lack of composure. It was also puzzling to hear some Florida fans attempt to justify the behavior with, “they started it”. I’m confident the Florida coaching staff is looking forward, as a part of the new team culture, to reaching the point where players place team goals ahead of their own instant gratification.

This week’s home game against the UNC Charlotte 49ers provides an opportunity for the Gators to maintain the forward momentum on offense and defense while also cleaning up special teams play ahead of the big September 30th game AT Kentucky.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: 2023, College Sports, Florida, Football, Gators, napier, SEC, Tennessee, University of Florida, Volunteers

September 3, 2023 — Comments are off for this post.

From Where I Sit- Florida at Utah- August 31, 2023

The conventional approach to week one scheduling for Power Five conference teams is to schedule a cup cake. The rationale for scheduling easy first game opponents is to have live action to work out the kinks. Teams also hope to carry the typical off-season hopefulness into the season. This and last season, Florida chose to start with games against the nationally ranked Utah Utes. The win last year launched the Billy Napier era with (perhaps too much) optimism. This year’s loss had the opposite effect. Despite the realities of playing a nationally ranked, back to back PAC-12 champion on the road and at altitude, Gator fans expected a better showing from the their team. The ugliness of the early action set the tone and made it difficult for the Gators to recover. It also made it tough for Florida fans to appreciate some good things that did occur.

Generally speaking, Florida tackled better in this game than in many of last year’s game. Defensive line depth looked to be improved and the third down (defensive) conversion rate was better. Young players on both sides of the ball contributed and will just get better and better with experience. Gator quarterback, Graham Mertz, handled himself well. In the big picture, these things are important.

Unfortunately, in the shorter-term, procedural penalties in three key red zone short yardage situations cost Florida points and momentum in important game situations. A missed short field goal attempt and a poor (freshman) decision to catch a punt at his own five yard line were other gaffes that contributed to the hole Florida dug for themselves. If the Gator’s can address these type problems, they have a chance to win seven games this year.

My take on the ultra-critical “two players with same jersey number” penalty that cost Florida seven points is different than most. The problem to me, originates much earlier than determining whether blame falls on the players or the coaches. In a program that purports it’s priorities to be “team first”, there is no excuse for assigning multiple players the same jersey number. This practice doesn’t help referees, statisticians, fans, or teams in any way. It serves only the individual players who want single digit numbers. With 99 possible jersey numbers and the limit of 70 players that can dress out for games there is no need for duplication.

Florida has struggled on the road of late, but has an opportunity to settle down and rebound with home games the next three weeks. Tennessee on September 16th will be another very tough task, but McNeese State (on the 9th) and Charlotte (on the 23rd) are both games the Gators should win.

Published by Dug Jones in Sports

Tags: 2023, College Sports, Florida, Football, Gators, SEC, Utah

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