Sometimes when a miraculous play at the end produces a stunning and improbable victory, all the negative stuff that happened earlier in the game tends to be forgiven and forgotten.
Such will not be the case for the Florida Gators.
Yes, they are gleeful about beating SEC East rival Tennessee on the final play Saturday on that incredible 63-yard TD pass from Feleipe Franks to Tyrie Cleveland at The Swamp. But they are also aware that there are other aspects of their 26-20 win that they will not feel great about when they go over the tape of the game.
Many teaching opportunities will be on that tape.
The offense, although it started to finally click in the fourth quarter, lacked consistency and the ability to sustain drives for much of the game, especially in the first half.
The Gators also lost two critical fumbles, one by Lamical Perine after a 21-yard run on UF’s first play of the second half and the other by true freshman running back Malik Davis following a 72-yard run that went from a touchdown to a touchback after he was stripped and the ball went out of the back of the end zone.
The defense made some important plays down the stretch to prevent UT from taking the late lead, but the Gators pretty much ran out of gas in the fourth quarter. The result was a ton of missed tackles and 17 points and 231 total yards in the quarter alone.
So, there’s work to be done before the Gators take their act on the road at Kentucky on Saturday night.
Up next
Who: No. 20 Florida (1-1, 1-0 SEC) vs. Kentucky (3-0, 1-0)
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Commonwealth Stadium, Lexington, Ky.
TV: SEC Network
Radio: 103.7-FM, AM-850
“It obviously was not pretty, but sometimes as you go through this business, it’s about figuring out a way to win,” UF coach Jim McElwain said. “And our guys figured out a way to win. We’ve got a lot of things that we’ve got to do to continue to grow and get ready to go play a really good football team on the road.”
The offense flashed some promising moments Saturday, but the Gators continue to struggle to consistently make plays, sustain drives and find the end zone.
“Just again, playing with some consistency,” McElwain said. “Playing with some energy and get to the line and go. When they do that, they go play pretty good.
“Sometimes in life, it’s not about being afraid to be wrong, but rather, think what it is to be right. And we just wait to shoot ourselves. And, afraid to make a mistake, instead of just cutting it loose and going. It doesn’t matter the play, just go play it fast, and don’t be afraid to make a mistake.
“We’ll get there. But, we’ve got work to do. But I will say this: I like this football team, and I like these guys in that locker room. And, what they’ve been through, it was great to see the joy on their face.”
On the positive side for the offense, the Gators did finally create some space in the running game (even though Perine and Davis wasted the two best runs with fumbles). And then there was the way Franks finished the game. He threw a 5-yard TD pass to Brandon Powell give UF a 20-10 lead with 5:13 to go. Then, of course, he threw the perfect strike to Cleveland with no time left after rolling right out of the pocket.
“He had some plays that he’d like to have back,” McElwain said. “But you know what, getting a win under your belt playing an SEC opponent, I think he’ll just continue to get a little better.
“Hopefully, he starts the game that way next week. That’s what we’ve got to do. He was very calm (on that last play). I think the one thing I saw out of it was that he was just very calm. Didn’t get rattled after the interception.”
Franks and Cleveland said the way the game ended is a confidence boost for the entire team.
“We have, and I still believe, some of the greatest players in the country,” Franks said. “And when we all put our chemistry together and we’re all communicating and we’re all on the same page then we’re really lethal on offense. And I think towards the end it showed that. We’re only going to improve. That’s the good thing about that.”
Said Cleveland: “I think we got a lot of confidence coming off of this win. I feel like we’re going to come out against Kentucky next week and just leave it all on the field, play hard, play fast and just give it our all.”
Contact Robbie Andreu at 352-374-5022 or robbie.andreu@gvillesun.com. Also check out Andreu’s blog at Gatorsports.com.
It’s clear to me that Mclwain is never going to be a great coach at this level, and especially in this conference. The issue of inconsistency is not simply with this team. It’s the case with the Gators since Mack arrived. Here we are in yet another year hoping for serendipitous wins accompanied by “aww shucks” leadership.
Bravo, well summed.
Let’s hold off all negative comments at this time til we see what happens at Ky. If after that game it looks like the same old same old, then things must change, starting with Nuss.
My observations are based on 2 years of evidence. The fact that you even have to say to “see what happens at KY” should be enough for alarm bells to be ringing loudly. Since when has KY been any sort of worthwhile litmus test for a Gator team?
I have no doubt Mac will have to leave early, he is not a national championship caliber coach. However, I’ve read this book before, and I know how it ends. By my calculations, we have two more years. We lose Nuss this year, then we get another Brent Pease type to be OC next year, but he doesn’t get the job done. Then we lose a big game early and Mac goes mid season two years from now.
You might be right. It will depend on how the team looks this year. If they woefully underperform, then next year will be do or die for Mack, in my opinion. If a supposed “offensive guru” can’t establish a consistent offense in 4 years, it’s time to move on.
The Gators have the 121st ranked offense in the country.
But then – we are used to that aren’t we.
If we could play all quarters liked we played the 4th quarter then we could maybe make Atlanta. I know we are a young team and we will get better in time,but you got to give better plays all through the game. It’s a
fact our OC has no faith in the offence or he would call better plays if he knows how to. Our biggest problem is Nuss. Until he’s gone I don’t think we will get any better. We play Kentucky next week, which is a good rising team so we are going to have our hands full. Congrulations to the defence for playing a great game until they got gassed. You can blame that on the OC also. Looking forward to the Kentucky game. GO GATORS.
Win, Lose or Draw, every game should be like the 4th Quarter Saturday. Every game, all game. It was a snooze fest until we scored that TD to start the 4th. After that, it was fun being at the game.
The real problem goes higher up…it’s Mack. The one thing required of any head college football is to excel on the side of the football that made you a big name. Mack is supposed to be an offensive guru. And if Nuss is doing a poor job, then the guru is supposed to step in and shore things up. I think Mack is involved in the offense. The problem is…he’s just not proven to be up to the job.
we’ve seen this same article, with the same comments, from the same coach, in one form or another, for years now.
We have been missing that offensive swagger. We play like we’re hesitant rather than confident. That’s on the coaches to set them up and then holding players accountable for execution
For a Saban disciple,. Mac is terrible at fundamentals and details. Team can’t block or tackle and they act like the spent the summer sucking down cheeseburgers instead of hitting the weight room.
Consistency is not the problem for we have been consistently inept for 8 yrs. Let us strive for greatness; shoot for the stars settle for moon.
In the latest rankings two FL teams are rated higher than the gators and one is just behind. This makes recruiting tough. Unless the offense improves it is going to be tough getting good offensive players.
There’s a lot riding on Franks and his learning curve. It doesn’t make it easier that the offense is still gelling and players are learning their roles and responsibilities. Many people were calling for Coach Mac to play Franks and build for the future. Well here you are. There’s going to be some bumps along the way.
One advantage we have is the continuity of coaching and the system. That should show more with each game with a higher level of execution. We have to execute consistently out of a base formation before we can expect to run the component plays and passes successfully.
One thing is clear from the Tennessee game. The defense is not so deep that it can carry the team through four quarters. With any kind of offensive production and minutes of possession, this could be a championship defense. We are a long way from having a championship offense.
I’m certainly not going to get on the kid, Franks. He’s still learning. I’m much more focused on how he’s being coached. Mac does not inspire confidence that he can get the best out of the kid. From what I’ve seen, the offense looks very vanilla. Couple that with a very average offensive line, and it spells big trouble against any quality team. And even the average ones will be very competitive.
“Striving for Consistency?” I’d say our offense has been pretty consistent.