Franks and Gators showcase new-look offense in 53-6 win over the Bucs
GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- The opponent may not have been elite, but the Gators had an elite response to the opener. Florida did what was expected on Saturday as UF rolled Charleston Southern 53-6 but it did it well.
The scoreline was not at all surprising, however, it was how Florida performed and the improvement shown that stood out on the night.
The night started well with Feleipe Franks finding Trevon Grimes on the opening drive for the 34-yard touchdown after tight end RJ Raymond and wide receiver Freddie Swain opened up a lane to the endzone with some crucial blocking.
RELATED STORY: Recruits react to Florida's win over CSU
The story continued throughout the first half, with receivers, running backs and tight ends picking up blocks and allowing Franks the time he needed to go through his progressions. The quarterback himself also looked more comfortable, stepping up in the pocket and going through his reads. Franks ended the night with five touchdowns and no interceptions helping Florida finish the first half by amassing 354 yards of offense.
The defense also showcased their new aggressive style in the opening defensive series, when Chauncey Gardner Johnson picked up a safety blitz. Florida was able to hold Charleston Southern to just one first down in the first half and just 92 yards of offense.
Although the offense and the defense had their respective positives, according to Florida head coach Dan Mullen's it's about performing in all three phases of the game. Florida blocked a field goal and an extra point on Saturday night.
The win was expected but the performance was what was needed.
GAME BALL: Feleipe Franks picks up our game ball after his first half performance against CSU. The quarterback only had nine touchdowns last season, but on Saturday night Franks recorded five passing touchdowns and finished the night going 16-of-24 for 219 yards in just one half of work . He also rushed for 34 yards. His five touchdown, first half is the first time a Florida signal caller amassed five touchdowns in the first half since Rex Grossman in 2001.
RELATED STORY: Franks kicks off the Mullen era in style
THEY SAID IT: "I tell you, that was awesome. For me, just almost surreal, your with the team in the tunnel, coming out in pregame, running out, in The Swamp for the first time was something really special for me, and something I’ll always remember," said head coach Dan Mullen.
"Have the opportunityt o spread the ball around, and up-tempo kind of puts the defense on their heels," added Mullen about the tempo of the offense. "That was one of the things for us going into the game, I want to play with great tempo, get up, get down, get adjusted to doing that. And I thought they handled that. I thought our line, I think we can be a little bit faster at getting moving at times, but I thought they did a good job.”
THEY SAID IT: "We have a bunch of good players that played really good tonight," said quarterback Dan Mullen. "A bunch of guys got in, bunch of guys got to taste what it feels like actually being on the field. Our team can only go up from here. I said that in the summer, just going out and we're just scratching the surface. Bunch of the players are excited about the upcoming season and SEC play next week."
SUSPENSIONS: The Gators were without several players due to suspension on Saturday: defensive lineman CeCe Jefferson, receiver Kadarius Toney, running back Adarius Lemons, cornerback Brian Edwards, defensive lineman Kyree Campbell, defensive lineman Luke Ancrum, and walk-on freshman James Washington.
Mullen did not want to comment on whether or not these suspensions would be more than one game.
MEDICAL REPORT: Linebacker David Reese, wide receiver Jacob Copeland, defensive backs CJ McWilliams and Shawn Davis did not feature in Saturday's game after being named questionable or doubtful by Mullen earlier in the week.
Safety Quincy Lenton is out for the season.
RELATED STORY: Mullen making special teams special
BY THE NUMBERS: 0 - the number of penalties had in the first quarter; the Gators finished the night with 2 penalties for 15 yards. 2:13 - the Gators's touchdown drives were 2:13 or less. 0- the number of turnovers the offense had on Saturday. 2- the number of turnovers the defense forced. 1- the number of first downs Charleston Southern had after one half of play. 1- Florida blocked one field goal. 1- Florida blocks extra point.
WHATS NEXT: Florida will host Kentucky next weekend with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m.
*******************************************************************************************
Stay tuned to Gators Territory as we continue our coverage from the Swamp.
*******************************************************************************************