Following another thrilling, come-from-behind win, this time 28-27 over Kentucky, Inside the Gators now reviews the past week with a 3-2-1 report. We provide three observations, present two questions and make one prediction as the Gators head into a match-up with Vanderbilt next Saturday.
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* Instant Analysis: 31 straight over Kentucky
* Alley: Florida-Kentucky Game Thread
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Three things we learned this week:
1. Jim McElwain does not fully trust his starting quarterback, and that’s concerning.
After 20 months of coaching from McElwain, many expected redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks to be adequately prepared to be Florida’s starting quarterback. On Saturday night, however, McElwain pulled Franks for the second time in his first three starts.
When McElwain named Franks the starter against Michigan, it appeared the third-year coach had hitched his wagon to the cannon-armed freshman. It hasn’t worked out that way. In two games when Florida has trailed in the second half, McElwain has not trusted Franks to lead the team to victory. Against Michigan, pulling Franks for graduate transfer Malik Zaire did not help. On Saturday, however, it was the right move. Redshirt junior Luke Del Rio rallied the team to a 28-27 victory. With significant help from the running game, the offense looked better with Del Rio on the field.
Franks handles the emotions of the game well and has a strong arm, but when it comes to reading defenses and finding the right receiver, Franks isn’t there yet. While it’s still too early to give up on Franks, it is concerning that McElwain doesn’t have full confidence in a highly sought-after quarterback he has coached for almost two years.
2. The team has a fundamental problem with tackling.
