Five Fast Thoughts: An ugly affair to open the season
It was an ugly Saturday for Florida, as the Gators’ 27-game opening win streak was snapped by Michigan. The Wolverines dominated the Gators in all phases in a 33-17 game which rarely felt as close as its score. Inside the Gators delivers Five Fast Thoughts about Saturday’s contest in Dallas.
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1. Feleipe Franks showed promise as a passer: Franks (5-of-9, 75 yards) looked calm in the pocket when offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier would actually call drop-back passes. The 6-5, 227-pounder also showed off his mobility when he scrambled for 16 yards and a first down on 3rd-and-15.
The third quarter fumble was costly, but that’s a fixable mistake. A vertical passing game needs help from the running game to be truly effective, and Franks wasn’t getting any assistance.
2. The offensive line still struggles with the big boys: After months of hearing about the offensive line being Florida’s strongest position group, the Gators got absolutely dominated by Michigan’s defensive front. Franks and Zaire both were under constant pressure and the running backs never had room to run.
When Florida was able to get a big run, redshirt sophomore center T.J. McCoy was called for holding. The replay showed that multiple linemen could have been called for holding.
One can only wonder what coach Jim McElwain saw in the off-season to call this unit the strength of the team. Saturday’s performance looked a lot like the recent SEC Championship games against Alabama.
3. True freshmen are going to play like true freshmen: Florida signed six defensive backs in its 2017 class. Sometimes they’re going to make big plays like cornerback C.J. Henderson’s pick-six. Other times, they’re going to get beat or burned in coverage, as we saw happen to cornerback Marco Wilson and safety Shawn Davis. The freshmen might be the team’s best options in secondary, but these things are going to happen this season when you play inexperienced defensive backs, regardless of their star-rating.
4. Jordan Scarlett was sorely missed: Michigan’s defense was seemingly ready for every Gator running play, and sophomore Lamical Perine and senior Mark Thompson are not tackle-breakers. The co-No. 2 running backs combined for only 21 yards on 12 carries. Scarlett’s ability to motor through a defense and push for hard yards could have made a difference in short-yardage situations. As a team, the Gators finished with only 11 rushing yards after negative yards from Zaire’s sacks were added to the total.
5. This isn’t the same Florida defense: For the first time in years, it does not feel like the Gators can lean on their defense – even though it outscored the offense. Losing eight players to graduation and the NFL Draft showed on Saturday. Sophomore linebackers David Reese and Vosean Joseph impressed as backups last year, but they’re not up to the level of Jarrad Davis and Alex Anzalone, especially when it comes to stopping the run.
As ABC analyst Todd Blackledge noted, Michigan was never forced to throw the ball. The Wolverines ground attack dictated the flow the game, giving UM total control from start to finish.
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