Gators know they must regroup with Alabama matchup looming
TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA | It’s not news that the offensive production and consistency has been lacking in Jim McElwain’s tenure as head coach of the Gators - and Florida's abysmal 31-13 loss to Florida State on Saturday night at Doak Campbell Stadium was another display of that.
The Gators were only able to rack up 207 yards of total offense against the Seminoles, with a heavy bulk of the yardage coming in garbage time. The offensive line, fresh off of two solid outings against South Carolina and LSU, struggled mightily. Florida quarterback Austin Appleby was sacked six times while finishing with 149 yards on 19-of-35 passing. Under his leadership, the Gators went 0-of-12 on third down against the Seminoles. The rushing attack was neutralized by a dominant FSU front seven, being held to only 58 yards on 29 carries.
Florida has been unable to come up with a win in the last four meetings against the Seminoles, losing by a combined score of 119-41, and Florida's quarterback play has been a key issue in the Seminoles' dominance over the Gators.
Another lackluster performance by Jim McElwain’s offense should be concerning, knowing that the Gators travel to Atlanta next week to take on No. 1 Alabama for a chance to win their first SEC Championship since the Tim Tebow era.
With a lot of injuries hitting the team as of late, the Gators will need as many bodies and playmakers on the field if they want have a shot against a dominant and stout Crimson Tide team.
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* Five Takeaways: Offensive ineptitude on display in Gators' loss to FSU
* Instant Analysis: Florida offense flat in 31-13 road loss to FSU
* Video: McElwain, Appleby, Ivie and Harris post game press conference
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“Injuries have been a burden,” said Appleby. “Every time you look it seems like somebody else is out. But with that said, it’s the Gator way. We got to step up. It’s the next man up. We’ve got depth here. We’ve got all sorts of talent. Guys got to rally together, rally around each other, play for each other. There’s a ton of talent in that locker room. Now it’s doing what we have to do to play at the level we’re capable of playing. We do it at times. We flash it at times. Now it’s about pushing and playing up to that Gator way at all times.”
After Saturday's game, McElwain was frustrated with a reporter's question about whether he was concerned about next weekend's matchup - although the second-year Florida coach did to that emotion after another poor offensive outing from his group. However, he added that he does have faith in what his team can do moving forward.
“It’s going to be a heck of a test,” explained McElwain on facing Alabama. “I’m concerned. These guys have been through a ton. They played their tails off today. And it hurts. As a competitor, you tear off the rearview mirror and you go forward. Our team will be ready. have no idea what kind of question that was, but to question that locker room and those players...”
Defensive lineman Joey Ivie remembers the feeling Florida experienced after the group's 27-2 loss to FSU and how it had to rebound the following week against Alabama. Although that team lost 29-15 to the Crimson Tide, Ivie believes that the Gators are better suited this year as compared to last season and have what it takes to contend and come out with a victory over Alabama this time around.
“I just feel like we’re an all-around better team, in my opinion," Ivie said. "I also feel like even though we didn’t really show it today, a lot of guys on our team are super motivated to win a championship. And we set a goal from the very beginning, and I believe if we really step our foot down and really rally around each other, we can still achieve that goal. We just can’t fall apart from a loss, as football things happen. You know we need to be able to come together and work and fix all the bumps and make best of what we got.”
Added safety Marcell Harris: “We just gotta stay positive. I mean, we gotta take every game as a step, as a stepping stone and learn from it. ... It’s not hard to stay positive. You just gotta practice. You execute in practice and you come out and execute in the game, and therefore you know the whole team, we’re a positive team. So we’re gonna take this loss on our back and keep pushing.”
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