In front of a (mostly) whited-out, 70,000 strong crowd at the Swamp Saturday night, Florida cruised to a comfortable if uninspiring 35-14 victory over FAU.
Emory Jones and the Florida offense started the game in pristine form, engineering a 11-play, 75-yard march down the field in just three minutes off of the kickoff. Mullen dialed up a healthy mix of runs and passes, and Jones showed impressive accuracy with just two incompletions.
However, the junior quarterback went on to struggle through much of the contest, displaying many of the passing and decision-making concerns echoed by Gator nation. Jones passed for just 113 yards on the evening and tossed two interceptions against just one touchdown.
Florida’s offense relied on the fleet-footed Malik Davis in the first half. The Tampa native racked up 65 yards on the ground in the first quarter, including a powerful, 17-yard run late in the quarter to set up a nine-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Rick Wells. Davis finished with more than 100 yards on the ground to go with a rushing touchdown.
Todd Grantham employed his standard, conservative ideology with the UF’s defensive backs, playing well-off the receivers and allowing FAU quarterback N’Kosi Perry to find short throws over the middle. The Owls earned more than 25 yards on each of their first three drives, but the Florida defense continued to stiffen around midfield and force FAU into turnovers.
Mullen opted to enter Anthony Richardson into the game under center for Florida’s third drive, and the redshirt freshman shone in a limited role Saturday. Richardson led an impressive drive to the red zone in his first action, finishing the evening 3-of-8 through the air while scampering for 160 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
After the Gators scored on their opening two possessions, both teams struggled to generate momentum on offense as Florida and FAU traded empty possessions into the locker room.
The game’s lethargic pace continued into the third quarter, as Florida punched in its third touchdown of the afternoon after a lengthy six minute, fifteen play drive largely focused on the running game. Florida’s ground attack continued to dominate the FAU front seven in the second half, as the Gators rushed for more than 400 yards Saturday.
After nearly a quarter of punts, fumbles and interceptions, Florida tacked on another touchdown midway through the fourth quarter as Richardson led a quick, 73-yard drive down the field that was punctuated by a Malik Davis goalline surge. FAU managed to break its goose egg minutes later, as Johnny Ford walked into the endzone after a two-yard run.
Richardson made an emphatic case for the starting quarterback job in the fourth quarter Saturday, hurdling defenders, lacing accurate passes and racking up yards on the ground. No play better exemplified his boundless athleticism and potential better than his 73-yard touchdown run down the right sideline for the fifth Gator touchdown. FAU tacked on another consolation touchdown to end the scoring, and the game ended 35-14.
Florida will return to action next Saturday, as the Gators head to Tampa to take on South Florida at Raymond James Stadium.
Stay tuned to Gators Territory.
